Drama Apprenticeships
What are the best apprenticeships for those with a flair for drama?
Do you believe ‘all the world’s a stage’? Are you passionate about telling a story?
You might be perfectly cast for the role of a drama apprentice.
Why drama is useful for apprenticeships
How you present yourself directly affects how people perceive you in any situation.
Drama teaches you confidence and body awareness – including posture, movement and an understanding of body language. This can help you to be more engaging, appear more interested and even improve your chances of landing leadership roles.
Performing arts are all about communication, and the ability to convey a specific message to a particular audience crosses roles and industries.
Transferable skills
The ability to memorise long stretches of dialogue is not essential for all types of acting, but it is a bonus. If you can learn to improve your memory and recall, you will find it helpful in every aspect of life.
Those with drama training tend to be better public speakers (even if they do so in character). This valuable skill is beneficial in many careers, including politics, teaching, and law.
Reading, writing and creating your own plays, sketches, or short films can also help you to become a better performer. You can also practice being on camera – many actors now send in self-tapes before or even instead of a face-to-face audition.
Get involved in any local amateur dramatics and go to the theatre/cinema whenever you can to watch different actors and a range of genres. Lastly, apply for casting calls that you feel ‘fit’ your appearance and skills.
Intermediate roles
Intermediate apprenticeships are entry-level programmes that, confusingly, are also known as ‘level 2’. They were created to give less academically inclined young people an alternative career path to follow while helping to fill the work skills gap.
Typically, apprenticeships offer an 80/20 split in favour of practical paid-for work with supplementary study.
Apprentices are paid a fair wage and enjoy workplace benefits such as holidays and sick days.
Entry Requirements
Those wanting to apply for a UK drama apprenticeship must:
- Be 16 or older
- Not be in full-time education
- Have the right to live and work in the UK
Typically, most providers also ask for good GCSE grades in maths and English Language, but that is not always the case with creative apprenticeships such as drama.
Passion and determination are just as, if not more important than formal qualifications when it comes to this type of intermediate apprenticeship.
Qualifications gained
Graduates of entry-level drama apprenticeships will gain the equivalent of 5 good GCSE passes.
Lime Pictures and Stage One are among the companies facilitating entry-level drama programmes for school leavers.
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Advanced/Higher/Degree targeted at A-Level
The next levels of UK apprenticeships are as follows:
- Level 3 apprenticeships are advanced
- Levels 4 and 5 are higher
- Levels 6 and 7 are degree apprenticeships.
Entry Requirements
Advanced and above apprenticeships usually require you to complete an intermediate apprenticeship in a related subject or have achieved the equivalent GCSEs or A Levels. Performing arts apprenticeships may also have specific requirements such as a basic level of dance ability or technical skill.
Qualifications gained
You can gain the following qualifications at the respective levels:
- Advanced Level 3 (equivalent to 2 A Levels)
- Higher (equivalent to a Foundation Degree)
- Degree (equivalent to a University degree)
Interesting advanced, higher, and degree drama apprenticeships include:
BTEC Level 3 Extended Certificate in Creative Digital Media Production – Get Into Theatre
Creative Industries Production Technician Level 3 – ATG Entertainment
Industry Focus
Drama impacts several industries, most notably film, television and theatre, broadcasting and education. Here we drill down into some of the most popular roles encompassed in UK drama apprenticeship programmes.
While it’s true that only a small percentage of actors become film or television stars, there are many acting roles beyond movie stars, including:
- Theatre actors
- Background artists
- Actors in adverts
- Voice actors
Strong and memorable voices are sought for everything from audiobooks to animation, while most productions feature at least one or two ‘extras’ per scene.
Drama apprenticeships offer budding actors the opportunity to hone their talents for stage or screen. Modules often include performing Shakespeare and audition techniques.
The UK Screen Alliance promotes several apprenticeships in Film & TV Studios, SFX, Animation, VFX, and post-production.
TV presenters, particularly on children’s programmes, often have a background in drama.
There are sometimes skits or bits between programmes and presenters must display lots of energy and enthusiasm, despite filming often taking place in the early hours. They may be required to sing or dance so a background in performing arts comes in handy.
With the rise in social media, presenters are also in demand on platforms such as TikTok.
The Royal Television Society lists companies offering apprenticeships in entry-level training, including Channel 4, the BBC and Creative Train.
An interest in drama does not necessarily mean you want to be front and centre. There are many roles backstage in the theatre and on films and television sets that make the production possible. From scenery and props to project management and producing, you can find many apprenticeships that will help you begin a career in show business without thrusting you into the spotlight.
For example, agents make sure their clients’ names and faces become known. Casting directors choose which faces and other attributes will best represent the character in question.
The Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House, among others, offer this type of apprenticeship.
Other Opportunities
There are several roles that you can take once after completing a drama apprenticeship, including:
- Singer/dancer in musicals
- Dramaturg
- Stage manager
- Set designer
- Drama therapist
- Drama teacher
- Playwright
- Dialect coach
- Agent/manager
- Theatre/film critic
- Arts administrator
Conclusion
Whether you want to take centre stage or play a backstage role in one of the creative industries, an apprenticeship in drama could help you engage your target audience.
You can search drama and other UK apprenticeships by location on our website.
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