About the �� Feed

Introducing �� School Report 2017: The Pitch

2017-01-17T22:05:55+00:00

It’s ten years since the �� launched �� News School Report - a project aimed at engaging young people with the news and giving them a voice and a platform on which to tell their own stories. Since then we have worked with over three hundred thousand young people and schools across the UK.

How much things have changed since 2007 – particularly in the world of communication and technology. In our launch year Apple launched the first generation iPhone. Today young people are growing up in a world where they can consume and generate media on a scale never experienced before. They can access, share and create content - videos, vlogs, pictures and articles - independently and in a huge variety of ways.

It’s why after 10 years �� School Report is changing and developing too.

This year we have created a new way for young people to share their story ideas with us - �� School Report “The Pitch”. The Pitch gives 11-16 year olds the chance to send content directly to the ��, where it will be shared with and considered by a team of editors from across �� programmes. Any stories which are commissioned will then be created by �� Staff working alongside the young person who submitted it – to tell their story in their voice.

We’ve developed the “�� School Report Uploader” which mirrors the way young people share and upload content on social networks and online and makes it easy to pitch stories. Ideas can simply be sent in the form of videos, vlogs, pictures or text from a computer or a mobile phone.

�� School Report gives 60,000 young people each year the opportunity to research and produce their own reports with the help of �� staff mentors. The project works in partnership with all types of secondary education schools and establishments, including Hospital Schools and Pupil Referral Units and involves young people of all social backgrounds and a range of special educational needs. The project culminates in an annual News Day (this year on March 16th).

We’ve also made the project year round – so we can reflect the stories and views of young people on stories throughout the year – not just on one day.

The �� is in a unique position to give young people an opportunity to learn about journalism and since its launch �� School Report has enjoyed many highlights. As well as reporting on stories that matter to them School Reporters have interviewed high-profile personalities and notables over the years including four serving Prime Ministers, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, Malala Yousafzai, Children’s Commissioners, the UN Special Envoy for Education, Director General of UNESCO, David Beckham, Angelina Jolie and Olympic and Paralympic athletes, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Sir Richard Branson and the Earl of Wessex.

The project has won national and international awards including RTS Innovation in Education and the European Diversity award for Diversity in the Journalism category. But we want it to become an even better project which finds new ways of carrying on the good work. It is now a partnership made up of �� News, �� Sport, �� Childrens’ and the �� Academy. I hope these new partnerships will really help the project to play a greater role than ever before in educating young people about creating content which is interesting, accurate, and informative.

�� School Report shows us that young people have passionate views on politics and the challenging social issues facing them, their friends and their families, and they are not afraid to speak out. We want to continue to find ways for them to express their opinions and share their experiences.

We hope that by making it easier for young people to engage with the �� we can share even more of their stories and ideas and help them use their digital skills to create content. If you’re 11-16 – or know someone who is – and have an interest in telling stories submit your stories here. There will be more opportunities to have stories commissioned by news teams throughout the year.

As we enter a new charter finding new ways to understand, reach and reflect young audiences is a vital part of the ��’s mission. We want to give them a voice – and we want to listen.

Sharon Stoke is Editor, �� News School Report

Submit stories to The Pitch via the �� News School Report website
�� News School Report News Day is on 16th March 2016

�� Academy Round-Up (18 April - 3 May 2016)

2016-05-05T22:22:22+00:00

Here's a round-up of some of the articles and blogs which have been published on the �� Academy website over the past few weeks.

Podcasts

Filming with drones: What you need to know
Academy producer Charles Miller joined by drone pilot Mya Padget and �� series producer Graham Cooper

Midlands Today: Creating a TV news programme
How do our local news teams produce four high quality news bulletins every day?

Behind the scenes at Later… with Jools Holland
We spoke to two of the team behind the UK institution that is �� Two’s Later… with Jools Holland: series producer Alison Howe and production coordinator Zoe Nicholson.

Blogs

Why telling the “full story” of Islamic State group was my toughest assignment yet
New blog by Jim Muir on writing the News website’s longest ever article, Islamic State group: The full story

360 video in news: Not just watching, but experiencing

What it's really like when your video goes viral

Foxes fan David Hayward writes about the perfect storytelling arc of Leicester City's triumph

In video, we've got some of the best moments from the fifth annual �� developers’ conference. And next week is Digital Bristol Week 2016. Discover more information about the next upcoming Digital Cities week following the successful week held in Birmingham.

Ben Toone is Content Producer, �� Academy Online

Follow the �� Academy on Twitter for all the latest updates
Read more posts on the �� Academy Blog

�� Academy Round-Up (17 March - 5 April 2016)

2016-04-06T14:08:37+00:00

The �� Academy puts training and skills at the heart of the �� and the industry to help meet the challenges of an ever-changing media world.

It provides a portfolio of high-quality training and development, including face-to-face courses, online programmes and a variety of development initiatives.

Here's a round-up of some of the articles and blogs which have been published on the �� Academy website over the past couple of weeks.

Articles

Content archive: Unlocking the value

Vaughan Evans from the Digital Archive consultancy FEB Digital provides inspirational examples of companies using archives to make innovative new products.

Q&A: Creating short-form content

A few weeks ago we ran Twitter Q&A about how to produce short-form content for social media. Our experts answered questions on creating amazing snappy content for Instagram, YouTube, Vine and the rest. We've collated it for you here.

Blogs

Can the �� embrace gaming culture?

How the ��'s Si Lumb is bringing together the cultures of broadcasting and gaming for the ��.

