Qualifications

If you are considering a career as a Music Producer, Songwriter, Radio Presenter or DJ then the key thing that employers will look for is practical studio skills. You are less likely to be judged on your CV and more likely to be judged on the quality of your demo CD. It is for this reason that every course at Point Blank is taught by experienced professionals from within the music business. They understand the demands of the industry and can teach you the skills that you need from a first-hand standpoint.

In addition Point Blank also offers the following academic and industry accreditation:

OCNLR (Open College Network London region)

All the music production and DJ Courses at Point Blank are fully accredited by OCNLR. This is a high quality validation and accreditation service for education and training. OCNLR 'credits' are recognised by universities, further education colleges, community and adult education providers, trade unions, voluntary organisations and employers. Each course at Point Blank is worth specific OCNLR credits according to its length and amount of lecture time. 3 OCNLR credits are awarded for 30 hours of learning including a minimum of 20 hours of lectures and 10 hours of private/individual study. A total of 48 OCNLR credits, 36 of which must be at level 3, are equivalent to an Access course which is sufficient to gain entry to a University degree course or equivalent.

The 3 month music production Courses are each valued at 3 OCNLR credits. The 1month DJ Courses are each valued at 3 OCNLR credits. Three levels of credit are available for any Point Blank course:
Level 1: Basic (GCSE grade E,D)
Level 2: Intermediate (GCSE grade C,B & A)
Level 3: Advanced (A Level equivalent)
On each course the tutor will assess the practical work and assignments of each student, which will then determine the level achieved. All the courses at Point Blank are externally moderated ensuring consistency.

For more details about LOCN, check out their website http://www.locn.org.uk

BTEC Nationals in Music (Composing) and Music Technology (DJ Technology)

Point Blank is now offering two BTEC National Award courses in Music (Composing) and Music Technology (DJ Technology). Both courses are delivered over an educational year long program (9 months), starting from October 2007 and finishing in July 2008. Both courses are nationally recognised by the QCA (Qualifications & Curriculum Authority) as GCSE “A” level equivalent and will be delivered by Point Blank tutors who have a wealth of industry experience.

The course will be delivered at Point Blank’s pioneering studio training facilities where class sizes will be limited to only 10 students per course.

For each course you will be required to attend two five hour learning sessions a week and undertake and additional 10 to 20 hours of practical work outside of these guided learning sessions.

With the awards you can achieve three grades;
Distinction; GCE A Level grade A equivalent
Merit; GCE A Level grade C equivalent
Pass; GCE A Level grade E equivalent

For more details about BTEC, check out their website @ http://www.edexcel.org.uk/quals/nat/media-pa/

Apple Approved Training Center for Education

In order to meet with Apple’s approval, both the training centre and its tutors have to meet with Apple’s exacting standards. We are particularly proud of the fact that not only did Point Blank’s tutors meet these standards they actually recorded the highest pass mark on Apple’s Tutor Training Course. What this means for students is that by studying at Point Blank, you can now achieve certification status in Apple’s professional audio application: Logic Pro. That certification officially recognises your knowledge of Apple’s professional applications and lets you market yourself to employers and clients as a skilled, pro-level user of this awesome piece of audio software. We are also able to secure discounts on Apple products for our students.

Official Steinberg Training Centre

Strong links have been formed between Point Blank, the U.K's No.1 music production College and Steinberg, the software giants behind the most successful sequencer package in the world, Cubase SX. Steinberg certification and educational discounts on Steinberg products are available to all successful graduates of the music production courses. Enjoy instant access to the latest software.

For further details visit www.steinberguk.com

Official Native InstrumentsTraining Centre

In addition to being an official Steinberg Training Centre, Point Blank can now offer you the benefits of their newfound status as the first ever official Native InstrumentsTraining Centre. All students enrolling at Point Blank are now entitled to substantial educational discounts on the cutting edge products manufactured by Native Instruments (Reaktor, Kontakt, Battery, Traktor DJ 2.0 and more). Students can also now receive official certificates from Native Instruments on successful completion of relevant courses.