INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE ACADEMY FOR

visual arts

In our Industry Excellence Academy for Visual Arts you’ll gain all the skills you need for a stimulating Visual Arts career. Jobs in this sector are expected to increase by 1.6 per cent over the next five years, creating plenty of opportunities for budding photographers, artists, designers and fashionistas to turn their passion and artistic flair into a career.

You’ll learn a range of creative disciplines and work on live briefs with our creative partners in Manchester and London. You will have the opportunity to be part of the ground-breaking Future Creatives and Greater Mancunian projects, which are unique to The Manchester College.

What’s more you’ll benefit from a range of new industry-standard facilities including a 3D workshop, a jewellery studio, ceramics studio, fashion and pattern cutting workshop, a dedicated photography studio, a garment construction studio and a double-height art studio.

All our qualifications are provided by the University of the Arts, the UK’s only creative specialist awarding body.

Available Courses

In our Industry Excellence Academy for Visual Arts you’ll take a course that has been co-developed and is co-delivered by one of our leading industry partners. You’ll complete either a Level 2 or Level 3 qualification and a placement with an industry employer of at least 15 days. 

By the time you complete your time in the Industry Excellence Academy for Visual Arts you’ll have developed an in-depth knowledge of this sector and gained work experience with industry leaders.

Career
Outcomes

Once you’ve completed your journey with us there are a number of different career options open to you in the visual arts industry, from Fashion Designers, who earn on average £29,600 a year, to Art Officers where you can earn an average yearly salary of £37,400.

Partners

We aim to bring together industry professionals and our talented students to help secure the best possible future for our students. These partnerships include:

Bee Thrive
Factory International
HOME
Mustard Tree
Royal Exchange Theatre
The Bridgewater Hall
The University of Manchester
Walk The Plank

Gallery

From our outstanding facilities to fantastic work placement opportunities, get a taste of what it’s like working in the industry and see what you can expect from studying at The Manchester College in our gallery.

Our tutors are great. They have really supported me to keep on track with my work and projects ensuring I hit deadlines. They give us so much information and advice about our future career goals. Its great to talk to them because they are so knowledgeable.
Derek Ahiamadi
People pointing at artwork in an exhibit

Download subject area guide

Find out more about our fantastic courses, outstanding facilities and the career options available to you. Download the subject area guide. 

join us at our NEXT OPEN event

Book your place at our next open event to learn all about our Centre of Excellence for Visual Arts, meet our tutors, tour facilities and hear about all the opportunities that come with studying Visual Arts at The Manchester College.

Register now