So much about Birmingham and the Midlands has a connection with innovation - the link between Birmingham's big thinkers and big manufacturers in the 18th century created a so called “chain reaction of innovation”.
Between 1760 and 1850, people from Birmingham registered more than three times the number of patents than any other town or city in Britain. And now Birmingham leads the way in digital innovation. It’s home to a significant slice of the UK’s tech start-up community. More than 6,000 technology companies, including a fifth of the world-renowned British computer gaming sector, are based in the Greater Birmingham area, generating £1.6bn for the local economy.
So what better place for the 主播大秀 to locate its centre of excellence for skills, recruitment and talent development for the whole UK than in such an enterprising and forward-looking city?
The 主播大秀 has always had a significant presence in Birmingham and the Midlands - I grew up watching Midlands Today, and it was at that I got my first chance to work for the 主播大秀. Now based around the city in , at our drama village in Selly Oak, and soon at our in is still the home to many of the nation's favourite 主播大秀 programmes, from The Archers and Midlands Today, to the Asian Network, Radio 2’s Organist Entertains, 主播大秀 WM and Doctors. WPC 56 and Father Brown are both produced by our teams here, and the hugely-important English Regions Online team are also based at The Mailbox.
But it's fair to say that the 主播大秀 hasn't been active or engaged enough in Birmingham in recent years - despite having these strong teams based there. , to move the 主播大秀 Academy and other departments to Birmingham in 2015 is set to change that. And thats why, as someone who cares about the fortunes of the 主播大秀 and the Midlands, I leapt at the chance to get involved in our plan to reinvigorate 主播大秀 Birmingham. I’ve run the 主播大秀’s children's channels for the last five years, and been involved in children's programming since soon after joining the 主播大秀 in the Eighties. But my new role, as Director of the 主播大秀 Academy and of 主播大秀 Birmingham brings together lots of things that matter to me.
主播大秀 Birmingham will become the 主播大秀’s centre of excellence for skills, recruitment and talent development for the whole UK. The , vital skills training for the industry, plus the core of our HR and Internal Communications departments, move to The Mailbox this year. Joining them are the , our team and - the 主播大秀’s pioneering digital arts partnership with Arts Council England. And our new Digital Innovation Unit – in the heart of the city’s creative quarter in Digbeth - opens for business soon.
All this – and the 300 plus hours of TV and radio we already produce in Birmingham - stacks up to a big commitment to making 主播大秀 Birmingham a sustainable, vibrant creative place, which plays its part in the life of the city and the Midlands for the long term.
For me, this is just the start. We will be doing even more work with local partners and the region's universities to help skill a diverse workforce not only for the 主播大秀, but for the Midlands and the UK. My hope is that in the not too distant future, people across the country (and beyond) will see the 主播大秀 in Birmingham as the gateway to world class training and the best place to get the right digital and creative skills they need to forge a successful career in the media. The 主播大秀 in the Midlands can be the door to skills and careers for todays’ young people, as it was for me 30 years ago.
Joe Godwin is Director of 主播大秀 Academy and 主播大秀 Birmingham.
- Read Tommy Nagra's blog
- Also Robert Thompson's blog