David Giles, the academy's head of school, Melbourne, said the campus will be located in the same Queen Street building as Melbourne House Infogrames (soon to be renamed Atari), and the first intake of 80 students will be in March 2004.
"The Academy of Interactive Entertainment will directly address the skills needs of Victoria's computer game industry by ensuring a constant supply of trained computer games technicians," said Marsha Thomson, Minister for Information and Communication Technology.
"The fact the Academy has chosen Melbourne to open its second campus is a major win for Victoria and further bolsters our reputation as Australia's computer game capital," she added.
The course is organised into two stages. The first provides an introduction to 3D graphics for film and game work, while the second is more advanced, covering topics such as AI systems, RenderWare, fundamental coding, and the optimisation of art for next-generation game consoles. Direct entry to the second stage is permitted for those with a programming background and either a university degree or industry experience.
Each 800-hour stage takes one year to complete. The workload of 20 hours a week leaves students enough time for freelance projects and other paid work while they study, Giles explained.
Course fees are AU$8800 for the first stage and AU$9800 for the second. The academy is a non-profit organisation, but is equipped with current hardware and staffed by ex-industry tutors. -We needed to make sure it was at the high end" to ensure graduates would be acceptable to the industry, explained Giles, who was previously studio manager at Melbourne House Infogrames.
-It's very vocational, we want our students to go out there and be attractive to the industry," he said, so the academy's courseware is being modified to meet the needs of the local industry, following discussions with the CEOs of Victorian games houses. -It's by industry, for industry," he said.
Between 60 and 70 percent of graduates from the Canberra campus gain employment in the film, TV or games industries, said Giles, and the proportion would be even higher if more were prepared to move interstate. Given Melbourne's leadership in the games industry, employment rates from the new campus can reasonably expected to be even higher.
Could you please provide a contact name, address and phone/email for the Canberra based academy