Open College Network Northern Ireland · RQF Level 1
OCN NI Level 1 Certificate in Creative Arts and Digital Technologies
You don’t just earn this. You learn to use it, one-to-one, on your own real work.
- LevelRQF Level 1
- Total credits13
- Guided learning117 hours
- Units in this qualification28
Awarded by Open College Network Northern Ireland · on the Ofqual register
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See how this course maps onto your role
Ten quick questions, one per Future Fluency, asked against this qualification rather than a generic one.
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What you’ll learn
What each unit actually teaches you to do
Open College Network Northern Ireland (OCN NI) is a Nationally Recognised Awarding organisation which offer high quality flexible, credit based qualifications
These are the units Open College Network Northern Ireland registers against this qualification. It is a catalogue, not a syllabus. Which of them you take depends on the combination the qualification requires, and that is set by the awarding body rather than by us. Every unit here is regulated, and every one you earn is yours to keep.
Assist With Event OrganisationReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Participate in the planning of an event
- Understand the role of the event manager and the roles of others involved in the event
- Participate in publicising an event
- Participate in running an event
Capturing and Editing Audio SequencesReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Use audio hardware and software to capture audio sequences effectively
- Use audio software tools to edit and manipulate audio sequences
- Apply audio effects to enhance the quality of audio sequences
- Play and present audio sequences using appropriate equipment
- Save and export audio sequences in appropriate formats
Capturing and Editing Video SequencesReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Utilise video hardware and software to capture video sequences effectively.
- Use a range of video software tools to manipulate and enhance video footage.
- Play and present video sequences in a suitable format for the intended audience.
CompositionReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Identify a suitable starting point for an original composition
- Assess instrumentation for a musical composition
- Use hook, melody and rhythm effectively in music
- Implement arrangement and structuring techniques in a musical composition
Developing WebsitesReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Plan the structure and content of web pages
- Create web pages using appropriate technologies
- Structure web pages using appropriate markup languages
- Format web pages to enhance visual appeal and usability
- Publish web pages to the Internet or an Intranet, ensuring accessibility and functionality
Digital FabricationReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Understand health and safety issues associated with digital fabrication processes and equipment.
- Use software to create designs suitable for digital fabrication.
- Demonstrate the fabrication of a design using appropriate digital fabrication techniques.
Film and Video ProductionReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Know the film and video production process, from pre-production to post-production.
- Follow pre-production materials, such as scripts and storyboards.
- Produce production materials, such as call sheets and shot lists.
- Assist with the development of a final version of a short film or sequence of a film, contributing to the editing process.
Health and Safety in PracticeReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Know about health and safety requirements, procedures and equipment in a practical environment, in line with current legislation and organisational policies.
- Follow and manage safe working practices, identifying and minimising potential hazards in the workplace.
Life DrawingReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Recognise and differentiate between different life drawing approaches and techniques.
- Understand and apply principles of proportion when drawing from a life model, accurately representing the human form.
- Understand the importance of maintaining a personal sketchbook for practice, experimentation, and development of artistic skills.
- Understand and adhere to safe working practices within a life drawing studio environment.
Live Sound EngineeringReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Set an optimal signal-to-noise ratio for live sound engineering.
- Maintain a balanced and clear audio mix during a live performance.
- Assist in maintaining clear communication with performers on stage.
- Assist with the smooth running of performance activities during a live event.
Location Sound RecordingReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the properties of different types of microphones, their appropriate applications, and the basic principles of recording high-quality sound in various locations.
- Participate effectively in the development of a detailed plan for location sound recording for a short production, considering all relevant factors.
- Record sound effectively for a short production, ensuring optimal audio quality and clarity.
- Reflect critically on own performance during location sound recording activities, identifying areas for improvement and future development.
Multi-track RecordingReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Plan a multi-track recording session, considering equipment, space, and artistic goals.
- Understand health and safety regulations and best practices when working with recording equipment and in a studio environment.
- Understand the different types of microphones and their appropriate uses in various recording scenarios.
- Understand the stages involved in the multi-track recording process, from initial setup to final mix.
- Record a multi-track audio project and critically review the recording for quality and areas for improvement.
Musical Ensemble SkillsReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Perform effectively as part of a musical ensemble, contributing to the overall sound and performance.
- Undertake and adhere to a successful rehearsal schedule, demonstrating commitment and preparation.
- Demonstrate musical ability as part of an ensemble, showcasing skills in areas such as rhythm, pitch, and dynamics.
