Advanced Creative & Digital Skills Academy

Our ACDS Academy offers industry-specific courses, resources and skills training through a hybrid model of partnership and collaborative working with industry experts, innovative technology and first-class facilities.

Established with the help of a £2m investment from the Department for Education, our ACDS Academy boasts state-of-the-art facilities and equipment. Students have full access to innovative technology including: virtual reality (VR), robotics, a motion-capture studio, virtual effects (VFX), Apple iMacs, cutting-edge PCs and the latest industry-standard software. Students also train in advanced learning environments such as a recently renovated 160-seat theatre with specialist lighting rigs and sound equipment, vibrant dancing and acting studios with sprung floors, purpose-built art workshops, a soundproofed TV and recording studio and much more.

Tour the ACDS Academy

Working in close collaboration with industry

The Academy works closely with industry-leading employers to provide students with numerous opportunities to learn from professionals and refine their skills, from working on live briefs to gaining real-world experience on industry placement.

Games design students can look forward to working with developer 10:10 Games, performing arts students can expect to train and audition with the Liverpool Empire Theatre, and art & design students can anticipate collaborating with the likes of Culture Warrington for exclusive exhibitions.

Meet our employer partners:

Watch the videos below to learn more about how our Advanced Creative & Digital Skills Academy is working in partnership with 10:10 Games and InnovateHer.

Arthur Parsons
Design Director at 10:10 Games

Our partnership with 10:10 Games puts our students at the centre of future entertainment, immersing them in live briefs, industry placements and creative workshops.

Chelsea Slater
Co-Founder and Director of InnovateHer

Our partnership with InnovateHer enables students to connect with real-life industry role models, interact with employers and learn new digital skills.

Work with us

Are you an employer with a training need?

The Creative and Digital industries continue to power the growth of the UK’s workforce, adding posts at twice the rate of the rest of the UK economy.

Every industry requires digital elements from health, engineering, hospitality, to finance and sustainability. The Covid-19 pandemic has radically changed the way that we connect and communicate within our society and has revolutionised the way in which we innovate and collaborate.

Supportive of Cheshire and Warrington’s Digital Skills Policy, the ACDS Academy is tackling the digital divide through the delivery of the basic digital skills that employers require. These include office skills and project management, to digital systems that enhance outputs and support cross-collaboration between industries to promote business growth and workforce development. We have a wide range of courses that will retrain and upskill your workforce.

We believe in the power of collaboration and innovation

All of our courses have been designed in collaboration with industry experts across the country to align with and support the short, medium and long-term workforce strategies in the creative and digital sectors. Courses are also designed to meet sectoral skills gaps, supplying a local pipeline of talent and reducing the number of hard to fill vacancies.

We work in partnership with a wide range of employers to support the delivery of sought-after skills from VR, AR, UI, UX, animation, video-editing, social media and digital marketing. Carefully selected partnerships, based on building visions and values, means there is no doubt that our students will always reach their full potential.

Supporting employers with their digital skills needs

We are working closely with our local communities, employers and other stakeholders to help shape the ACDS Academy through a steering group. The steering group will discuss and approve curriculum design, facilities, resources and support us with our education and skills training offer to provide a future-proof pipeline of local talent.

Please do contact us by email if you would like to join our steering group: ACDS@wvr.ac.uk.

Equipment & Facility Hire

The state-of-the-art facilities and equipment at our new Advanced Creative & Digital Skills (ACDS) Academy are available to hire year-round.

Facilities & equipment available to hire include a TV studio and editing suite, motion capture studio, green screen studio, Apple Mac suite, 160-seat theatre, podcasting studio, Sony FX6 cameras and more!

As well as offering competitive rates, all services include technician support, if required.

Our ACDS Business Partnerships Manager and our Digital Skills Team are always available to support our employer partners.

If you would like further information about training opportunities, events or apprenticeships available to employers as part of the ACDS Academy, please contact us on 01925 494 423 or email ACDS@wvr.ac.uk

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