CG Spectrum is set to embark on a promising new chapter in education with the launch of GameChanger Academy, a groundbreaking visual effects (VFX), games, and animation training program based in Melbourne backed by the Victorian Government and delivered in partnership with VicScreen.
Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks announced the news yesterday with the academy set to open in 2025.
With $3.6 million in funding, the GameChanger Academy will provide job-focused film and games training aimed at bridging the skills gap in Victoria’s booming creative industries and meeting global demand for highly-trained film and games artists.
This initiative will ensure that Victoria has a strong and continuous source of job-ready graduates to service the digital screen sector and ensure Victoria remains a leading destination for cutting-edge screen production.” - Colin Brooks, Minister for Creative Industries
The Academy offers unique access to the tools, talent, and techniques shaping today’s entertainment landscape, including in-studio placements when available. Students will gain real-world experience through immersive studio environments, with mentoring from local and international industry experts.
The team who helped make it happen at Framestore, Melbourne. (L to R) VicScreen CEO Caroline Pitcher, Framestore Head of Studio Melbourne Lara Hopkins, Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks, CG Spectrum co-founder Jeff Pepper. Photo by Daniel Mahon.
Commencing in February next year, the Academy will offer two flagship programs:
- Good to Great: A 12-week intensive for recent graduates, entry-level trainees, and junior talent designed to prepare them for industry demands through studio-based projects and simulated experiences. Good to Great students will work within the conditions, schedules, and expectations of an actual studio, including participation in rounds, dailies, client briefs, and feedback sessions. There is also an accredited Graduate Certificate for this program in the pipeline.
- Elevate: A capability-building program aimed at empowering current industry professionals with advanced technical and management skills. Developed in close collaboration with industry experts to tackle identified skills shortages, these short micro-credential courses offer targeted upskilling and cross-skilling opportunities for meaningful career development.
These programs will be delivered in collaboration with leading Victorian VFX and animation studios such as Luma Pictures, Framestore, and Princess Bento, ensuring a truly industry-driven approach. These local studios have worked on some of the biggest global film and TV shows in recent years, including Avatar: The Way of Water, Barbie, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Deadpool & Wolverine, I Am Groot and Koala Man.
The GameChanger Academy supports the state’s $191.5 million VICSCREEN strategy, driving a skilled workforce and strengthening its position as a world-class hub for screen and game production. This initiative will ensure that Victoria can train the next generation of screen professionals at the highest international industry standard.
We know that to meet the increasing demand for visual effects (VFX), digital games and animation, the Victorian screen sector needs more industry-informed education and training, creating a steady stream of job-ready graduates equipped to join the highly skilled workforce that has made Victoria a global screen powerhouse.” - Caroline Pitcher, VicScreen CEO
For more information on the GameChanger Academy, visit www.cgspectrum.com/game-changer-academy.
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