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Dateline: 2nd June, 2011
Backstage Training Centre: the Beginning The first stage of the new Backstage Training Centre for The National Skills Academy for Creative & Cultural at Thurrock has begun with the first spade being dug into the ground on the site. Due to open in May 2012, the backstage training centre will be a world-class centre of creativity and learning for production and backstage skills for theatre and live music. The new building will sit alongside the Royal Opera House's Bob and Tamar Manoukian Production Workshop, which opened in December 2010 at the £60m High House Production Park in Thurrock. The new Centre will provide unique training facilities for 11,000 16-19 year olds and professionals seeking recognised qualifications in offstage and backstage technical skills. The Skills Academy forecasts a skills gap of 30,000 people to work backstage across the creative industries over the next decade. This purpose-built 'practice theatre' training centre will go some way to addressing this need with professional large scale fly tower offering a world-class environment for lighting, sound and rigging training. The backstage training centre will be the headquarters of the National Skills Academy for Creative & Cultural and the UK's leading facility, providing the training and technical skills required to support the performing arts and live music sectors. The Centre will offer training for entry level students, opening up access to skilled jobs and rewarding careers for people from a wide range of backgrounds, including groups currently under-represented in the sector, and those who may not have formal academic qualifications. It will also provide technical accreditation and professional development for members of the existing workforce. As well as creating additional employment and investment opportunities with strong community and education links, the centre aims to become an internationally recognised hub for the creative industries, and a catalyst for social, physical and economic regeneration for Thurrock, and a key driver for the regeneration of the Thames Gateway. The £60m High House Production Park in Purfleet is being built and funded by a public, private and third sector partnership led by the Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation (TTGDC), Arts Council England, East of England Development Agency (EEDA), the Royal Opera House and Thurrock Council with the active participation of the local community. Jackie Doyle-Price MP for Thurrock, said, "Things have got to change, and that's why buildings like the Skills Academy are hugely important. We've really got to invest in giving people the skills that will actually add to the UK bottom line. I'm hugely excited that we are leading the way in this sector. Traditionally it has been a sector where, because it is an emerging and growing industry, formal skills and education hasn't been that prevalent. My particular message that I am keen get across to young people is that University isn't everything and a good apprenticeship is better in some ways than having a mediocre degree, and for some industries is the best way."
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