“We’re a not-for-profit, independent, boutique music college,” David explains. “We’re not a big institution, a university, or a school. We work in education but without any of the nonsense or the politics. We’re very different.”

David Pontin is Isle of Wight through and through, studied on the mainland and earned a degree in teaching, returning to the Island to set up a recording studio here which, of itself, was something of a rarity at that time.

“I had grown up doing music, but I always loved education. I was using downtime at my studio to support young bands and musicians, people who wanted to run their own studios or get into the production side of things. It was really evident that a lot of young musicians were coming through that just weren’t being catered for at school. The music curriculum wasn’t contemporary and there was no focus on the music industry at all.”

When David’s brother Peter returned from managing a project in Kenya, they discussed the idea of working together, pooling their skills, and moving into education. They started a makeshift version of Platform One in 1998 and went into business a year later, running programmes at various locations. With little money (there was no education funding at that point) they took the leap of faith in 2000 and moved into part of the building that has become the permanent campus on Newport’s Dodnor Industrial Estate.

Platform One initially provided courses for post-16 students, as an alternative to sixth form. In 2006 they branched out into a degree course, in partnership with University of Chichester. That partnership continues today.

“A lot of young people on the Island were leaving for university and having very inconsistent experiences,” David says. “They were leaving after three years with big debts and no clear route into work.”

Platform One’s degree courses focus on employability, enterprise, and innovation within the music industry.

It’s an approach which has given a generation of Island students a head start in the creative sector, although not without raising some eyebrows within the education sector along the way.

“I had a discussion – you might call it an argument - with an Island headteacher who could not see the point of a music college. I explained that Platform One was all about education and that music is the vehicle for that. We teach life skills. Connections. We’re focused on employability, giving our students the skills they need to set up a business, get a development deal or move into publishing.

“Within the creative sector these days you have to manage your own career. Every single module of our degree course was written with employability in mind. It’s all very well being a great guitarist but that’s not necessarily going to get you work. The business and enterprise side of what we do is massively important. We’re teaching students how to manage their creativity and to focus on how to become commercially viable. And, hopefully, successful!”

In the last twenty years Platform One has evolved significantly, with music business patrons and visits from key industry professionals. Platform One’s evolution has been mirrored in the resurgence of live music on the Island and, of course, the Isle of Wight Festival. Organiser John Giddings is a patron, and his event offers students a great opportunity to experience the industry up close. And of course, it won’t have escaped anyone’s attention that alumni band Wet Leg are enjoying extraordinary success. At the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, they won Best Alternative Music Album for their debut and Best Alternative Music Performance for "Chaise Longue” and were nominated for Best New Artist. They also won Best New Artist and Best British Group at the 2023 Brit Awards. Quite a year!

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