Why news that’s live, social and platform-friendly is the kind that cuts through

The state of ‘social news’ – reporting from the News Re:wired conference.

For breaking news, WhatsApp can be a strong team player

What’s the word for God in Bengali? A journalist’s linguistic balancing act

What can the Commonwealth do for journalists?

Ben Toone is a Content Producer at the �� Academy

Listen to Olivier award-winning and BAFTA nominated Mike Bartlett talk about his writing techniques and the �� One series Doctor Foster.
Listen to the �� Academy's Simon Smith talk to three guests about the intriguing relationship between producers and presenters of radio shows.
Read Academy Director Joe Godwin's post from last year on the future of the training and development division.
Follow @bbcacademy on Twitter, on Facebook and discover more on the �� Academy website.

�� Creative Access: first hand accounts from trainees

2015-11-25T14:10:00+00:00

DG Tony Hall and Acting Director �� TV Mark Linsey with the �� Creative Access Graduates

In June 2014 the Director General announced that the �� would take on 20 graduate trainee interns from the successful Creative Access programme as part of ambitious plans to address the on and off-screen representation of Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities. We took on more than 30. Of the 20 who have completed the scheme so far, 70% have gained further employment at the ��. Here are some of their stories:

Sabbiyah Pervez:

When I first saw the advert for the traineeship my immediate thought was this can’t be real: training at the ��, during the General Election and it's paid!

My first year at the �� has been a whirlwind, which is ironic given that I never imagined that I would be a part of this institution. It wasn't because I didn’t think I was capable but because I didn’t think I could fit in with the �� culture. What is that culture? I guess before I joined the �� I thought everyone had to be the same rigid individual with little creativity or opportunity to be creative. I was wrong. In the past year I have trained on some of the biggest stories in my region, Yorkshire, whether that was grooming, terrorism, school stabbings, the General Election or refugees. I have realised that being myself and I guess more importantly being allowed to be myself has opened up roads to people who would otherwise not engage with the �� or media in general.

And this is something I am incredibly passionate about, hearing from the grass roots, what do I mean by that? The people who are affected by the news and who have incredible stories to tell.

Radio 4 approached me last week, they wanted me to take part in a panel discussion asking whether the Paris attacks could happen here. The discussion first aired on Thursday evening and because of the response it was replayed on Sunday evening also. One listener emailed Edward Stourton directly saying he thought the discussion: "may have been the most important programme broadcast by Radio 4 this year. Those young Muslim journalists were just so smart and had more insight than I have heard from the mouths of any number of politicians." There was also fantastic feedback from friends and colleagues.

More than anything in this year I have learnt that the term 'journalist' means nothing. Journalists are mere portals through which the public can tell their stories, air their grievances and have their questions answered. The value of my work in future will depend on how effectively I have engaged the audience.

Lara Owen:

There is nothing quite like the buzz of a busy newsroom or the satisfaction when a news story you have found makes it on air. My placement at �� Inside Out West Midlands and Midlands Today has been really positive for my career in journalism and allowed me to use my editing, writing and filming skills in a busy news patch. After my master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism I was keen to get more experience in television and the Creative Access placement provided the opportunity to learn skills on the job, whilst also being part of a supportive community of other interns.

I’ve been lucky enough be trained as one of the producers for our regional debate programmes, interview Politicians in the run up to the Election and also research full time on Inside Out. Just to give a flavour, there’s been everything from EU Migration where we followed a Romanian family in their first few weeks of living in the Midlands, to our Train Waste film where me and producer Jonathon Gibson found out what goes on the tracks is a public health hazard the hard way, that’s right we picked up the samples ourselves.

My top tip to the new cohort of trainees is that it’s important to be a team player and not be afraid to muck in. I landed myself the task of translating for a Chinese media delegation on their tour of the �� and when the first direct flight from China landed at Birmingham airport. It’s just about seeing every experience as a chance to grow and learn and find new stories. I now have a staff position with �� Midlands Today.

Hannah Ajala:

The 12 months I was fortunate enough to spend as a trainee at �� Radio 2 were phenomenal. I’d never set foot into a studio, let alone worked with such well respected and popular presenters. I learned the ins and outs, and was also fortunate enough to step into the newsroom at the ��. I decided to grab each and every opportunity that came my way, knowing that I planned to make the most out of it, grow from it, and stay in it.

I realise that my love for broadcasting is something that has led me not only into radio, but online and on TV. After successfully completing the 12 months, I am now a Researcher at �� TV and would just advise anyone out there to always believe in your brand, connect with people of interest, and keep growing... it’ll pay off.

Arran Shargall:

The experience and knowledge I've gained during my internship at Holby City has been truly priceless. This has only been made possible thanks to the opportunities and support of Creative Access, �� Academy and the Holby City Line Producer - Lynn Grant, and my mentor, the Series Producer - Simon Harper.

Being a television graduate, I found it incredibly important to learn as many aspects of creating television as possible. The way Lynn catered the internship around my interests, allowing me to rotate through Script, Story, Research, Production Management, Camera and Post-Production, allowed me to gain a full understanding of how an idea evolves all the way in to an episode of Holby City.

Holby allowed me to be confident, creative and gain as much as I was willing to put in. What made my internship especially unique was the family-feel that transpired around the whole building. I think nowadays there’s more pressure and less opportunities for young people. However, I’m a firm believer that if you work hard enough towards something, you’ll get the opportunity. And actually what I think more young people should be doing is maximizing every opportunity they’re given, whilst also appreciating how privileged we are as young people.

