Stevenson College
Showcase for Excellence: Sector-leading and innovative practice in the development of freelance working skills within the creative industries
Learners undertaking creative industries programmes in television production are required to develop skills in freelance working, a key aspect of this industry sector.
An important skill in freelance working is the ability to estimate realistic project costs and to keep expenditure within budget. In the past, learners have often found it challenging to understand the budgeting process because the sums involved have been purely notional and therefore difficult to visualise or monitor properly. In an effort to make budgeting more realistic, teaching staff have recently introduced a form of currency called lister pounds.
The lister pounds are an internally tradable currency. The notes themselves were designed and printed by first year HND (SCQF level 7) television production learners, as part of a graphics production project. Learners acquire this currency in a variety of ways. In order to obtain funding for projects, they are required to pitch their production idea to the class, detailing all costs. If the class agrees, funding is provided to the learner, who then uses it for all transactions associated with the project. This can include hiring equipment and locations, hiring each other as crew, and paying themselves a ‘wage’. Learners are able to accumulate currency over time from the proceeds from previous projects and by working for their classmates in a variety of production roles.
Because the learners are handling real currency, they experience tangibly the financial implications of over-running on a shoot or inaccurately estimating the costs of a project. As a result, there has been a noticeable improvement in the ability of the learners to budget properly. A related benefit is their increased understanding of how freelancers sometimes need to generate income by working for others. In the latter respect, they have noticed a strong correlation between their reputation for quality work and their employability within the group.
Following the success of this initiative, other departments within the Creative Arts
Faculty are considering incorporating this practice into projects focused on freelance working skills .