Performance Realisation SkillsReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the disciplines relating to performance realisation
- Understand the techniques relating to performance realisation
- Assess own performance effectively
- Recognise the value of audience critique in performance
- Recognise the value of production team critique in performance
Practical Presentation SkillsReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Know the skills involved in preparing presentations
- Know the skills involved in delivering presentations
- Use different visual aids effectively in presentations
- Use different delivery styles effectively in presentations
- Plan a presentation effectively
- Deliver a presentation effectively
- Identify areas for improvement in presentation skills
Preparing for a Career or Further Study in the Creative IndustriesReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Identify a range of employment and education opportunities available within the creative industries sector.
- Develop a professional and effective CV tailored for the creative industries, highlighting relevant skills and experience.
Song Writing SkillsReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Know popular music genres and their characteristics.
- Know common subject matter explored in popular music lyrics.
- Know the use of lyrical devices in songwriting, such as metaphor and simile.
- Know the use of compositional devices in songwriting, such as melody, harmony, and rhythm.
Sound Checking an EnsembleReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Perform a sound check procedure effectively.
- Assist in preparing a PA system for a sound check, ensuring all components are correctly connected and functioning.
- Assist with the sound checking of various instruments, adjusting levels and EQ as required.
- Assist with working with performers during a sound check, addressing their needs and concerns.
- Assist with creating a balanced mix during a sound check, ensuring all instruments and vocals are clearly audible.
Sound for Moving ImageReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Know the relationship between sound and picture in film, including the impact of sound design.
- Assist with the development of a plan for sound in a short film production, contributing to the planning process.
- Assist in recording sound for a short film production, following instructions and using appropriate equipment.
Studio MixingReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the fundamental principles of audio mixing and its purpose in music production.
- Demonstrate practical mixing techniques, including adjusting levels, EQ, and panning.
Teamwork Skills in PracticeReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the different roles and responsibilities of individuals within a team.
- Contribute to the setting of team goals and own individual goals within the team context.
- Be aware of others' rights to communicate their views and opinions within a team.
- Recognise the importance of co-operation and collaboration within a team to achieve common objectives.
- Review team performance, identifying areas for improvement and celebrating successes.
Technical Sound and Audio ProductionReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Know the health and safety issues relating to sound and audio production within a professional environment.
- Use sound and audio production equipment safely and effectively.
- Follow a production plan accurately and efficiently.
- Know professional working methods within the sound and audio production industry.
- Work effectively within a group situation, contributing to the overall production goals.
Two Dimensional AnimationReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Know about the historical development of computer-based 2D animation techniques and technologies.
- Apply fundamental 2D animation drawing concepts to the construction of a simple 2D scene.
- Build a simple 2D character and add a basic rigging system for animation.
- Utilise various 2D character animation techniques to create movement and render a final animated sequence.
- Understand relevant Health and Safety procedures and safe studio practices applicable to 2D animation environments.
- Reflect critically on own performance throughout the 2D animation process, identifying strengths and areas for development.
Undertaking a Solo PerformanceReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Demonstrate basic technical skills when playing an instrument.
- Develop and implement effective practice routines to improve musical skills.
- Develop an appreciation of music from different periods and styles, demonstrating understanding of their characteristics.
- Understand the elements of musical competence and performance, including technique, expression, and stage presence.
Using Cameras and Accessories for Film and VideoReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Understand safe photographic practice
- Understand safe video making practice
- Use the features of a camera
- Use camera accessories
- Use a camera to capture images effectively
- Use a camera to capture video effectively
- Use camera accessories to capture images effectively
- Use camera accessories to capture video effectively
- Transfer captured content from a camera to another device
Using Imaging Software ToolsReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Capture information for images using appropriate methods
- Use imaging software to manipulate and enhance images
- Apply various imaging software tools to achieve desired effects
- Save and export images in appropriate formats
- Understand the principles of image resolution and file size
Using Multimedia SoftwareReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Plan the content, structure, and organisation of multimedia products effectively, considering the target audience and purpose.
- Capture content from a variety of sources, including audio, video, and images, ensuring appropriate quality and format.
- Use multimedia software tools proficiently to edit, manipulate, and integrate various media elements into a cohesive multimedia product.
- Play and present completed multimedia outcomes effectively, demonstrating functionality and achieving the intended communication goals.
Using Problem Solving Skills in the WorkplaceReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Recognise a range of common problems that may arise in a workplace setting.
- Recognise potential solutions to identified workplace problems and review their effectiveness in addressing the issues.