Mujina Kaindama:

I started off the year at Sunday Politics South where I trained as a Researcher. Moving out of London for this opportunity I discovered that the regions have a lot to offer. The General Election was an exciting time as we hosted live hustings debates around the country. The show helped bring the politicians to the public and what followed were some tough questions - politicians kept getting caught out by the question: what is the living wage outside of London? I also had some unexpected tasks – most memorably during our live Worthing broadcast I played bouncer literally blocking the door to a group of Green party protesters.

I started the summer in �� Radio Berkshire having first helped produce some breakfast show outside broadcasts on the Queen’s Longest Reign and commemorating Fred Potts, Reading's only Victoria Cross winner, I’m now Assistant Producer and sometimes reporter on the Bridgitte Tetteh Show helping cover news that affects the African-Caribbean community in Berkshire.

I’m still perfecting the art of persuasion but I’ve learnt if you don’t look up and ask you simply won’t get.

Ashley John-Baptiste:

I found out about the traineeship through someone who works in �� current affairs. I had worked with this person on a previous project, and she suggested that the internship would be a good fit for me.

Honestly, I really hadn’t considered the �� before that. I had never heard of the Journalism Trainee Scheme and at university career fairs I was only ever hounded by law, banking and consultancy firms (which was pretty soul destroying for me as a creative). Back then, the �� seemed an impenetrable monolith. I never thought that I’d have a chance of working here in journalism.

As an intern, I started off as a trainee broadcast assistant on the news channel – helping with the flow of stories by researching and booking good guests. Soon after, I was invited to be a part of the Victoria Derbyshire launch team... I had no idea what to expect.

Seven months on, I have been employed as a researcher/reporter. I feel I am an integral part of the Derbyshire team, often helping with next day planning. More than this, I have also been privileged to be able to originate my own stories and even report them.

The Creative Access traineeship has been phenomenal and has landed me a true opportunity of a lifetime.

Building a stronger broadcast media beyond London

2015-11-17T10:50:00+00:00

Today sees the launch of the English Regions Skills Review. It’s an important report on the future skills across the industry outside of London.

The review was commissioned by the �� Academy and �� England and mirrored the regions of �� England: the South west, the Midlands and the North. The research investigated the current skills and predicted skills needed for the next 18 months. The aim: to develop today the skills needed for tomorrow. It focused largely around television and digital.

It’s very evident that production in the regions is buoyant, spirited and independent. For the first time more than half of �� production comes from outside London. Over half of Channel 4's original commissions came from outside London last year. And in 2013 almost half of ITV's spend and volume was outside London. Of course these regions have a proud heritage in ground-breaking drama and comedies, pioneering current affairs, innovative animation, world-leading natural history programming, long-running dramas on TV and radio, much-loved local programming and key returning strands and formats.

As more production migrates from the capital city as an industry we need to ensure that these centres of excellence have the talent and the skills to meet the demand and more critically that they have the skills mix and entrepreneurialism to meet the future demands of the digital age. This review was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to ask those important questions about where the gaps may be and ensure these regions stay vibrant and relevant and continue to produce standout content in a rapidly changing world.

There was a strong consensus on the key issues and challenges facing indies and freelancers alike: the growth of digital, the need to win new business (particularly new long running formats), the crisis in production management staffing, new crews needed for the drama boom and bridging the gap between education and the workplace.

But it was vital that this was not just another piece of research. There’s been plenty of that. This report needed actions.

Three comprehensive industry-wide and UK-wide initiatives (because the issues are the same throughout the industry) have been announced today at the Nations and Regions Media Conference in Salford. They hope to start to tackle some of the challenges around digital, production management and winning new business.

The training schemes aimed at freelancers across the industry include:

Series Producer Programme – Aimed at finding the next generation of brilliant and diverse SPs to help the industry win new business and create hit formats. This prestigious year-long programme will offer participants unrivalled training delivered by industry experts, 1-2-1 support, mentors and placements with broadcasters.

Production Management - Tackling a national shortage of production managers, co-ordinators and line producers, this comprehensive initiative will train up to 50 broadcast coordinators to work across the industry as multi skilled managers gaining key production skills in a range of genres and programme formats.

Digital skills - Building on the successful Digital Cities initiative in Bristol and Birmingham the Academy will roll out a number of city-wide events for the first time in the North and the Nations. These will draw on skills training from partners ranging from broadcasters, digital agencies, screen councils, universities and local enterprise partnerships. A mix of practical hands-on workshops master-classes and conference style events.

These initiatives form part of the �� Academy’s role in training the wider broadcast industry in partnership with the likes of Creative Skillset, broadcasters, screen agencies, higher education institutions and external training companies.

As the largest training provider of broadcast skills in the UK we also make a valuable contribution to help the UK’s creative industries grow from strength to strength.

But ultimately this review was all about the talent. Diverse and local talent. Spotting that talent, nurturing and developing that talent. This must be everyone’s priority, talent attracts talent.

Gurdip Bhangoo is Head of Future Skills & Events, �� Academy

You can read the more about the English Regions Skills Review at: www.bbc.co.uk/academy

What the Make it Digital Traineeship pilot did for me

2015-08-04T07:45:00+00:00

Jordan Walker participated in the Make it Digital Traineeship pilot scheme the �� Academy ran a few months ago. In this post, he reflects on his experience and explains how it led to an apprenticeship with a digital agency.

