On Course: GoCreate Academy

GoCreate Academy creates and delivers a globally recognised series of new online creative media courses and qualifications, delivered by world class experts, in partnership with respected broadcasters, brands and educational institutions. It focuses on giving anyone access to a wide selection of new, career-related creative skills.

The courses are focused on mobile-centric topics, like vlogging, podcasting, live streaming, social media, mobile film making, music production and beatboxing, weaving in core competencies like critical analysis and creative thinking into all their courses. The academy's world-firsts include the first ever vlogging and podcasting graded and diploma examinations which were initially licensed to RSL and LCME. In 2022 however, GoCreate Examinations are launching, in response to requests from candidates around the world looking for a contemporary approach to gaining qualifications.

GoCreate's conception

Go Create Academy's creators Peter Stone and Susan Hickey set up the institution in 2015. They have a wealth of experience in the music and media industries. Peter, a former concert pianist and session musician to the likes of Madonna and Kenny Rogers, was head of Capital Radio's Commercial Production. Susan Hickey, part of the UK's first online show for a national broadcaster, is an award-winning entrepreneur, media presenter, producer, and author with experience across TV, Radio and online for the likes of Channel 4, RTE, and GCTV.

Susan Hickey says that it was ‘specifically because research suggested that 65 per cent of learners will work in jobs that don't even exist today’ that sparked the inspiration to create GoCreate Academy. ‘The challenge we felt that needed addressing was how to develop creative, problem-solving skills and digital competencies, to help young people be prepared for that future and to create qualifications that would benchmark the levelness of candidates’ in these new areas.’

Courses

Drama related courses include:

• Audio Storytelling DipLCM
• Vlogging DipLCM
• Creative Radio Advertising DipLCM
• Creative Media Production CertHE
• Creative Sound Production CertHE

The courses and qualifications are all delivered online by world-class experts with a range of industry experience. One of the main goals of GoCreate is to offer opportunities that reflect shifting industry and market demands, keeping courses and qualifications up-to-date and relevant to contemporary media trends, as Hickey says: ‘We tried to respond quickly to shifting industry and market demands and translate those into content and benchmarked assessment protocols – to reflect different market and cultural needs. In terms of our development, we have broadened our offering and extended the range of products to wider markets. We place particular emphasis on giving students the skills to be responsive and adaptive to a changing industry themselves, highlighting creative thinking, critical analysis, communication, and collaboration as their chief education goals. We felt that developing creative and critical analysis would enrich the society we are part of and help conceive, develop and action solutions across every economic sector.’

Virtual examinations

Through GoCreate Examinations, students can now take many examinations at any time of the day or night using an AI-driven assessment platform. ‘During Covid lockdown 1, we diverted much of our attention to developing this platform and helping organisations facilitate online examinations in the most safe, secure environment possible,’ Hickey says. ‘Now many institutions (including The University of West London, London College of Music, and LCME) are using it for remote proctoring. So, we are very excited to be rolling this out in 2022’.

A global reach

One of the appealing aspects of the academy is that it is truly an online worldwide institution. GoCreate has bases in Dublin, London, Singapore, and Dubai as well as a partnership, announced in November 2021, with GEMS Education, who run a network of international schools. The academy is providing courses and qualifications in music and media for them. Students can study from anywhere as long as they have access to the internet, as the courses are all delivered online. Hickey says, ‘One of the benefits of our online courses is that people can, for example, learn from one of our mentors in Chicago who has over 30 No.1 hits in the USA to his name, or another mentor in Ireland who has won the Prix Europa a record four times.’

GoCreate could well be a great option for some of your students and worth investigating if they are interested in a dynamic, industry-relevant set of courses and qualifications that teach cutting edge media skills, delivered by industry leading experts.

There are short courses coming soon to GoCreate in vlogging, podcasting and mobile film making. To find out more about courses visit http://GoCreateAcademy.com

For examinations, visit http://GoCreateExaminations.com