A team of theatre production experts from industry training body Drama UK said LIPA's BA (Hons) in Theatre and Performance Technology prepared students well for life after graduation.
Joe Stathers-Tracey, head of the programme at LIPA, enthused, "It's a great benchmark that takes into account not only the quality of our training and facilities but also the fact that our graduates are proving very employable.
"We had to meet a lot of criteria and the people putting us under the spotlight know this industry inside out. I'm proud of the programme and, especially, the students, some of whom were interviewed by the panel as part of the accreditation process."
Drama UK experts spent two days at LIPA in May looking at various aspects of the degree programme, from how it is taught and assessed to the production values of students' shows and the employment record of graduates.
Students on LIPA's technical theatre programme develop a broad skill set in a collaborative environment which mirrors that of the world of work. Areas covered include live sound, lighting, technical drawing, stage management, pyrotechnics and production management.
Stathers-Tracey commented that technical theatre is a thriving area of the performing arts, with a strong demand for stage managers and technology-savvy staff in particular.
"Technical theatre certainly seems healthy in terms of job opportunities, and you can build a solid and sustained career in the area," he said. "There are many actors and dancers out there to supply that side of the industry. There are, however, not enough people to meet the staffing demands of the production side, despite the tough economic times we're in."
Drama UK is a new body championing drama training in the UK. Formed by the merger of National Council for Drama Training (NCDT) and the Conference of Drama Schools (CDS), Drama UK comprises 21 member schools, LIPA among them.
LIPA is located in Sir Paul McCartney's old school, The Liverpool Institute for Boys, which underwent a multi-million-pound renovation to turn it into a state-of-the-art performing arts higher education institution. It was co-founded by Mark Featherstone-Witty and Sir Paul, and opened in 1995 with the aim of providing the best teaching and learning for people who want to pursue a lasting career in the arts and entertainment industry, whether as performers or those who make performance possible.
(Jim Evans)