I first heard about the Make it Digital Traineeship pilot when I saw a leaflet at the Jobcentre, visiting for my weekly review. The pilot scheme offered an opportunity to learn more about digital media, and gain work experience in a digital media company. It seemed like a perfect chance to get a foot in the door. My advisor agreed agreed the traineeship would be right for me because of my love of digital and because I had already been volunteering my skills to a local business. What I knew then was that I didn’t really have any formal training. The scheme seemed like a good way of getting some of that training.

Making the decision to get hands-on experience turned out to be a great move. I knew I had to grasp this fantastic opportunity, because I realised that if I went to university for three to four years I'd end up in a lot of debt, not really an option for me. Plus, the traineeship would get proper experience on the job. In my mind, I reckoned employers would value that even more than a degree.

During the scheme I got stuck in with planning social media activity using, building simple websites and creating short videos for the web, I did a two week work placement with Bareface Media in Birmingham’s Custard Factory. I knew quickly that this was just where I wanted to be. My two weeks with Bareface there were brilliant learning more, for example, about Google Analytics and how to make websites responsive across all PCs, mobiles and tablets.

Working at an agency was totally different to what I expected and I think my two weeks work experience helped me adjust to the new environment. I learned a lot of things about web development tools and improved my skills. During the course I also had to stand up and speak in front of a group and that helped me become a lot more confident, something I realise is really important in the workplace.

After the Make it Digital Traineeship ended my work placement offered me a full blown apprenticeship - a 12-month Developer & Digital Designer apprenticeship with the agency, which will provide hands-on experience of working with clients and working with people with a lot more experience in the field than I have - really important for my future full-time employment.

I am really pleased with myself that I took the opportunities when they appeared. It was surreal for the first couple weeks, as I had not imagined myself working at an agency by the time I was 22, never mind 19. And it’s made me certain that I definitely want to continue climbing up the career ladder.

If other young people like me want to get into a field within the digital media industry, the Make it Digital Traineeship is a great chance to gain some work experience. Experience is essential in getting a job and the younger you are the better. So, I would say gain work experience as early as possible and take the opportunities that come to you. I did and now I’m thinking, maybe eventually I could even build my own company. It’s not quite clear to me yet, but I can imagine myself in a high position. The traineeship has given me the confidence to really go for it.

Jordan Walker is a former Make it Digital Trainee

Read about the the 5,000 Make it Digital traineeships on the Media Centre website.
Find out more about how to apply for the Make it Digital Traineeships on the �� Academy website.

The future of the �� Academy

2015-06-19T09:00:00+00:00

Last week Broadcast magazine reported comments from Creative Skillset’s Dinah Caine. She said the �� has a “record of excellence” in boosting training and skills in the UK creative industries. As with most things Dinah says, I wholeheartedly agree.

The piece also said that there is concern that this may be slipping down our agenda. I think the opposite is true.

As well as training our own staff, the �� Academy has a remit under the terms of the ��'s Charter Agreement to train the wider industry and I’m driving forward plans to improve this right now.

We’ve always aimed to share as much of our training as possible with the wider UK broadcasting industry for free and this is set to increase when our plans are fully in place.

One way we’re doing this by radically overhauling our approach. Most notably we’re significantly increasing digital delivery training, alongside traditional face-to-face methods, to reach more people, more effectively and at a lower cost.

We currently offer digital and online training from traditional online courses, through to an extensive range of practical insights and examples on the Academy Website at www.bbc.co.uk/academy.

These are supplemented by learning channels on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. These platforms are vital for the Academy to serve the skills needs of the rapidly changing broadcast industry and to build a more efficient delivery mechanism for training needs.

As the Academy brings its new strategy to life, digital development is at the heart of this. We are exploring new opportunities with Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), and other new content formats to make sure our service is as relevant and useful as possible.

There are a number of benefits of using e-learning as a training tool. For users, it offers more freedom to revisit areas as many times as required and learning can be personalised, while for trainers there’s an opportunity to reach more people.

Let me give you an example of how we’re already doing this. With file-based delivery, which is transforming the broadcast industry, the �� Academy used digital methods to reach learners. We led a series of events, courses and online content and resources to raise awareness and the level of understanding across the sector. Digital elements were planned from the start in a genuine mix of on and offline learning, which achieved both depth and breadth of understanding of a new and complex topic. We produced eight films to support other forms of traditional face-to-face training. This resulted in 10,800 unique visitors to the file delivery pages on the �� Academy website.

The training has proved vital in supporting a radical change in the way content is produced. We’ve also had great feedback, so the industry has given their stamp of approval to e-learning.

There are further digital plans afoot at the Academy as we establish ourselves in our new Birmingham home, including the introduction of new tools to create digital training products. We’re also looking at how social tools and gamification will become very important to the Academy’s offer.

The ��-led Make it Digital traineeship is also being piloted at The Mailbox, our Birmingham HQ. It’s a hugely ambitious partnership with other employers, DWP and the Skills Funding Agency with the aim of training 5,000 young people across the country. We’ll be announcing the locations of the traineeships later this summer.

Some have questioned the rationale for bringing the �� Academy to Birmingham. As Director of �� Birmingham and the Academy, I can see lots of benefits.

We’re creating a vibrant centre for digital creativity, skills and talent, including our entry level talent, apprenticeships and trainees. Birmingham has one of the most diverse and young populations in Europe as well as being a leading city for digital innovation. For us it makes perfect sense, as Birmingham becomes a much more significant �� base.

And �� Birmingham is, of course, one element of our wider out-of-London strategy as we continue to build up the ��’s presence out of the Capital, bringing us closer to audiences and driving up efficiencies in the process.

