The Young Professionals Program

Training for industry while still at school

Apply by SUNDAY 29 OCTOBER, 2023

Why wait till you finish school to follow your passion as an actor?

If you're a performer with promise, you can study acting with Perform Australia for Year 11 and 12 as part of our Young Professionals Program in Canberra. (We are hoping to start this program in Queensland in 2024, so if you are interested to express your interest, please get in touch.)

You'll then be ready to step out into the industry once you finish school.

The Young Professionals program follows on from our Year 7-10 program, the Thrive Program - but you can also join it independently for your Year 11 and 12 studies, even if you weren't a part of Thrive. In the Young Professionals Program, you complete two qualifications with Perform Australia during Year 11 and 12:

You can count these towards your Year 12 Certificate when you enrol with Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT), OR you can simply opt to do these courses instead of Year 11 and 12.

How does the program work?

performing arts high school

Our two qualifications in acting are packaged together and delivered to Young Professionals participants over two years (Year 11 and 12). You attend our campus in Griffith three days per week. On other days, if you are completing your Year 12 Certificate externally, you attend CIT classes (or complete distance education with CIT) to earn your Year 12 Certificate.

  • In Semester 1 at Perform Australia, you complete the 10915NAT Certificate IV in Acting.
  • In Semesters 2-4, you complete the 11017NAT Advanced Diploma of Performance.

What do I learn?

Together, our two courses train you for industry as an actor. You will have in-depth knowledge and skills to work on stage and screen. You'll work on:

  • Technique - improving your ability as a performer: learn techniques from the great masters of acting
  • Context - understanding the art form in the context of a broader history and tradition
  • Performance - you will perform in a range of stage and screen productions over your time with us
  • Sourcing work - you will learn about auditioning as well as other ways of sourcing and creating work in arts and entertainment
  • Business - you will learn about important aspects of working in the industry, developing your brand, and developing a business mindset

See our pages on the 10915NAT Certificate IV in Acting and the 11017NAT Advanced Diploma of Performance for details on the units studied.

Next steps - come and meet us

The easiest way to work out whether Young Professionals is for you is to sit down with us. Just fill out the form below and we'll contact you to arrange a time. Our Principal will go through all the options that are available to you in terms of doing Year 11 and 12 with us, and help you decide whether or not the program is going to suit your goals.

Yes, I'd like to find out more, please book us in:

Acting course canberra

Pathways to university from Young Professionals

While many of our Young Professionals actors are keen to move out to industry after graduation, some seek to go onto university. You can aim for an ATAR through your enrolment with Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT), but even if you don't want to get an ATAR, you can still use our qualifications to access university in the following ways:

  • Apply for the Bachelor of Screen and Stage (Acting) with the Australian Performing Arts Conservatory (APAC) in Brisbane. Perform Australia has a pathway arrangement with APAC - if you successfully complete your Advanced Diploma of Performance with us, you only need to complete one more year of study with APAC to achieve your degree. An audition is required for access to the degree course.
  • Enrol with CIT for Year 11 and 12 alongside your Perform Australia enrolment, and create a graduation portfolio or obtain the School's Letter of Recommendation for access to university - discuss your options with CIT
  • Use our Advanced Diploma instead of an ATAR as evidence you are able to study at university level, to apply for a degree
  • Use our training to prepare yourself for auditions for NIDA, WAAPA, VCA and other university drama schools.

Some students in Young Professionals decide that it is enough to study our Certificate and Advanced Diploma program without the pressure of studying Year 11 and 12 at the same time. This is also an option for you within the Young Professionals program.

What else the Young Professionals Program offers:

The study of acting teaches valuable life skills, such as:

  • Improved ability to communicate
  • Improved self-presentation skills
  • Increased empathy for others
  • Improved textual and critical analysis skills
  • Improved creative thinking skills
  • Improved capacity to work in a team (or in an ensemble, as actors put it!)


Whether you choose to step out to industry after you finish Young Professionals, look to further study, or change direction altogether, you'll walk away with these wonderful attributes as a person.

Young professionals actor
Young Professionals acting course

What students say

"This program is great for people who know what they want to do... whether they want to be an actor, director or writer - and everyone is really welcoming. "

- Isabelle

"My advice is, if you love acting, or anything to do with it, just jump on in. Go for it. You won't regret it. The people are so amazing and you'll learn so much."

- Brandon

Young professionals could be for you if:

  • You absolutely love acting and performing
  • You're keen to learn from industry professionals
  • You are consistent academically, and are able to manage a workload of academics plus the extra responsibilities of the actor, like learning lines in your own time, and performances after hours
  • You'd like to do your college years differently
  • You are willing to try new things, are open to learning, and able to think outside the box
  • You are eager to prepare yourself for a career in arts and entertainment

The Thrive Program

Download your Audition Pack & Young Professionals Prospectus

Fill out your details to download the Prospectus and your audition information for the Thrive Program.

How to apply for the Young Professionals Program

Entry to the Young Professionals Program is by audition and interview. Previous applicants have found it helpful to do a meet-and-greet with our Principal before applying. The application process for Young Professionals is the same process as applying for the 10915NAT Certificate IV in Acting.

We're now accepting applications for Semester 1, 2024. You can apply any time between now and 11:59 pm Sunday 29 October 2023.

To apply, you must:

  • Complete the online application form
  • Prepare a monologue as per the instructions in the auditions pack
  • Present your audition (either face-to-face or via video) and attend an interview.

Ready to apply?

Complete the application form below by Sunday 29 October 2023.

It will take you to the application page for the Certificate IV in Acting (your first course with Young Professionals!) and you can nominate there that you are wanting to do the Young Professionals program.

Got questions?

Call us on 1300 908 905