Advanced Visual Effects Compositing

It is important to understand the difference between a “practicum” and the more commonly heard term “internship.” Definition can vary from Country to Country. We are proud to be one of the few Visual Effects Schools to have successfully implemented a legitimate practicum component to our program. For more information as to the important differences, please visit the British Columbia Employment Standards Act and Regulations – Interpretation Guidelines Manual.

A practicum is defined as a “’hands-on’ training that is required by the curriculum, and will result in a certificate or diploma.” Since this is hands-on experience that involves practical application of theory which must be directly related to course study, and is required to obtain a post-secondary degree or diploma. Another important note is that a practicum can be no longer than 10% of the programs duration. A distinct differentiation between a practicum and internship is that you must offer it to all students in the program. As it is a component of study, it cannot be offered to some and not offered to others.

Our practicum is designed as an opportunity for students to be exposed to a real studio pipeline and they are assigned specific curriculum related tasks that are monitored in joint by the institution and the practicum placement host. This means that a PA or runner position would not be applicable to our Advance Visual Effect Compositing Program as it is not directly related to the field of study.

The Employment Standards Act (ESA) defines internship as, “on-the-job training offered by an employer to provide a person with practical experience.” Where its definition under the Act differs from that for a practicum is that an internship is often offered to individuals who have already completed a diploma or degree program and are in search of work. Therefore, since an internship is not required for a student to obtain a diploma, and is offered to students or graduates in search of work, an intern’s duties fall within the ESA definition of “work”. Simply, if an intern performs duties and responsibilities that would normally be assigned to a paid employee, then ESA considers the intern an employee of the organization and, accordingly, is entitled to all appropriate wages, benefits and entitlements offered to other employees performing similar functions. An intern can work in any area of the studio including a PA or runner position as it is not required to be directly related to a course of study or is required for completion of studies.