Like all areas of the ��, the Academy has had to make savings which we’re responding to nimbly by simplifying how we deliver training to apprentices, trainees and staff – including the digital plans I’ve set out here. But we simply can’t go on providing everything we do at the moment in the way we always have with an ever-smaller amount of funding.

The �� Academy is world renowned, as is our content, journalism and highly-coveted apprenticeships and trainee schemes. We can and should do things in new ways that get our training to more people for less money, but there is only so far you can go down that route. Britain now needs even more focus on skills and proper routes from school to employment and the �� and the Academy should play a big part in that.

Joe Godwin is Director of �� Birmingham and the �� Academy

Read Joe Godwin's blog '�� Birmingham: On track to become ��'s centre for skills and talent'.
Find out more about training opportunities on the �� Academy website.

Setting the record straight on our disability training course

2015-05-28T15:20:55+00:00

There have been reports today in some newspapers about a training opportunity we're offering for people with disabilities who are interested in a career in television, in particular weather presenting. The reports have suggested that the �� is specifically searching for disabled weather presenters, this is 'political correctness gone mad' and have questioned whether this is a way of finding weather presenters who don't have the usual qualifications for this job.

It's important to set the record straight and explain the actual facts about this training.

First, we believe that having a workforce that looks like Britain looks - on and off screen - is a good thing. The �� is funded by everyone who pays the licence fee and so we have a duty to reflect all our audiences. The better we can represent the whole of the UK, the more relevant our programmes will be. We have stated publicly that we want to increase people with disabilities on-screen from just 1.7% currently to 5% by 2017.

This training is designed to help with that. It’s a short course, lasting three days, designed for men and women with disabilities who have a passion for weather and the environment and who have the potential to become weather presenters in the future. We hope the course will encourage people and give them some experience and confidence on screen. We have been absolutely clear that at the end of the course there is no guarantee of a job, but it does at least give people a chance of experiencing presenting first hand and seeing if they can develop the skills for it.

As for weather presenters' qualifications, our current weather team is made up of a mix of meteorologists and experienced and trained weather presenters. However, we have often taken non-meteorological candidates for jobs where we have seen a genuine interest in weather and potential for presenting.

We then give them a course in broadcast meteorology and a lot of further weather coaching and training.

They often go on and take OU courses or develop their own science knowledge in different ways. So there is no reason why someone doing this course couldn’t go on to apply for a job presenting in the future.

We’re very proud of our efforts to increase diversity across the �� and give everybody a chance to fulfil their potential. We certainly don’t believe that running a training event to help people with disabilities is ‘political correctness gone mad’. In fact it’s exactly what the �� should be doing, by opening up opportunities for people whatever their background.

Joe Godwin is Director, �� Academy

�� Birmingham: On track to become ��'s centre for skills and talent

2015-04-08T11:54:23+00:00

Published in Broadcast Magazine today, Joe Godwin writes about the �� Academy's move to Birmingham and the continuing plan to add the ��'s centre for skills and talent to the already thriving Drama Village in the Midlands.

A story in Broadcast last week stated that ��’s plan to transform Birmingham into a creative talent hub has been “dealt a blow” as some colleagues are not able relocate.

As Mark Twain might have said, reports of the derailment of our plans are exaggerated. In fact - wrong! We’re on track to make �� Birmingham the ��'s centre for skills and talent when The �� Academy moves here later this year. The result of some staff deciding they’re not able to make the move will ultimately mean more employment opportunities for people in the region. And we will have people in post by the end of the year.

Having a presence in the Midlands is really important to the ��, so over the past year we’ve been implementing a series of initiatives which are all designed to reinvigorate our investment and activity in the area.

It’s by design that we’re moving HR specialist teams alongside the globally renowned �� Academy as they will work in partnership in finding and nurturing future talent. This will bring real economic benefits to the city and the region to ensure �� Birmingham becomes a strong, vibrant and sustainable base for the ��.

Moving these additional 200 roles to Birmingham is part of a wider strategy that now has over 50 per cent of the �� located outside of London. This is bringing us closer to our audiences and is also positive for the City’s economy. Our efforts here will also help to deliver the £1.5 billion annual savings across the �� by 2017, allowing us to put in more money in to the programmes audiences love.

Birmingham’s already the home to plenty of �� productions; The Archers and �� Front on R4, �� Asian Network and specialist music programmes from �� Radio 2 including The Organist Entertains and Listen to the Band. Our Drama Village in Selly Oak makes Father Brown which has just been broadcast on �� One, Doctors which continues to delight audiences, as well as the third series of WPC 56, and our latest drama commission for �� One, The Coroner. A total of 120 hours of TV drama is produced a year from �� Birmingham.

I want to build on Birmingham’s reputation as a centre of excellence for broadcasting so I am already working with commissioners and controllers to celebrate our network TV and radio drama story more, which in turn can increase the opportunities for in house and indie commissions from Birmingham. We’re also planning to refocus the public space at our Mailbox HQ in the city centre, so that Licence Fee payers feel connected to the ��, and see just how much the �� is doing in the Midlands. We’ve established our Digital Innovation Unit in Fazeley, which will play a significant part in innovation for, amongst others, �� Three.

We’re committed to the Midlands and are building on the foundations we have here. We’ve made huge strides in the past year and we’re not going to stop. Our approach is one of building a solid base, generating activity, building confidence and inspiring self-sustaining growth from that.

Joe Godwin is Director, �� Academy and �� Birmingham.

