In the 2023-2024 academic year, the Consorci d'Educació de Barcelona will open a new center specializing in performing arts that will teach new degrees in lighting, sound and stage machinery for live shows for 290 students.
These professionals are in great demand at concerts and shows, at a time of great dynamism in Barcelona's cultural sector, and organizations are forced to hire technicians from outside Catalonia. Institutions also fear the lack of relief for retirements.
The shortage of professionals occurs in festivals, such as Primavera Sound, Sónar Barcelona or Mercat de les Flors, and in institutions, such as TNC, L'Auditori, Palau de la Música, Liceu de Barcelona, Razzmatazz , Lliure, Beckett, Versus or TCN, which now support this centre.
"The new Institute of Audiovisual and Performance Techniques is an example of the fact that increasing the VET offer is not enough, it must be directed towards labor needs", pointed out the Minister of Education, Josep Gonzàlez -Cambray, during the presentation of the centre, which was also attended by the Minister of Culture, Natàlia Garriga, and the Deputy Mayor of Culture and Education, Jordi Martí.
"Barcelona is a cultural lung and well-trained personnel were needed", emphasized Martí, who added that the young people will really like "practicing sound in Razzmatazz, a room where they will surely dance".
Precisely the multiplicity of locations – in addition to the degrees, which are new – is one of the characteristics of this institute. The main headquarters will be in Carrer Almogàvers, in the building now occupied by the Auditori primary school, which will move. The location is not accidental. The institute will be right in front of Razzmatazz and four blocks from the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya, which will host the students in its spaces. And not far from the Orfeó Martinenc, on Avinguda Meridiana. Students will attend theoretical or practical classes in these spaces. The intention of this approach is to facilitate the involvement of expert professionals in supporting teachers or training young people.
The Consortium works in a collaboration agreement with the TNC in this regard to help train in different disciplines, such as tailoring, make-up, hairdressing, lighting, sound, machinery, image for the scene and the production.
In the long run, this agreement aims to provide for an exchange of information between the theater and the teachers to enrich the curricular content of the VET cycles and the theater's artistic projects. The TNC would favor the students being able to witness the development of the projects.
The training is not dual (taking part of the training in a company), but it does have a large practical component. The disposition of the sector, as Garriga stressed, is maximum. "We have to train talent so that it doesn't go abroad", the Minister of Culture set as a goal.
The Institute of Audiovisual and Performance Techniques, which will be directed by Joan Pedroche, will integrate all higher-level professional courses in the various disciplines that include the performing arts. Some are new qualifications or only offered by the Institut del Teatre, such as that of technician in lighting, sound or use of stage machinery. Image technicians, filmmakers, producers and councilors will also be trained there. There will be only one middle school cycle (Video, dj and sound) and two high school courses, in the technology and performing arts modality. All this offer of a technical nature is complemented by a higher degree in interpretation, which will contribute the creative part.
The center plans to offer in the near future continuous training for professionals and certificates of professionalism to recognize the skills acquired by workers in the sector without a degree but with experience. In this way, it can be established as an integrated center (which offers training for students and workers), specialized in an economic activity, a reference for other educational centers, and linked to the territory. This type of center, which will have to be regulated by a decree that will be ready in June, as announced on Monday by the Councilor of the Presidency, Laura Vilagrà, foresees that companies will be part of the social councils, so that they can indicate the training needs and influence in an agile way the curriculum or new degrees.
Barcelona has at least 14 reference centres, potential candidates for integrated centres. Some are closely linked to the territory and to specific activities in areas such as health (Bonanova Institute, allied to Parc Salut Mar), digital (the Barcelona Technological Institute with IT firms), sports (the Sports Institute of Barcelona, located in Montjuïc), food (Food Institute, with Mercabarna), logistics (the Logistics Institute, in the Free Zone, inside the Port) or the Information and Communication Technology Institute , which is also new, in the 22@ district.
