<p>Design to Sell is a collaborative project involving students from our range of <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/study/pre-degree">Extended Diplomas</a>, hosting a public exhibition and pop-up shop where they can sell their work and gain valuable market exposure, as entrepreneurs and professional practitioners.</p> <p>Design to Sell gives students the opportunity to develop as independent designer-makers, creating high-quality handmade products for paying customers, as well as gaining commercial experience and acquiring transferable skills with a live understanding of creative industry. The makers market featured an eclectic range of work created by 16 to 19-year-old students, including illustration, painting, glasswork, metalwork, ceramics, photography, fashion, textiles, printmaking and more.</p>

<p>Matias Shortcook, Dean of Pre-Degree at Plymouth College of Art, said: “From day one our students create for the real world, developing exceptional technical skills alongside the character attributes that they’ll need to become the next generation of creative entrepreneurs. Design to Sell offers an unrivalled platform for our students to put those skills into practice and sell their work to public audiences.</p> <p>“Earlier this year Plymouth College of Art was awarded International Baccalaureate (IB) World School status, becoming the first non-private education provider in the South West to offer the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme (IBCP). 21st-century life places complex demands on graduates looking for work and the IBCP empowers students to become self-confident, skilled learners, ready to pursue careers on an international stage. This has been an incredibly exciting year for Pre-Degree students, with a real buzz throughout our Palace Court campus, and we couldn't wait to invite members of the public in for Design to Sell 2019.”</p> <p>Our Pre-Degree students also worked to brand the event, pitching their design and marketing ideas to their peers in response to a brief set by the college. This year’s theme is ‘Space Odyssey’, with visitors experiencing a cosmic setting inspired by space, time and exploration.</p>

<p>The <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/study/pre-degree">Level 3 Extended Diplomas</a> delivered by Plymouth College of Art are designed in collaboration with industry and education partners and recognised by UCAS, arts universities throughout the UK and by employers in the creative industries.<br /></p> <p>This year 35% of our students obtained a distinction in their UAL Level 3 Extended Diplomas in Art &amp; Design, 11% more than the national benchmark of 24%. This means that over one-third of Extended Diploma students from Plymouth College of Art leave with the equivalent of three A*s at A-Level, or 168 UCAS points. Fashion &amp; Textiles students at Plymouth College of Art scored exceptionally highly, with a massive 88% of students obtaining a distinction.</p> <p>This places Plymouth College of Art students significantly higher than the national average of students who receive a Distinction for the third year running, preparing them for degree-level higher education or to progress onto a career in the UK’s booming creative industries.<br /></p>

<p><strong>Photos by Thomas Mackenzie-Philps, one of our <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/pre-degree/ual-level-3-extended-diploma-in-art-design" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma in Art &amp; Design (Photography)</a> students.</strong><br /></p>