Post Production Technical Operator Apprenticeship

Program Overview

Overview

Developed by trailblazers

This exciting Post-Production Technical Operator (PPTO) apprenticeship has been developed by a trailblazer group of employers in collaboration with LSBU. The companies are the leading post-production companies in the UK, including Framestore, Molinare, MPC, Technicolor, Company3, Encore, Fifty Fifty, Edit Store, Motion Pictures Solutions, Platform Post, Run VT, Flix Facilities, Pinewood Studios and West Digital. The apprenticeship is also supported by ScreenSkills and is approved for delivery by the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education (IfATE).

Why Post Production at LSBU?

• We have a successful history of supporting employer sponsored students, with one third studying part-time, one of the highest number of any university.
• Work with industry leading software such as Media Composer, Nuke and DaVinci/Fusion.
• Elephant Studios: Multi-million pound studio facilities at the forefront of digital technologies and multimedia practice for creative students.
• Top 5 in London for student satisfaction in Film Production and Photography (Guardian 2019).

Mode, Duration, Start Date, Application Code, and Application Method

Location

• Southwark Campus

Entry Level Requirements

• Apprentices will normally have a relevant level 3 qualification such as Media Studies.
• Apprentices must hold 5 GCSEs A-C including minimum C in Maths and English or equivalent (reformed GCSEs grade 4 or above).

International Qualifications

• Select country and state to view specific requirements.

Fees

• The cost of the apprenticeship is paid fully by the employer (sometimes part funded by the government) through apprenticeship levy.
• The apprentice does not contribute toward the cost of study.

Funding

• Large employers who are Apprenticeship Levy payers can use funds that they have already committed to their own levy accounts.
• Non-levy paying employers can access full 100% funding to cover the training and assessment costs via UK Screen Alliance’s Apprenticeship Levy Transfer Fund (ALT Fund), where unused apprenticeship levy contributions made by large companies are recycled for use by small companies.

Incentives

• Employers with less than 50 staff sending an apprentice aged 16-18 will have 100% of the training costs paid by the government.
• All employers who employ an apprentice aged 16-18 on the first day of teaching will receive a £1,000 incentive from the government.

Cost

• You can find out the funding band for an Apprenticeship Standard on the Government website. To find out how much we are charging, please get in touch with us at <insert contact email>

Field Trips

• Some modules include field with and site visits, which may be residential or outside the United Kingdom, ranging from three to five days. These are organised by the Division and students are required to contribute towards the cost.

Year 1

Course Content

• Video technology
• Audio technology
• Metadata and timecode
• Codecs and files
• Edit assistant operations
• Troubleshooting
• Networks and storage
• Data conforming and finishing
• Quality control
• Legacy technology and archive material
• Working practices

Careers

• Successful completion of this level 4 apprenticeship could lead to work as a machine room operator in post-production companies, VFX houses and specialist content delivery companies.
• It is also suitable for operators who support the creative process within in-house production facilities.

Teaching and Assessment

Course Structure

• The training will run as a series of three blocks over the 12 month delivery period.
• Of the 20% off-job training required for this apprenticeship it is assumed that approximately 280 hours (40 days) will be delivered directly by LSBU and that a further 70 hours (10 days), comprised of mentoring, self-study, industry master classes etc, will take place at the employer’s site or other location.

Methods of Course Delivery

• We will employ a variety of methods in our delivery. This will include lectures, seminars, workshops and exercises in specialist facilities and classrooms, with a tutor and technician present.
• The tutor will organise industry visits to a variety of post houses. Masterclasses will be delivered by Master Technicians, who will be specialist freelancers from the industry.

Assessment

• Apprentices will be receiving formative feedback prior to the second and third block of teaching where the tutor, liaising with the employer, will conduct a review of achievements against the KSB’s and the progress towards their assessment.
• The apprentices will be assessed on 20 pieces of evidence which will be produced on-the-job. These pieces of evidence will work towards their portfolio and collated in OneFile.
• The tutor will be able to view this work remotely and add comments. The tutor will then be able to advise when the student is ready to go through gateway.

End-Point Assessment

• Assessment will be delivered by an ESFA approved End-Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO), who will provide an Independent Assessor to conduct the three End-Point Assessment components.
• Apprentices have to pass all of the individual End-Point Assessment components to achieve a Pass overall.
• The End-Point Assessment will be undertaken over a maximum of three months post gateway and will comprise of three components: Knowledge Test, a Practical Demonstration with three parts and a Professional Discussion.