Route into Radio
22 January 2008
Thirty–six people from the South East of England will fast–track themselves into radio industry careers with a new £200,000 funded pilot scheme, Skillset announced in Brighton today.
The Route into Radio project has been devised by Skillset – the Sector Skills Council for Creative Media – with funding from the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA).
The scheme, launched today, will support 36 people from varied and diverse backgrounds obtain three–month work placements with leading media companies in a bid to improve workforce diversity and skills in the region's radio industry.
The scheme is the first initiative from Skillset's Radio Sector Strategy – a comprehensive plan for action that addresses the priorities identified by industry.
The Route into Radio scheme is led by 18 radio stations across the South East including the BBC, larger commercial groups, and smaller independents in the community sector.
The scheme covers the entire region – West Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Surrey, East Sussex, West Sussex, Kent, Milton Keynes, Bracknell, Forest, Medway, Reading, Slough, Windsor & Maidenhead, Wokingham, Brighton and Cove, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton.
Skillset South East Regional Manager Jo Cassey said the scheme was the first of its kind nationally.
She said: "This is the first major intervention within the sector, and one that is going to give the radio industry in the South East a significant lift in terms of bringing a more diverse mix of skilled new talent into the workforce."
The placements, taken over 3 months, will include more than six weeks of on–the–job training at regional radio stations where industry professionals will be assigned to work as mentors.
The mentors will guide the interns through the key areas within radio including live broadcast, programming, news and news presentation, product and content generation, advertising, sales and marketing.
The interns will also have the opportunity to work towards two units of the City and Guilds Media Techniques Diploma which is a Level 3 qualification.
Radio station managers in the South East welcomed the pilot scheme.
Mike Hapgood, BBC South Head of Programmes, said: "Route into Radio is a practical way of getting new experience in radio. I think it's the best thing to happen in the industry for ages."
Trevor Dann, Director of the Radio Academy, said: "We are delighted to be involved in a scheme which will equip a new generation in the South East with the skills and understanding to take on the demands of the rapidly changing radio industry."
Bob Hoad, Community Relations Director GCap Media and Route into Radio Project Co–ordinator, said: "There is a real need to develop the talent we have within our industry to make them the future stars of radio – at the moment recruitment is occurring by default rather than development."
Fiona Wickins, SEEDA's Contract Manager for the project, said: "This is a unique and exciting project that will hopefully create a blueprint for future interventions within the radio sector."
The Route into Radio project has already placed candidates in Surrey and Sussex, with the next placements to be recruited from Kent (now closed) and, finally, Hampshire (December 2008).
For more information, including application forms, see
Route into Radio
Media contact
Communications Team
Skillset
T: 020 7713 9812
E: communications@skillset.org
Jo Cassey
South East Regional Manager
Skillset
M: 07980 827 731
E: joc@skillset.org
Notes to editors
1. Pictures from today's launch in Brighton, including images of candidates already placed in media companies are available upon request. Please email the communcations team at communications@skillset.org or phone 020 7713 9812.
2. Skillset is the Sector Skills Council for the Audio Visual and Publishing Industries covering Broadcast, Film, Video, Interactive Media, Publishing and Photo Imaging. Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) are licensed by the UK Government and by Ministers in the devolved administrations to tackle the skills and productivity challenge by sector. SSCs are independent, UK–wide organisations developed by groups of influential employers in industry or business sectors of economic or strategic significance. SSCs are employer–led and actively involve trade unions, professional bodies and other stakeholders in the sector.
3. The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) is the Government–funded Agency responsible for the sustainable economic development and regeneration of the South East of England – the driving force of the UK's economy. Our aim is to create a prosperous, dynamic and inspirational region by helping businesses compete more effectively, training a highly skilled workforce, supporting and enabling our communities while safeguarding our natural resources and cherishing our rich cultural heritage.
4. The Broadcast Radio sector in the South East employs 1904 people, and 531 freelancers (Skillset Census 2006). It terms of workforce size, broadcast radio is the second largest sector within the Audio Visual Industries for the South East of England.
