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FAQ
GENERAL
Q – Why are your courses free for some people?
A - We receive funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) via the Mayor of London and Havering Adult College to improve digital skills by providing training and opportunities for those wishing to enter the creative industries. The target for this funding is individuals who live in London, are aged 19 and over, and have lived in the EU for 3 or more years.
Q – Are there any conditions for undertaking a funded course?
A - Funded courses are delivered as either level 1 or level 2 qualifications. By enrolling onto these, you are committing to completing all necessary enrolment documents, worksheets and projects related to achieving this qualification. We have the right to remove learners from courses at any point if they are not up to date with coursework.
Q – How many free courses can I do?
A -You can undertake all Level 1 courses for free, but can only choose one Level 2 course to undertake for free
Q – What if I am not eligible for free training?
A – Our online courses are delivered by creative experts online via Zoom from just £295. We guarantee the highest quality of teaching possible online. We do this through a rigorous tutor application process, along with robust quality assurance checks throughout the entire training process. Our training standards are consistently monitored and evaluated by external bodies in order for us to maintain our approval status to deliver accredited courses.
Q – I have booked onto a course but am now unable to attend, what should I do?
A – Please notify us ASAP by emailing admin@spotlightmultimedia.co.uk so that we can pass your space to somebody else :D
Q – What happens if the course is cancelled?
A – It is extremely rare that we would need to cancel a course but if we do, we will notify you ASAP and offer you an alternative date or full refund (if paid).
Q – What if I do not like the course and I want a refund?
A – You have until the midway point on each course to notify us that you would like a refund, after this point we can’t unfortunately issue refunds. The midway point is midnight before the start of session 3. A £10 admin fee will be deducted from the refund, which will be issued to the card used for payment.
Q – I have accidentally paid when I am eligible for free training, can I get a refund?
A – We are charged a transaction fee for each payment taken through the website, so would charge a £10 admin fee to reimburse your payment in this instance.
Q – I want to make a complaint – who do I contact?
A – If you wish to complain, please email admin@spotlightmultimedia.co.uk. Your complaint will be dealt with according to our complaints policy and procedure.
Q – What are the minimum technical requirements for online courses?
A – You will need a computer with high speed internet access for all courses, along with the following:
WINDOWS
Processor - Intel® or AMD processor with 64-bit support*; 2 GHz or faster processor
Operating system - Microsoft Windows 7* with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)**, Microsoft Windows 10*** October 2018 update (64-bit) version 1809 or later
RAM - 8 GB of RAM (16 GB recommended)
Graphics card - nVidia GeForce GTX 1050 or equivalent; nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 or Quadro T1000 is recommended
Hard disk space - 3.1 GB or more of available hard-disk space for 64-bit installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on a volume that uses a case-sensitive file system)
Monitor resolution - 1280 x 800 display at 100% UI scaling with 16-bit color and 512 MB or more of dedicated VRAM; 2 GB is recommended
OpenGL - OpenGL 2.0-capable system
Internet - Internet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, validation of subscriptions, and access to online services
MacOS
Processor - Multicore Intel processor with 64-bit support
Operating system - macOS version 10.14 (Mojave), macOS version 10.15 (Catalina)
RAM - 8 GB of RAM (16 GB recommended)
Graphics card - nVidia GeForce GTX 1050 or equivalent; nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 or Quadro T1000 is recommended
Hard disk space - 6 GB or more of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on a volume that uses a case-sensitive file system)
Monitor resolution - 1280 x 800 display at 100% UI scaling with 16-bit color and 512 MB or more of dedicated VRAM; 2 GB is recommended
OpenGL - OpenGL 2.0-capable system
Internet - Internet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, membership validation, and access to online services
If your computer has been purchased within the last 3 years, it is more than likely that it will be sufficiently powerful to run the appropriate software packages. The best way to test this is to download and install the software; if your computer does not meet the minimum requirements, the software will not download or install. If you are unsure regarding anything to do with minimum system requirements, please email us at admin@spotlightmultimedia.co.uk.
courses
Q – How can I access the course materials used in class?
A – You will be able to access all the course materials that are used in class via Google Classroom, which your teacher will instruct you how to operate.
Q – What is the certification process?
A – Work is assessed (marked) by your tutor to determine whether you have passed or not. It is then internally quality assured to make sure that assessment is consistent and accurate. This process is then externally quality assured by the awarding body (NCFE or Pearson) to ensure that it is robust and up to standard. We then claim certificates which are sent to our centre. This whole process can take up to 12 weeks to be completed.
Q – How and when do I receive my certificate?
A – You can receive a free digital copy of your certificate, via email (approx 12 weeks). Certificates are not sent automatically and must be requested by going to www.spotlightmultimedia.co.uk/certificates. If we have received your certificate back from the awarding body, then we will scan and send to you as soon as we can. If we have not received your certificate back, then we can notify you of approximately when this will be received.
If you wish to own a hard copy of your certificate, you will need to pay £20 for recorded delivery, postage and packaging per batch (i.e. if you have more than one certificate, we can batch these into a single £20 order). To do this, please email admin@spotlightmultimedia.co.uk telling us your full name and what course(s) you have completed, we’ll then guide you through the payment process.
Q - What other software/registrations are required?
A – You’ll be required to register for Zoom video conferencing software (free) as this is what we use to deliver our online courses. You will also need a Gmail account to access the course content on Google Classrooms. If you used a Gmail account when enrolling then your Google Classroom link will be sent here shortly after. If not, please create your free Gmail account and email this to us. Please note that all Google Classroom notifications will be sent to this Gmail account during your time studying, so please check this regularly.
Q - What if my computer can’t install the software?
A – You may be able to use a computer at your local library or community centre. If not, unfortunately we are unable to offer any alternatives at this time.
Q - What video equipment will I need for the online course?
A – The video production course has been designed to be taught using any video recording equipment that you have, the minimum being a smart phone. We will provide you with an Adobe license to use Premiere Pro for this course.
Q - What music production equipment will I need for online course?
A – You will need a Mac with Logic Pro installed. We do not currently teach any other music production software packages.
Q - What graphic design equipment will I need for the online course?
A – You will be provided with an Adobe Creative Cloud license for the duration of the course, so you just need to install Photoshop and Illustrator.
Q - What web design equipment will I need for the (funded) online course?
A – No specialist equipment or software is required for the web design course. It is taught on WordPress, a free online web design platform. You will need to create an account for this before the course starts, details on how to do so are included in the Google Classroom.