Community-Based Education and Training: Creating Pathways into the Music Industry for Youth

Abstract

This paper focuses on the industry mentoring program component and the collaboration between industry, academia, and the not-for-profit sector in delivering an innovative training program. The music industry mentoring program is a vital component of the FReeZACentral program and has potential to identify and develop the next generation of music industry professionals. In addition to nurturing new talent, the program provides the opportunity for a wide range of participating industry practitioners to identify young talent suitable for ongoing employment, delivering a vital outcome of the program: vocational pathways. Moreover, it is envisaged that numerous participants will gain the confidence and encouragement to pursue more formal educational in both the TAFE (Technical and Further Education) and Higher Education sectors. Indeed, over sixty per cent of mentoring program graduates have advised that they are subsequently employed in a music industry related business, or are pursuing further education in a music industry related course. As such, it is expected that the research presented herein will be of significant interest to both music industry educators and music industry professionals interested in the opportunities a program such as FReeZACentral may present to their organizations.