A New Year is often the trigger for reflection and possibly a change in career for many people. Recruitment within the AV sector has proved challenging over recent times and one of the areas identified has been the lack of any formally recognised route to gaining a recognised qualification within the industry, such as an apprenticeship.

Spearheaded by Jack Laidlaw, HE Cross-College Coordinator at Middlesbrough College, along with over a dozen industry employers included Visavvi, the college embraced this challenge, successfully creating the UK’s first approved Audiovisual Technician Apprenticeship standard which launched in October 2022.

“It’s really exciting,” said Laidlaw. “This has been a labour of love for me. It’s been about five years of development of AV courses and trying to get the apprenticeship off the ground.”

The second intake of students in January this year includes our very own apprentice Lewis Davies, who joined Visavvi in August last year. Following the Christmas holidays, Lewis was delighted to hear he would be joining 16 fellow apprentices on a foundation degree in audiovisual technology with the College. 

The course is taught using a blended learning model, with apprentices having access to equipment through their employer with technical training being provided remotely by the College, providing up to 20% of the apprentices working week.

This new two-year foundation degree carries over elements of an existing AV technology course, but as a result of consultation with the employer advisory group also includes important changes, notably in the area of systems integration. 

“We have been looking for a solution that would address the skills gap within the industry for some time and being able to help advise Jack and his team has been a pleasure” explained Visavvi Technical Director Colin Etchells. “Not having a recognised standard was a complete barrier to the process which has now been overcome meaning young technicians like Lewis can progress their careers through a supported formal route”.

Speaking about the new course Davies commented: “This is a fantastic opportunity for me to progress to a recognised Level 5 qualification. I really enjoy working with the engineers and putting the online training into practice. It is a great way to learn”.

For those considering starting a new career within the dynamic world of audio visual we have a variety of exciting opportunities for you to be part of something very special by joining team Visavvi.