Twenty-two-year-old Charlotte Barnes from Nuneaton, is about to graduate from the college with a First Class BA Hons degree in Popular Music Practice. During her five years of study on Level 3 BTEC and BA(hons) courses, she has helped to organise and perform at numerous live events, the highlight being her experience working as lighting engineer on the internationally recognised Supersonic Festival.

The insight that Charlotte has gained within the music industry has showed her how male-dominated it is both on and off stage, an issue reported by the Guardian.

The Guardian reported that “from the moment a woman takes an interest in music, she enters a culture that is dominated by men – whether it’s the staff in record shops, the bands in your local pub or the roadies for stadium gigs. In the UK, women make up just 5% of all sound engineers, according to industry group SoundGirls. The Music Producers Guild estimates only 6% of its members are women”.

Charlotte, who plays the drums, is now using a website that she set up for her coursework, www.girlsunplugged.co.uk, as a platform to celebrate and support females in the music industry.

She said: “This is something which I feel very passionate about and will continue to raise awareness of. Earlier this year, I organised a college event to celebrate International Women’s Day which included a Q&A session with some female ex-students who now work in the music and entertainment industry which was fascinating for myself and my fellow students.”

Nils Edstrom, Charlotte’s tutor, commented: “Charlotte travelled to college from Nuneaton every day for nearly two years, showing huge commitment. She initially came in as a performer but is leaving us with an extremely expanded skill set having produced, recorded and mixed her own band recordings – she is very well prepared to work and prosper in the music industry.