RSL Awards RSL Awards' Level 3 – 5 qualifications for Creative Industries Practitioners have been designed to build on the successful range of Vocational Qualifications already available in Music, Performing Arts and Creative Digital Media. They are aimed at centres looking to offer progression to a higher level of education.
The unifying element of work within modern creative industries is the expectation for practitioners to undertake a portfolio career. This suite of qualifications has been designed to encourage the development of skills and self-reflection needed to navigate a unique and varied route through a complex landscape of careers.
The qualifications have been designed to adapt to any areas of the creative industries, be that Music, Performing Arts, Digital Media, or Business.
Download the Creative Industries Practitioners (Level 3) Syllabus
Download the Creative Industries Practitioners Level 4-5 Syllabus
The qualifications are available at Levels 3, 4 and 5. The final qualification will be awarded upon successful completion of a specified number of Guided Learning Hours (GLH) at each level.
The types of final award available are:
| Qualification Titles | Guided Learning Hours (GLH) | Total Qualification Time (TQT) | Core Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma for Creative Industries Practitioners | 540 | 900 | 2 |
| Level 3 Diploma for Creative Industries Practitioners | 720 | 1200 | 3 |
| Level 3 Extended Diploma for Creative Industries Practitioners | 1080 | 1800 | 4 |
| Qualification Titles | Guided Learning Hours (GLH) | Total Qualification Time (TQT) | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSL Level 4 Certificate in Creative Industries Practitioners | 100 | 200 | 20 |
| RSL Level 4 Extended Certificate in Creative Industries Practitioners | 200 | 400 | 40 |
| RSL Level 4 Subsidiary Diploma in Creative Industries Practitioners | 300 | 600 | 60 |
| RSL Level 4 Diploma in Creative Industries Practitioners | 400 | 800 | 80 |
| RSL Level 4 Extended Diploma in Creative Industries Practitioners | 600 | 1200 | 120 |
| Qualification Titles | Guided Learning Hours (GLH) | Total Qualification Time (TQT) | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSL Level 5 Certificate in Creative Industries Practitioners | 100 | 200 | 20 |
| RSL Level 5 Extended Certificate in Creative Industries Practitioners | 200 | 400 | 40 |
| RSL Level 5 Subsidiary Diploma in Creative Industries Practitioners | 300 | 600 | 60 |
| RSL Level 5 Diploma in Creative Industries Practitioners | 400 | 800 | 80 |
| RSL Level 5 Extended Diploma in Creative Industries Practitioners | 600 | 1200 | 120 |
The units are designed to allow centres to shape and mould assessments to the individual needs of their learners and prepare them either for working in creative industries or progressing onto further training or education.
RSL’s Creative Industries Practitioners qualifications provide opportunities for learners to develop their understanding of spiritual, moral, ethical, social, legislative, economic and cultural issues, as well as sustainable development, health and safety considerations, and European developments, consistent with international agreements.
Please download the syllabus specification to find out the units required at each qualification level
Creative Industries Practitioners Syllabus (Level 3)
Creative Industries Practitioners Syllabus: Level 4 – 5
This unit aims to develop an understanding of the fundamental concepts and methodologies that underpin skills development in the context of the learner’s principal discipline. Learners will understand how core technical vocabulary can inform their approach, and be able to apply the skills and vocabulary learned in this unit in a wider creative context. Whilst the majority of the techniques and technical theories encountered will be in the context of the learner’s principal discipline, they are encouraged to identify broader applications for the content studied.
Throughout the unit, learners will be expected to initiate and maintain a self-directed and strategic approach to studying, and a balanced and holistic appreciation for both their practical and theoretical development as a creative. Learners will be responsible for motivating themselves to research and develop subject matter in pursuit of acquiring depth of understanding within the subject area. At all times, learners are encouraged to derive conclusions from research that are directly relevant to their own professional practice.
This unit aims to establish a benchmark for learners and identify areas that can be built upon in their development as a creative professional. The unit will include opportunities for learners to develop the following skills:
It is important for creative people to be able to evaluate and analyse influences on their personal style. This unit aims to develop a learner’s skills in interpreting and responding to influences in their own work. Learners will identify a key influence on their individual style, and analyse how they have influenced the learner’s own creative output in a particular discipline (e.g. music, art, theatre, dance, business). The unit will include opportunities for learners to analyse styles and types of influence (historical and contemporary, subliminal, mimetic, cultural, social etc).
This unit focuses on the creation of a programme of work to demonstrate a range of skills and technical knowledge that have been developed during the study of this qualification. The unit will include opportunities for learners to develop the following skills and technical knowledge:
To manage a creative career, it’s vital to have a clear sense of the available income streams, and knowledge of how to maximise income and minimise expenses. This unit aims to enable learners to recognise and reproduce various income streams available to creatives in the current creative industry environment and to appraise the commercial opportunities presented by various income streams in relation to an individual area of the creative industries. The unit will include opportunities for learners to explore commercial and personal relationships, examples of long-term model partnerships, financial modelling, forecasting, cash flow management and the ethics of management. During this unit learners will be empowered to communicate in an authoritative way with finance professionals such as accountants, banks and third-party investors.
