Your Tutors & Coaches

Anthony Milner - Digital Marketing Tutor

Anthony Milner
Tutor & Coach

John Warden
Skills Coach

Paula Wakelin

Paula Wakelin
Progress Adviser

Explaining the Roles

There are three key roles in the team which will support your apprenticeship. Some members of staff cover more than one of these.

Your tutor will lead you through your workshops or seminars and deliver a large proportion of the knowledge elements of your apprenticeship with you.

Your coach will meet with you each month to help develop and evidence your skills and behaviours within the workplace. Your line manager will attend part of this session. They will help you gather evidence to demonstrate your overall competency.

Your learner progress adviser will help provide additional support where needed and monitor your progress. You will meet with them, and your line manager, every three months.

Your E-Portfolio: OneFile

We use OneFile as our e-portfolio system. This is where your assignments will be set, you will submit your work and you will log your off-the-job training.

Your regular reviews will be stored on here as will some resources for your course. You will complete a learning journal, be able to monitor your progress towards your Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours and refer to your workplace training plan.

Our training video covers all the key features of OneFile you need to know. Visit the Support and FAQs page if you have questions or issues.

Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours

The Photographic Assistant apprenticeship standard has two optional occupational /role areas. You will follow the Assistant Photographer pathway.

During your apprenticeship you will learn to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and behaviours.

Core Skills & Knowledge

Skills

  • Comply with relevant legislation and guidance including health, safety, COSHH, PPE and environmental issues in own workplace.
  • Comply with legal and copyright issues according to the task specification.
  • Obtain necessary permissions for use of images and confirm all agreements in writing.
  • Ensure that all licenses to use own work are issued in writing.

Knowledge

  • Own responsibilities towards health, safety, environmental hazards and how to recognise and action correct practices applied in their workplace.
  • Current legislation relevant to the photo imaging industry such as: copyright and intellectual property, data protection, privacy and freedom of expression, defamation, model release, equality and discrimination, obscenity, official Secrets Act, trespass (photography only), property release, photography of children, rights and permissions, contracts, professional indemnity and public liability.

Skills

  • Demonstrate an understanding of the different sub-sectors of the photo imaging industry, and the job opportunities they present.
  • Maintain up-to-date knowledge of technological and professional developments in photo imaging and their impact on industry practice.
  • Build and maintain positive relationships with clients/customers

Knowledge

  • The range of functions roles and skills within photo imaging.
  • The key organisations and professional bodies related to photo-imaging.
  • Relevant sources of information to help you keep your knowledge and skills relevant to your work up-to-date.
  • How and when to work independently and interact effectively within a team.
  • How to handle enquiries, questions, comments and complaints from clients.

Skills

  • Start up and close down imaging hardware following proper procedures.
  • Follow workplace security procedures to check the system security, virus protection and file security
  • Recognise any problems in the imaging system and resolve them where you can.
  • Carry out housekeeping activities.

Knowledge

  • The importance of maintenance activities.
  • The importance of good housekeeping activities.
  • How to make sure your imaging system is secure, virus and password protected.
  • Colour management – hardware calibration and profiles.
  • The principles of additive and subtractive colour theory.

Skills

  • Ensure that the digital imaging software is set up for efficient performance.
  • Ensure procedures are in place to maintain a history of all image files.
  • Ensure that system security and access procedures have been set up correctly.
  • Ensure that maintenance and servicing procedures have been set up correctly.
  • Ensure that all paperwork is completed accurately and in full and that copies are kept and accurate records maintained.

Knowledge

  • Own organisation’s procedures relating to sending and receiving material.
  • How to set up and operate digital imaging equipment and software.
  • The key functions of the digital workflow.
  • How your organisation ensures computer security relating to viruses and password control.
  • The basic concepts and techniques of audio and video editing, and how to operate industry standard editing systems.
  • How to construct video sequences and edit points to tell a story with pictures.
  • What licences may be required with regard to copyright and use of music.
  • How to output the task in a format to meet the customer brief.
Skills

  • Determine the approach to be adopted in retouching the image(s) in agreement with the client.
  • Produce retouched images that clearly and accurately, meet the client’s requirements.
  • Check the quality of the retouched images against client requirements and workplace standards.
  • Save the retouched image files in the correct format ready for outputting or storage.

Knowledge

  • The range of available industry standard software relevant to image retouching and how to use it.
  • Colour management – the reasons for and use of colour profiles and the calibration of monitors.
  • How to convert and manage file formats.
  • File compression methods and the significance of “lossy” or “lossless” compression.
  • The operation of enlarging equipment and darkroom procedures.
  • The characteristics of light-sensitive material, e.g. film and photographic paper – colour and monochrome.
  • The principles of monochrome and colour printing and how to control colour castes.
  • Types of cropping techniques and the principles of localised exposure control.
  • Common hand-printing faults and how they can be corrected.

Skills

  • Embed copyright and other metadata in images in standard image file formats.
  • Embed key metadata information in own image files to avoid orphan work status.
  • Assign keywords to classify images including by content, topic and concept.
  • Ensure key metadata is preserved throughout the workflow to storage.