�� Birmingham is getting bigger

2015-01-29T08:49:25+00:00

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 �� 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 �� has always had a significant presence in Birmingham and the Midlands - I grew up watching Midlands Today, and it was at Pebble Mill that I got my first chance to work for the ��. Now based around the city in The Mailbox, at our drama village in Selly Oak, and soon at our new digital innovation unit in Fazeley, Birmingham is still the home to many of the nation's favourite �� programmes, from The Archers and Midlands Today, to the Asian Network, Radio 2’s Organist Entertains, �� 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 �� hasn't been active or engaged enough in Birmingham in recent years - despite having these strong teams based there. Tony Hall’s announcement in May 2014, to move the �� 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 �� and the Midlands, I leapt at the chance to get involved in our plan to reinvigorate �� Birmingham. I’ve run the ��’s children's channels for the last five years, and been involved in children's programming since soon after joining the �� in the Eighties. But my new role, as Director of the �� Academy and of �� Birmingham brings together lots of things that matter to me.

�� Birmingham will become the ��’s centre of excellence for skills, recruitment and talent development for the whole UK. The �� Academy, 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 ��’s Diversity Unit, our Outreach and Corporate Responsibility team and The Space - the ��’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 �� 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 ��, 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 �� 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 �� 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 �� Academy and �� Birmingham.

Read Tommy Nagra's blog The Young Ones: Future Talent on Birmingham's Doorstep
Also Robert Thompson's blog Midlands Today turns 50

�� College of Journalism: Verifying YouTube’s Syrian ‘hero boy’ video

2014-11-19T13:22:32+00:00

Chris Hamilton, social media editor at �� News has posted on the College of Journalism blog about the online Syrian ‘hero boy’ video phenomenon. The video, which claimed to show a young boy rescuing a girl in a shoot-out in Syria, quickly spread across the internet. Meanwhile the ��’s User Generated Content Hub (the world’s first newsgathering operation of its kind) and �� Monitoring struggled to verify that the video was genuine. Here’s an extract from Chris’ blog:

“Even as we translated the Arabic heard on the video and looked for other clues, the producers working to verify it noted that on one of the most widely shared YouTube versions there were comments questioning whether it was real. Similar comments were seen in a discussion thread on Reddit. Although that’s not uncommon with Syrian video, as both sides engage in a fierce propaganda war, the volume seemed high - but that wasn’t conclusive in itself.

Ultimately, no-one internally could say for sure whether the video was real or not - which isn’t unusual with content like this. �� News frequently runs video where we haven’t filmed it, or obtained it directly ourselves, and can’t vouch for the source. We signal this to audiences by saying we haven’t been able to ‘independently verify’ it.

But in this case there were enough doubts - especially over possible dubbing of the voices, and the moment the boy is ‘shot’ - for the UGC Hub to advise that the video shouldn’t run on �� News outlets.

As the Syria ‘hero boy’ video racked up more than five million YouTube views over the following days, the raging debate about it was covered by the team behind �� Trending, which reports on stories trending around the world.

Then, hours after their story went up, there was a stunning development, as Anne-Marie Tomchak of �� Trending explains: “We discovered that the video was made by a group of Norwegian film-makers in Malta earlier this year.””

Read the rest of this post on the College of Journalism blog.

Hannah Khalil is Digital Content Producer, About the �� Website and blog

Find out more about the ��'s User Generated Content Hub
Read #��Trending: Syrian 'hero boy' video faked by Norwegian director

BAME expert voices on �� Radio 4's Feedback

2014-10-27T12:10:35+00:00

The BAME Expert Voices day followed the recent successes of the �� Academy's Expert Women project which saw 73 experts securing 374 different on-air appearances from a potential pool of 164 specialists.

During this week's Feedback on Radio 4, Roger Bolton spoke to two delegates on the recent BAME Expert Voices day. We've clipped up the discussion and embedded it below.

Roger Bolton talks to attendees at the recent BAME Expert Voices event at the ��.

Jon Jacob is Editor, About the �� website and blog

BAME Expert Voices: Delegates visit BH for training, mentoring and networking

2014-10-09T16:03:30+00:00

Delegates at the BAME Expert Voices event staged at New Broadcasting House on 9 October.

Contributing to programmes is a deceptive art: the audience expects in-depth knowledge an individual has, and for that to be conveyed in an accessible, easy to understand way. At the same time, we all take it for granted that the expert will be at ease in front of the camera or behind the microphone. That's what we've become accustomed to.

From a contributor's point of view expert knowledge doesn't equate as confidence in front of the camera. Similarly, what works in a 50 minute lecture doesn't translate effortlessly into a 1 minute piece to camera. Academic knowledge often demands expansive discourse demanding time which isn't necessarily available on-air.

Making the transition to broadcast looks on paper like it should be effortless. It often isn't. But in the latest Expert Talent Days hosted today at New Broadcasting House, black, Asian and minority ethnic experts benefited from a day of training sessions, mentoring and networking designed to help them secure on-air opportunities across the broadcasting industry. The scheme shows how the �� remains committed to increasing on-air BAME portrayal from 10.4% to 15% in the next three years.

Head of the �� Newsroom Mary Hockaday, welcomed delegates earlier today, a day offering 'specific, concrete and practical' steps for experts looking to increase their broadcast media appearances. Twenty four delegates selected from 400 applicants met at New Broadcasting House on Thursday 9 October to hear advice from a variety of TV and radio specialists, to practise their skills and to network with output editors.

