Design Services: Majenta Academy

Established in May 2007, the Majenta Academy has continued its drive this year to provide design graduates with the hands-on 3D computer-aided design skills required to succeed in the commercial world. Majenta Solutions, one of Europe's leading IT infrastructure solutions providers, has training facilities in Barcelona, London and Gothenburg that are specifically created to help bridge the gap between university education and the wider industry. It also provides professional training in digital design to many of the major automotive and product design companies in Northern Europe, including Nokia, Hyundai/Kia, Bentley, Jaguar/Land Rover, McLaren, Nissan, Electrolux and Samsung.

An Autodesk Authorised Training Centre, the Majenta Academy gives graduates intensive tuition in the use of industry-standard software such as Alias, Maya and Showcase. Tuition is available throughout the year, with students being able to select from an intensive 8-day course or one that spreads the tuition over three months. Classes are capped at a maximum of five students, and are held by tutors boasting more than 10 years' experience of working within automotive design studios.

Specific tutorials include sketching settings and workflow, exterior surfacing, and how to model a car using AliasStudio. There are also training courses for clay modellers looking to translate their skills to the digital world and ICEM Surf users seeking experience of Alias. All attendees receive help with their final year project, and every year the Academy sponsors one student to help create a physical model of their work; last year's recipient had their model displayed at the RCA show.

At the end of the course, students walk away with a Majenta Academy certificate, work experience at a top design studio, and a greatly increased chance of securing a position within the industry.

In 2008 Majenta trained 20 design graduates from schools as diverse as the UK's Royal College of Art, Coventry and Bournemouth University, Spain's Elisaba and the Instituto Europeo di Design. Previous graduates have had their work displayed in the Coventry Transport Museum in England, and have gone on to gain jobs as digital designers at companies such as Nokia Design in London.

Visit www.majentacademy.com for more info

By Euan Sey