Knowledge

  • The importance of metadata in allowing for the search and proper identifications of stored images
  • The importance of effective descriptive metadata and keywording.
  • How to enter key metadata to store specific information.

Assistant Photographer Occupational Role: Skills & Knowledge

Skills

  • Agree with the client the purpose of the work, the deadline and the budget
  • Agree with the client the amount of flexibility in meeting the brief.
  • Recognise any Health and Safety issues likely to arise from the brief.
  • Use the information gathered to evaluate and decide on the preferred approach to the task.
  • Ensure that the terms and conditions of any contract are mutually agreeable to own business or organisation and the client.

Knowledge

  • Own a business or organisation’s strategy and objectives.
  • How to evaluate and present the possible approaches in line with the following requirements:
  • The clients’ needs and expectations;
  • How much can be achieved within the budget;
  • Aesthetic issues, including your own personal style;
  • Technical feasibility;
  • The time and resources required;
  • Legal and ethical implications.

Skills 

  • Identify the main characteristics of the task and decide what needs to be emphasised in the images.
  • Ensure model release or booking forms are correctly completed.
  • Select equipment and materials suitable for the task considering:
  • The end purpose of the imagery;
  • Locations and prevailing light conditions.
  • Assemble / dismantle equipment and position safely.
  • Determine the camera settings and lighting arrangements to meet the task and adjust if required.
  • Take images that achieve the viewpoint, composition and point of focus.
  • Ensure that digital images files are backed-up during the assignment.
  • Record, clearly and accurately, any information required on the assignment.

Knowledge

  • How to safely handle, assemble, set up, operate and store photographic equipment in different environments and situations.
  • The causes of common faults in photographic equipment and user-permissible maintenance, fault-finding and minor repairs.
  • The principles of light, lenses and exposure and composition.
  • How to use available light including combinations of daylight, free-standing lights and camera-mounted flash.

Behaviours

  • Strong work ethic – motivated, proactive, committed, reflecting on own practice

  • Dependability and responsibility – punctual and reliable

  • Positive attitude – constructive thinking, motivated to succeed
  • Adaptability and responsiveness to change
  • Honesty and integrity – truthful, sincere
  • Self-motivation – self-starter, proactive approach to tasks and managing own development

Membership of the Master Photographers Association

Photography apprentices with JGA are entitled to complimentary membership of the Master Photographers Association (MPA), a professional membership body for photographers. The MPA is run by photographers for photographers and is committed to sharing knowledge and experience to help guide you in your apprenticeship and onward as a professional photographer. With a qualification and mentoring system designed to promote continued professional development, the MPA are recognised leaders in setting the standards of professional photography today.

You will be sent an email with further information and joining instructions. Contact your tutor if you have not seen this or have any questions.

Off-the-Job Training

You will need to dedicate around 20% of your working hours to your learning and development, which equates to around one day a week.

How Can I Evidence My Learning?

Your coach and tutor will work with you to best gather evidence of your training. This can take various forms.

Functional Skills

Each Apprenticeship standard requires you to hold a certificate to at least a Level 2 in Math and English. If you do not have copies of your certificates, or if they are not held on the learner record service, then you will need to undertake the Functional Skills course.

Helpful Tips, Tricks & Techniques

We’ve compiled resources to supercharge your apprenticeship journey. Delve into our “Helpful Tips, Tricks & Techniques” guide, covering everything from polished business documents to expert minute-taking. Level up your skills for ensure your success.

Completing Your Apprenticeship

End Point Assessment (EPA) is the process at the end of your programme for you to demonstrate to a third party assessor that you have acquired the knowledge, skills and behaviours set out in the apprenticeship standard. This will only happen once yourself, your line manager and Skills Coach have agreed that you are ready.

Safeguarding, Prevent, Welfare & British Values

Paula Wakelin
Paula WakelinSafeguarding & Prevent Officer
There is nothing more important than keeping you safe. If you or someone you know is at risk, click on the button below to raise your concerns.
We are strongly committed to practices that protect you from the risk of abuse, neglect or significant harm. Our staff recognise and accept their responsibility to develop an awareness of the risks and issues involved in safeguarding. All staff and learners should have zero tolerance for abuse, bullying, neglect and violence.

Prevent is about safeguarding people and communities from the threat of terrorism. At the heart of Prevent is safeguarding children and adults and providing early intervention to protect and divert people away from being drawn into terrorist activity.

We provide expert support to help you on your apprenticeship journey. This includes mental health and neurodiversity, careers guidance and academic and financial challenges.

We want to help you achieve your full potential. We offer careers consultancy to ensure you have impartial and constructive information and guidance to help you decide and then to action your career decisions.

We aim to create an equal, diverse, inclusive and respectful culture. All of us contribute towards this culture through our actions and words. JGA aims to address any barriers to equality in our systems, policies and decision making as well as in our behaviour and ways of working.

The Fundamental British Values underpin what it is to be a citizen in a modern and diverse United Kingdom, valuing our community and celebrating diversity.

There is a code of conduct which applies to you and all learners on our programmes. This lays out the expectations for your behaviour whilst on the apprenticeship.