This unit aims to enable learners to develop an authoritative and credible practice, suitable for a variety of different scenarios within the creative industries, and to able to explain and apply the conventions and vocabulary of their craft in relation to future scenarios working for or with other creatives. Learners will develop an awareness of current trends in their field and demonstrate their ability to create work within the parameters of a specific brief. Learners will be required to reflect critically on the process and explain the methods they have used including the rationale behind them.
This unit introduces advanced concepts and technically-specific vocabulary necessary for the purpose of attaining a mature and assured standard of technical application during performance. The aim of this unit is to enable learners to develop advanced technical concepts and vocabulary in the context of creative arts and be able to apply and manipulate technical conventions and vocabulary creatively across a range creative output.
Throughout the unit, learners will be expected to maintain a self-directed, consistent and strategic approach to studying. They will develop a balanced and holistic appreciation for their practical and theoretical development as a creative artist, engaging with micro and macro level concepts in detail. The unit will include opportunities for learners to develop the following skills and technical knowledge:
The aim of this unit is to allow learners to plan their development within the creative industries and contextualise this knowledge back into their own practice. The unit suits individual consultation and feedback on both career planning and evidence of implementing a plan. The following elements may be useful to focus on during career planning: image and identity, contextual understanding, creative output, experience, products, market awareness, fanbase, client relationships, industry awareness.
In this unit learners will demonstrate their contribution to planning, designing and developing a group production/ performance to an audience. Planning and executing a performing arts production as part of a group is a key skill to master. During their career, most creative artists are likely to have a variety of roles in group performances, as are those who work in technical and production roles. Being part of a group production requires an awareness of the individual role and how it contributes to the overall group, working with others to construct and deliver a coherent and balanced production. The unit will include opportunities for learners to develop their own skills and technical knowledge, as well as skills for working in teams such as: leadership and facilitation skills, motivating others, active listening, and giving and receiving feedback.
This unit provides an opportunity for learners to demonstrate the totality of their skills and knowledge in their chosen discipline within the creative industries, embodying their unique style. Learners will assume responsibility for all creative and administrative aspects of their work, demonstrating a strategic approach for both practice and research.
This unit enables learners to critically evaluate the impact of working life in the creative arts on their physical and mental health, developing strategies to manage their health and wellbeing. Creative arts can be stressful on the body and mind, and practitioners should have an understanding of how to manage their health and wellbeing, this can include:
This unit focuses on the application of specialist and supplementary skills towards a range of scenarios within the creative industries. Learners will compile a range of creative output, reflective of the portfolio working style of the modern creative professional — this could include performance, composition, cross-media collaboration, consultancy and teaching.
Download the syllabus specification...
Creative Industries Practitioners Syllabus: Level 4 – 5
Topping Up with an RSL Creative Industries Practitioners Qualification
RSLs Level 4 and 5 qualifications for aspiring artists, entrepreneurs and creative industries professionals offer unique pathways for professional development.
Our qualifications are designed for learners seeking an alternative option to traditional HE, whereby they can receive expert mentoring while honing their craft. However, it may be that when a learner completes a Level 4 or 5 qualification they decide that their desired next step is to continue to study in year 2 or 3 of an undergraduate degree. On this basis RSL has pioneered top up routes in to continuing study at some of the UKs most progressive specialist providers of Creative Industries HE.
WaterBear offers BA (Hons) degree and master's courses made for today's musicians, artists and industry professionals. WaterBear are all about smaller class sizes, flexible course delivery, bespoke one-to-one mentoring and exclusive work experience and career development opportunities. They are based in the heart of Brighton, one of the UK’s most exciting cities for music and the arts, and are soon to open the second of the UK based campuses, in Sheffield. They also have a range of online distance learning courses too. WaterBear is a College of Falmouth University, a pioneer in creative industries education, entrepreneurship and innovation.
Learners completing a Level 3, 4 or 5 Creative Industries Practitioners qualification may progress on to a higher level of associated study in a Creative Industries related programme at any one of the many Universities offering degrees in these disciplines. Those holding a Level 4 or 5 qualifications may be able to top up to complete a degree and those holding the Level 3 qualification may be able to continue on to RSL’s Level 4 or 5 qualification or to continue their studies on a degree programme. In the field of popular music alone there are close to 300 Degree Courses available. There are 559 courses available at 123 Universities in the field of Performing Arts and there are countless options across media and other Creative Industries disciplines.
Learners completing a Level 3, 4 or 5 qualification may also wish to progress in to a portfolio career in their chosen sector, and they will be equipped with the skills and knowledge to take steps towards their chosen career, having covered such disciplines as Creative Industries Income Streams, Portfolio Career Development and Industry Showcasing or at Level 3 Planning for a Freelance Career and Planning for a Career in Music/Creative and Performing Arts/Creative Digital Media.
These qualifications share some commonalities with our Creative Practitioners Qualifications in that they both include industry relevance and career development at their core, however the Creative Industries Practitioners qualifications offer a greater focus on skill development for the artist and less concentration on promotion and marketing functions.
Prospective learners considering enrolment on a Creative Industries Practitioners qualification may also wish to consider a Higher Apprenticeship or a Creative Industries Degree Programme in any of the areas outlined above.