Widening Access to the Creative Industries – affectionately known as WACI – is run by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and is part of their Fair Access provision. It is funded by the Scottish Funding Council and offers advice, guidance and support in line with the National Schools Programme (NSP). Our funding means we can provide free training for Scottish widening access people aged 15 – 19 who wish to pursue the performing and production arts at college, university or conservatoire level.
What are the performing and production arts?
- Music: performance, teaching, sound production and business
- Dance: contemporary, street, jazz, ballet, hip hop
- Drama: performance making, acting, stage, screen and musical theatre
- Filmmaking: writing, editing, producing, directing, camera, sound operation
- Theatre Production: lighting, sound, set, props, costume, make-up artistry, stage management
Who Can Take Part
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is committed to widening access so that more students from Scotland’s most deprived areas and communities can attend university more than ever before.
Much of our activity takes place in person on our campus in Glasgow.
However, we recognise that getting to Glasgow for a class is challenging for those who live further away. To help participants who would find getting to Glasgow difficult, we offer a range of online activities, National Schools Workshops and Summer School Scholarships for pupils who attend a school on our Wider WACI Schools List.
In Person and Online
You are eligible to participate in both in person and online activity if you live in Scotland and meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Living in a SIMD20 postcode and/or
- Care experienced and/or
- Estranged from parents or carers and/or
- A refugee
- Black, Indigenous and/or a Person of Colour (BIPOC) and living in a SIMD20 or SIMD40 postcode
- Deaf and living at an SIMD20/40 postcode
What We Offer at RCS
We have three main programmes of activity:
- Get Ready: for those looking to apply to Higher Education on a performing or production arts course
- Get Into: for those looking to begin their journey into the performing and production arts
- Come and Try: for those who would like to try out different aspects of the creative industries to see if it’s for them.
We also offer CLPL for secondary school teachers.
Online, National Schools and Summer School Activity
You are eligible for our online activities, National Schools Workshops and funded summer schools if you attend a school on our wider WACI Schools list:
The Wider WACI Schools list has been selected based on the proximity to our Glasgow campus, the SIMD catchment area of the school and public transport connections.
Do I need to be studying specific subjects to take part?
You don’t have to be taking performance or production subjects at school to take part. Maybe you are lucky enough to take drama, music, dance, design or film subjects at school. But we recognise that sometimes schools don’t have the resources to offer a wide range of creative subjects – and that’s why we offer high quality activities to help you follow your dreams.
Our aim is to provide a space for young people to try things out and learn about areas that they might never have known existed. Whether you want to be an actor or dancer, or a musician or composer, or behind the scenes making sets, costumes and films – we might have just the activity to help you on your journey.
How to get involved
If you would like to get in touch with us to discuss a project, ask about what opportunities we have available or to simply learn more about the programme please email us: waci@rcs.ac.uk
You can find out more about our activities on our calendar page, by visiting our booking page or by signing up to our mailing list. Here you will be sent activities and opportunities that you can get involved with. There is information throughout this website with information regarding all of our activities, areas of study in the performance and production arts, information on routes of progression alongside career options and other valuable information.
If you are a teacher, lecturer or working in the industry you can also subscribe to our Fair Access mailing list.
Additional Offers
Eligible young people are entitled to a 50% discount off the cost of any course in the Short Courses department at the Royal Conservatoire. Teachers are also eligible to a 25% discount for any short courses taken as part of their CPD.
Contact Us
We are always happy to hear about your experiences, feedback and to answer any questions you may have so please don’t hesitate to contact us at:
Follow Us
You can also follow us and like our pages on social media to keep up to date with our latest opportunities.
