By becoming a Member of the Mansfield Armchair Cinema you are helping us to support the students who take on a School Based Apprenticeship with us

We have developed a unique business model with Mansfield Secondary College & TAFE.  To our knowledge, the MAC is the only community cinema with an Apprenticeship Training Program in Australia.  At the time, it was Australia’s very first fully-digital Cinema.  

Each year 2 or more school-based apprentices from Mansfield Secondary College are selected to join the MAC’s “A-TEAM”.  The students use the Cinema as a Training Facility where they operate and maintain State -of-the-art Digital Cinema Equipment.  Students gain skills in Customer Service, Hospitality, Business Administration, Cinema and Digital Technology and Marketing.  At the end of their apprenticeship, they receive a Certificate III in Business Management or Hospitality through TAFE and an additional 10% to their total VCE Score, offering the students a great head start in life.  Since its inception in 2009 more than 30 students have completed their apprenticeship.

From Mansfield Secondary College – “Our Students are involved in all aspects of running the Cinema from screening Films, to designing the Website and advertising brochures, ads for the screen, to IT troubleshooting, to running the Candy Bar.  The Mansfield Armchair Cinema continues to provide our students with a unique awareness of the demands and expectations of a workplace that could never be replicated within the confines of a classroom”.