"It's really about demystifying TV and radio for our delegates," said Mary, "as well as giving us an opportunity to discover any potential stories we've missed in specific subject areas". Donna Taberer, Head of the College of Production, went further, explaining that having identified the experts according to their specialism and given some training in broadcasting delivery, were now placed on a database of contacts which programme makers across the broadcasting industry could access when they were in search of new expert contributors.

BAME Expert Voices, builds on the recent successes of the �� Academy's Expert Women project which saw 73 experts securing 374 different appearances on from a potential pool 164 specialists.

Candidates who applied for the scheme submitted a self-shot video report, a story idea and their CV from a specialists that production areas of the broadcasting industry had identified were under-represented. "We reviewed every video," explained event producer Lanre Leandre as she welcomed delegates to the event, "considered your story ideas and reviewed your CVs. Give yourslves a pat on the back. I don't think I've ever been in a room with quite so many people with PHDs."

Jon Jacob is Editor, About the �� Blog and website

Find out more about the Expert Voices BAME Talent Day on the �� Academy website
Follow @The��Academy on Twitter

New �� Academy website unveils the College of Technology

2013-11-06T12:36:58+00:00

Tony Hall recently announced a vision for the future of the ��; a more personalised ��, new developments to �� iPlayer, the launch of Playlister - a new digital music product from the ��, Open Minds a radio application to showcase the best �� speech radio output globally, and a new initiative to inspire the next generation to get creative with digital technology and computer coding, which will start to make an impact from 2015 and beyond.

Although some of these developments may need approval from the �� Trust, they represent huge steps in the development of new services and content for all �� audiences, but to deliver these innovations as well as continuing to evolve existing services like the �� News, Weather and Sport websites, we have to ensure that �� staff have cutting edge engineering skills.

The �� Academy is the ��'s centre of training and development. It exists to ensure �� staff, have the skills, knowledge and ability to develop the best content and services. It delivers these skills via four Colleges; Leadership, Technology, Production and Journalism. In addition to this, it shares our skills and experience and offers training to the wider media industry.

I run the College of Technology, the newest of the ��’s training and development endeavours. My team’s role is to ensure that we have high quality software engineering, broadcast technology and I.T. skills training available to staff.

Since the Academy was created over three years ago, we have been working to ensure that new state-of-the-art broadcast facilities in MediaCity in Salford, and at New Broadcasting House in London, are well supported. We have provided in-depth training on a range of new technologies including robotic cameras, new systems for displaying the weather, new sound desks for television and radio, a new networked radio production system, new vision mixers, in addition to automation technologies for use in �� News TV galleries.

This has resulted in one of the largest training programmes the �� has ever seen. In total over 5,500 staff moved into New Broadcasting House earlier this year, with a team of around 300 engineers supporting both Broadcasting House and MediaCity, ensuring that all our output stays on-air and is of the highest possible quality.

The College of Technology also helped in the development of software engineering skills for the ��’s Olympics coverage. In doing so, we’ve helped grow a culture of ‘Engineering Excellence’, working to ensure that we follow the industry’s best practices in software development techniques and craftsmanship. We’ve also helped introduce ‘Product Management’ as a new discipline into online development. This has supported the ��’s commitment to rationalise its online presence into 10 distinct offerings. We believe that being part of the community is vitally important for our staff, so we regularly host industry seminars to learn from other organisations experiences of Product Management

Until recently the College of Technology was an internal- department, working within the organisation to build skills, and working with partners to run events. Today marks a change in direction to open up our approach to sharing skills and experience in technology and engineering.

The new Technology section of the Academy site launches with a focus on Archive Digitisation (see video above), Linked Data, a new approach to sound measurement for programmes via Loudness meters and Unmanned Aircraft Systems. We want to share how the �� is approaching technology challenges, what we do, as well as how other organisations across the wider industry are developing services. Working with partners across the industry is still central to our work, however. For instance, our current work in Loudness has been developed in partnership with the Digital Production Partnership. Bringing together insights from Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV, Sky and the ��.

The aim is to make broadcast and software engineering subjects accessible and to explain key technology topics that are developing across the media sector. But additionally, we want to encourage more people to think about careers in technology and broadcast engineering. For example, we’ve recently launched the �� Technology Apprenticeship and Traineeship schemes which we hope will increase the amount of talent across the industry. The new College of Technology website will help to highlight job profiles from a range of engineering roles across the ��, illustrating what it’s like to work at the �� and providing an overview of some of the challenges we are exploring.

Where next for the College of Technology? If there is a certainty, it is that technologies will continue to evolve and that standards will change. We are already looking towards AS-11 and how production and technical workflows will evolve as a result of the new file-based delivery format. In addition we are focusing on virtualising radio services, examining the use of fast connections to remote networked production systems.

In the coming months, we will grow our resources and help to represent cutting edge engineering topics. But at this point, what we’d really like to make sure is that we are a place for the industry to share it’s skills and that the new College of Technology website acts as a hub where some of those discussions and developments can originate.

Andy Wilson is Head of College of Technology

Visit the College of Technology website
Read the �� Internet blog Creating the �� Academy website

�� Expert Women's Day Scotland

2013-08-30T06:04:58+00:00

The �� Academy held Expert Women's Day Scotland on 28 August in Glasgow. Post-Doctoral Researcher Joanne Heng shares her experience of attending the event.

Participants of an Expert Women's Day earlier this year

It had been a fitful night. I was anxious yet excited about the prospect of attending the ��'s Expert Women's Day Scotland. This was a chance for women with an expertise in their respective fields to meet the big names in the media industry and get some hands-on experience for both camera and radio. Being a dry Glasgow morning, I decided the brisk 30-minute walk from my flat would give me some fresh air and a chance to calm my nerves.

