The Laketown Ranch Education program returns this May, which will be music to the ears of all those looking to work in the live music industry.
Thanks to a grant from Creative BC, the Province of B.C., and in kind donations from industry stakeholders the Cowichan-based company Wideglide Entertainment Ltd., who are behind Sunfest and the Laketown Amphitheatre, will once again help more professionals enter the live music industry.
“This program will help address a major gap in the industry by increasing the number of trained productions and operations personnel available,” said BC Music Festival Collective's past executive director Deb Beaton-Smith. “Access to trained staff within the live music industry was already a significant challenge in our sector, and the industry exodus precipitated by the pandemic has only made the situation worse. There is a real demand for skilled workers in our sector.”
Through an intensive six-day course covering everything from set up to tear down (including lighting, sound, rigging, crowd control, operations management, and more), participating students will develop knowledge and skills to secure employment in the live music field. At the end of the course, participants will take part in an industry Q&A, and will be provided with supported connections to employment with both regional and provincial festivals, production companies, and other organizations who work in the live music sector.
“After the huge success of the 2022 rendition of the program, we are thrilled to see it return in 2025," said festival director Mike Hann. "The impact from the first program was incredibly positive, and had an immediate impact on the industry in B.C."
To improve equity within the live music industry, Wideglide will be reserving 50 per cent of program spaces for students from groups that have been historically underrepresented in the live music industry including women, BIPOC, LGBTQ2S, and persons with disabilities.
This event operations and production training program will take place from May 20 to 25 at Laketown Ranch providing participants with access to almost every setting and situation they are likely to encounter in future employment environments. To apply for the training session visit laketownranch.com/education-program, or email project coordinator Mike Hann at mikehann@laketownevents.com or program facilitator Spencer Sacht-Lund at ssachtlund@gmail.com.
"Armed with new skills, we have seen many graduates secure meaningful employment shortly after completion of the program which helped to begin to fill the void of skilled workers in the arts and entertainment space," said Hann.
