Training for industry while still at school
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.
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.
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:
See our pages on the 10915NAT Certificate IV in Acting and the 11017NAT Advanced Diploma of Performance for details on the units studied.
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:
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:
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.
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.
"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
Fill out your details to download the Prospectus and your audition information for the Thrive 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 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.
Call us on 1300 908 905