EnTech General Certificate

This certificate provides students with practical and hands on opportunities to learn the skills necessary to gain employment as a stagehand in the live entertainment industry. Students train on industry standard equipment in classroom and lab situations, as well as gain experience working as stagehands for the set up and take down of live events.

The EnTech General Certificate is a new program being built according to the workforce need for additional technicians and stagehands in the Live Entertainment industry. The program is being built in partnership with IATSE Local 33, whose members work in variety of theatrical and live event venues in the Los Angeles area.

The goal of the EnTech General Certificate is to have 25 to 30 students complete a year. Based on current enrollment trends, and as the program begins, we project 10 students to complete in a year (5 students completing their certificates a semester).

The Entertainment Technology Academy (EnTech) will ultimately have five certificates in Lighting, Audio, Staging and Rigging, Video Projection, and a General certificate. A student can specialize in one area or complete more than one certificate to prepare them for the Live Entertainment field. The EnTech General certificate focuses on training a student to handle the basic skill in multiple areas that a general technician or stagehand might find in the workforce. The student will learn necessary skills in lighting, audio, staging and rigging, and video projection. In addition students will learn overall safety and troubleshooting on the job site, and the proper way to handle and load in and out equipment. All of these skills will be something a stagehand will be presented with while out in the industry. The goal is to train a complete stagehand, who will have all the skills necessary to become a desired hire in the Live Entertainment industry.

Program Learning Outcomes:

Demonstrate the skills to become an all around technician in the field of live events.

Develop basic skills, such as carrying truss, handling road cases, and loading and unloading a truck.

Obtain the knowledge necessary to safely collaborate with other specialized technicians during a live event.

Display an overall knowledge of the basic elements required of a technician in lighting, audio, staging and rigging, and video projection.

The Entertainment Technology Academy is designed so that a student can pursue certificates in multiple areas if they desired. A student who has completed the EnTech General certificate may wish to pursue a certificate in a specialized area, such as lighting, audio, staging and rigging, or video projection. Certificates will be offered in all of these areas.

Students who have completed or are completing the Technical Theatre certificate have been interested in entering the workforce as a technician. They are learning that to be gainfully employed it is key to be able to technically support all live events. From speaking with local high schools and their CTE programs in the Burbank and Glendale districts, there is an interest for their students to carry on their training at GCC.

The Entertainment Technology Academy, and the EnTech General Certificate, will be housed within the Theatre Arts Department. Glendale Community College currently offers a Technical Theatre certificate within the Theatre Arts department, training technicians and designers specifically in the field of Theatre. The EnTech program will train technicians in multiple areas of the Live Entertainment industry, including generalized certificate offering basics in lighting; audio; staging and rigging; and video projection.

Cerritos Cerritos College (Entertainment Technology Certificate)

Citrus College (Emerging Theatre Technologies Certificates)

East Los Angeles College (Technical Theatre and Entertainment Technology Certificate)

Initially, we project 10 students to complete the certificate a year, and 20 students to enroll in the certificate program.

This is a new program.