How I picked up industry experience while studying

This article was written by Musical Theatre BA(Hons) student Caitlin.

Falmouth University is a great place to study if you want to get experience in the industry. The number of opportunities you can get are wide & varied and I will be outlining these in this post, along with links to more information for certain examples.

Firstly, all of the lecturers at Falmouth are industry professionals in some way, either having worked in the industry previously or currently working in the industry, alongside teaching lectures. For example, some of the Performing Arts lecturers teach at the Uni, as well as teaching classes outside of the uni, perhaps working as an assessor in dance schools or writing & producing productions. They have usually been working in the industry for some time before becoming lecturers. This gives you the advantage of hearing first-hand stories from the industry and getting advice on ways to break into the industry in the future. The lecturers are also able to give you feedback on assessments based on their experiences, which will help you to build on your skills and improve your work.

Secondly, there is loads of collaboration between courses. All it takes is a quick email to one of your lecturers explaining what you need for a project and asking them to spread the word - then your email will be sent to multiple lecturers, who will pass that on to their students to respond. This benefits everyone, as it gives students the opportunity to work together and make some amazing work. Some examples could be Performing Arts students asking for Photography students to take their head shots, or Photography students asking for Fashion students to design outfits for a photo shoot and then advertising generally around the uni for models.

Another thing that is offered at Falmouth is Professional Placement Year. Typically taken after the second year, the Professional Placement Year is an opportunity to work in a professional setting and build on things you have already learned on your course, in the real world. Most of the courses at Falmouth offer this opportunity and it is a great way to also get your name out there before you have even finished studying. The actual placement is up to you to find, however the Employability Team are there to help you find the right placement for you and help you to apply. You will also always be able to get in touch with an academic member of staff to make sure that you have support and that you are learning from your placement & reflecting on it.