The NI Traineeship provides a high-quality vocational education and training programme those who aspire to work within a specific sector.

Full details of the programme is available in our Traineeship page.

You will get the opportunity to learn a variety of software including:

• The Adobe Creative Suite – Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom, After Effects etc...
• Blender
• Visual Studio Code

You will also get to use a range of hardware including:

• Apple iMacs
• Windows PCs
• Digital Cameras (DSLRs)
• Lighting equipment
• Graphics tablets
• Sound equipment

All hardware and software used on the course is industry standard and will allow you to gain invaluable experience before entering the world of work or further study.

Our students also get the opportunity to compete in the creative media section of the World Skills competition. This allows students to benchmark their skills against their peers across the UK. It also gives you the potential for travel if you make it to the final which is usually held at the NEC in Birmingham each year. Numerous past Level 2 creative media students from Newtownabbey have made it to the final over the past five years.

We also have excellent connections with the local creative media industry and have annual guest speakers in from Mammoth, Italic Pig, Sixteen South, Element Seven, Whitenoise and Overwatch. Some of these contacts have resulted in students receiving placement opportunities and eventually permanent jobs with the company.

Assessment will be both practical and written, with the practical taking the higher percentage. Students will be assessed individually but, just like the creative media industry, you will also learn how to work as part of a team. Students will be given projects which reflect industry needs which helps to ready them for future employment.

This new NI Traineeship programme is aimed at students who want to specialise in Creative Digital Media from an early stage. Our learners will study for 15 hours per week across one academic year. During this time, you will learn a range of skills, including:

• Graphic Design
• Web Design
• 3D Modelling
• Photography
• Motion Graphics
• Digital Audio
• Entrepreneurship

There is a continuous demand for creative media skills throughout all sectors of the economy; every business needs a website and social media content. The animation industry in Belfast is thriving and is providing job opportunities for digital creatives in Northern Ireland. This 1-year entry-level course will set you on a very definite pathway to employment. Potentially, you can develop your creative media skills at the Newtownabbey campus from this Level 2 course, via our popular 2-year Level 3 courses all the way up to Level 5 HND.

During your studies, you will get the opportunity to work in partnership with local industry. If you have a talent for design, if you love working with computer software and if you want to become part of the creative media industry then this is the course that you are looking for.

If you are accepted onto this course without a Grade C or above in Maths and/or English you will be required to complete the relevant Essential Skills qualification. This will be a compulsory part of your timetable.

The Newtownabbey campus already offers successful Level 3 courses in Games Development, Creative Media and Animation. We also offer a Level 5 HND in Web Design so there are plenty of different pathways and progression routes after studying our Level 2 course. This is an opportunity to get a real head start in an exciting and innovative sector which is growing constantly.

You must:

• Be at least 16 years of age on or before 1 July in the year of proposed entry to the course.
• Have a minimum of a Level 1 qualification defined as 4 GCSEs at grades D-G including Maths and English grades D-F or equivalent. However, most areas will require higher grades in Maths and English.  See our Traineeship page for specific grades for each vocational area.
• Attend an information session.