When I was first alerted to the event, it did sound like a fantastic opportunity, one too good to simply disregard. But could I really regard myself as an expert in my field? As a Research Associate, I still had plenty of rungs to climb on the academic ladder. I dismissed my chances and decided against entering. However, the application niggled away at me for weeks. With the submission date looming I decided I had nothing to lose by entering. Given the last minute decision, I had to make my two-minute application video whilst attending a conference in Oxford. Having to film it in one of the student dorms at St Catherine’s College, the brightest spot in the room coincided with a rather unsightly stain on the wall behind me. It would have to do. I positioned my head accordingly to obscure it and practised talking to my webcam.

That was a few months ago, but now the big day had arrived, and I wanted to ensure I made the most of this wonderful opportunity. Taking a deep breath, I made my way up the steps and into the �� Scotland headquarters to be warmly greeted by the organisers of the event. I was instantly put at ease.

With an official welcome by Expert Women’s Day host, Hazel Marshall and �� Director, Ken MacQuarrie, we also received words of advice from Controller of Factual Productions, Natalie Humphreys, and well-known presenter and producer, Jackie Bird. Both highlighted the importance of conveying passion and enthusiasm when approaching the day’s events. Jackie’s urge for us to take a: “nuanced and compelling approach,” were eloquent words spoken by a truly accomplished media professional.

Breaking off into our sub groups (I was in a group of eight with specialisms in Science and Natural History) we set off to tackle our jam-packed schedule. First up was the TV studio session – one most of us were silently dreading. With a brief tour of the studio and the control room, we were given a few ‘dos and don’ts’ for TV before getting thrust right into it. In pairs, we were each interviewed for four minutes by Gwenan Edwards (we had been given the interview questions beforehand). Despite little to no prior experience in front of the camera, I was very impressed with each of the members in my group – I was in the company of some very articulate ladies. Gwenan was fantastic too, she put us at ease and exuded an energy we could all feed off. Her ability to multi-task, having to take cues from the producer in the control room whilst still directing our interviews, amazed us all. Reviewing our interviews, it was hard not to cringe when seeing our faces on the screen for the first time. We received some very informative feedback and came away armed with plenty of handy tips should we ever have the opportunity to be interviewed again.

A swift coffee break and it was then straight on into a ‘Business of the Business’ panel discussion - a chance to sit in with some stalwarts in �� radio, TV and producing (not forgetting an STV representative) and discuss the ins and outs of what goes on behind the scenes in the media industry. Chaired by our lovely host, Hazel, we had a roundtable discussion. The importance of telling a story and the need for authenticity and passion were the big take-home messages. A networking lunch gave us yet another opportunity to approach industry professionals as well as to share our morning’s experiences with each other.

Following lunch, and adhering to the tight schedule, we were shuttled off to the next session at the radio studio for a chance to record a 20-minute panel discussion on a pre-arranged topic. Hosting the radio interview was the very talented and smooth-voiced, Pennie Latin. As the first group of four went in for their turn, the rest of us gushed at how eloquently the others spoke and sat enraptured. Swapping over, we were then led into the recording studio to begin our group discussion on the challenges of scientific communication. I did not want the lively discussion to end, but we still had one more session to squeeze in.

Our final taster of the day was a piece to camera. We had each been asked to prepare a 30 to 40-second script that would give us some experience of talking directly to camera. TV performance coach, Francesca Kastelitz was wonderfully patient and gave each of us very effective feedback and suggestions to help enhance our performance. Upon reviewing our camera pieces as a group, I was truly impressed at the high calibre of professionalism each of my fellow delegates displayed.

It was an adrenaline-packed, energy-sapping day as we were thrust head-first into so many facets of the media. However, at the concluding drinks session the room was filled with a palpable buzz. Media industry experts mingled with the 24 women who had just been given the training opportunity of a lifetime. Thank you ��, I am sure you have not seen the last of us ladies.

Joanne Heng is a Post-Doctoral Researcher studying parasites at Glasgow University and is a graduate of Expert Women's Day.

About the �������� Feed

Introducing �������� School Report 2017: The Pitch

�������� Academy Round-Up (18 April - 3 May 2016)

Podcasts

Blogs

�������� Academy Round-Up (17 March - 5 April 2016)

Articles

Blogs

�������� Creative Access: first hand accounts from trainees

Building a stronger broadcast media beyond London

What the Make it Digital Traineeship pilot did for me

The future of the �������� Academy

Setting the record straight on our disability training course

�������� Birmingham: On track to become ��������'s centre for skills and talent

�������� Birmingham is getting bigger

�������� College of Journalism: Verifying YouTube’s Syrian ‘hero boy’ video

BAME expert voices on �������� Radio 4's Feedback

BAME Expert Voices: Delegates visit BH for training, mentoring and networking

New �������� Academy website unveils the College of Technology

�������� Expert Women's Day Scotland

About the �� Feed

Introducing �� School Report 2017: The Pitch

�� Academy Round-Up (18 April - 3 May 2016)

�� Academy Round-Up (17 March - 5 April 2016)

�� Creative Access: first hand accounts from trainees

The future of the �� Academy

�� Birmingham: On track to become ��'s centre for skills and talent

�� Birmingham is getting bigger

�� College of Journalism: Verifying YouTube’s Syrian ‘hero boy’ video

BAME expert voices on �� Radio 4's Feedback

New �� Academy website unveils the College of Technology

�� Expert Women's Day Scotland