The honest bit
You’ve started things before
Most courses were built for a room full of people who aren’t you. A cohort moves on whether or not your week allowed it, and by the third week the thing you’re behind on becomes the reason you stop opening it.
There’s no cohort here, and no timetable to fall behind. Before anything starts, Zavmo asks when you’re sharpest and how long you can realistically sit down for, then builds the sessions around those answers. A bad fortnight changes your pace. It doesn’t put you behind.
And you only pay once you start learning. Searching and planning are free, and you can cancel any time — so the cost of finding out is an afternoon, not a year.
Your passport
Every credit is a stamp you keep
Level 1 credits are regulated. They don’t vanish when a subscription ends or a website closes. They travel to any employer, and Zavmo keeps the map of what you’ve earned and what’s next.
Each stamp is a real unit registered against this qualification.
Who’d teach you this

The Evidence Evaluator
Assessor
Helps you show what you can actually do, gathering the evidence that proves it as you learn.
Meet all twelve tutorsWhere this connects
Where these credits take you
A qualification is never a dead end here. See the jobs its credits open, the national occupational standards its units map to, and the future skills they quietly build.
Where this can lead
Events Assistant
Your journey starts here, learning the foundations of what makes an event successful. We're excited to see where you take it and will support you in building a rewarding career in events marketing.
See the whole journey →Showing 6 roles, drawn from 25 job records mapped to this qualification.
Skills it covers
What the job actually needs. These are the standards the units are built against, in the words employers and awarding bodies already use for the work itself.
How you’ll actually learn this
One-to-one, on your own real work
A qualification is usually something done to you: sit the class, sit the exam, hope it sticks. Here it’s the opposite. You learn it one-to-one with a companion, on your own real work, and you keep going until you can use it, not just recall it.
Applied to your work in any of these jobs
Learners will participate in planning, publicising, and running events, understanding the roles and responsibilities of event managers and other individuals involved. This unit develops skills in contributing ideas, following instructions, and supporting event organisation.
- Remember
- Understand
- Apply
- Analyse
- Evaluate
- Create
Built for OCN NI Level 1 Certificate in Creative Arts and Digital Technologies
28 units in this credential, in the order it lists them, awarded by Open College Network Northern Ireland.
- Assist With Event Organisation
- Capturing and Editing Audio Sequences
- Capturing and Editing Video Sequences
- Composition
- Developing Websites
- Digital Fabrication
and 22 more in the full unit list below.
One to one, not one to many
No two people run this the same way
A course is written once and handed to everyone. This is assembled around you, and keeps changing as it learns you. Five things it reads, and what each one changes.
- Your actual work Every unit is taught against a live piece of your own work, not a worked example from a textbook.
- What you already know The first conversation finds your starting point, so you skip what you can already do and spend the time on what you cannot.
- The conditions you learn under Not a learning-styles quiz. The evidence does not support those. The dimensions the research does back, read once and used to shape the plan.
- How far you got last time It picks up mid-thought. The tutor knows what you said, what you struggled with, and what it asked you to try.
- Which tutor suits the moment Twelve of them, each for a different kind of thinking. The one who walks you through a first idea is not the one who stress-tests it.
See how you learn, free. Eight questions, no sign-up. A directional taster; the diagnostic inside Zavmo goes deeper and keeps adapting.
Why it sticks
Most courses stop at remembering
There’s a well-known ladder of how deeply you learn something, called Bloom’s Taxonomy. Most courses get you up the first two rungs: you remember some facts, you pass a test, you forget it. Real skill lives at the top. Judging, deciding, creating. And this isn’t a generic ladder: every rung has a named Zavmo tutor who walks you up it.
- 6CreateThe Creative Catalyst
- 5EvaluateThe Evidence Evaluator
- 4AnalyseThe Analyst
- 3ApplyThe Coach
- 2UnderstandThe Connector
- 1RememberThe Builder
Where most courses leave you Where Zavmo takes you
The value
Why the companion is worth £70 a month
You’re not paying for the units. They’re regulated, and the same wherever you earn them. You’re paying for the one thing that decides whether you actually get there: a companion that makes them stick, on your real work.
That is one-to-one on this qualification, every day, on the work you already do, for £70 a month. Your first module is free, so you can see the teaching before you pay for any of it. Billed monthly, cancel any time and billing stops.
Earned on your own work, taught to the top.
Everything you just read, learned one-to-one on the job you already do. Your first module is free, so you can see the teaching before you pay for any of it.
Build my plan, freeNo card. See how this qualification maps onto your role and meet the tutors who’d teach it, free. The learning begins when you subscribe. It’s £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.