Against a backdrop of broadcast companies finding it increasingly hard to recruit engineers and technicians, a wealth of initiatives tackling everything from VFX skills to diversity in beta-testing give cause for optimism
By David Davies
Published: November 20, 2024
Against a backdrop of broadcast companies finding it increasingly hard to recruit engineers and technicians, a wealth of initiatives tackling everything from VFX skills to diversity in beta-testing give cause for optimism
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin> Against a backdrop of broadcast companies finding it increasingly hard to recruit engineers and technicians, a wealth of initiatives tackling everything from VFX skills to diversity in beta-testing give cause for optimism
https://www.tvbeurope.com/business/how-skills-and-mentoring-in-media-technology-are-starting-to-pay-dividends title=Share via Email class=share-email>
So often, when the word skills' has occurred in the broadcast and media press in recent years, it has been followed immediately by the word crisis'. Cumulatively, the sense of an industry falling deeper into an existential malaise in which senior engineering and technical roles - as well as many junior positions, too - are increasingly difficult to fill has become ever-harder to ignore. Along the way, multiple background factors - most obviously the pandemic - have added to the uncertainty.
Whilst complacency about future skills issues has largely dissipated, there is plenty else to distract businesses right now. In a recent article for TVBEurope, Carrie Wootten, co-founder of the Global Media & Entertainment Talent Manifesto, highlighted the current ubiquity of the phrase survive to 25' as companies negotiate a complex web of business challenges and phenomenal technological change. She also cited multiple troubling statistics, including the IABM's finding that 80 per cent of its members are still struggling to recruit people into engineering and technical roles.
But if the response from individual companies seems to vary considerably, there is good reason to be cheered by the recent explosion in broader industry initiatives focused on improving the range and accessibility of broadcast and media training. From projects aimed at engaging with school children and students from diverse backgrounds and introducing them to the potential of careers in TV and radio production, to those geared towards ongoing training for people already embedded in the industry, it's fair to say that - from a cooperative perspective, at least - media education and training are enjoying something of a renaissance.
Industry ready One of the most prominent UK organisations working to build a fresh talent pipeline is The Global Academy, a University Technical College based at The Old Vinyl Factory complex in Hayes, Middlesex, previously the home of EMI's legendary pressing plant. Sponsored by commercial radio group Global, the college - which targets students aged between 14 and 19 - has grown from an initial 100 students to a current intake of around 500. Students joining at 14 complete their GCSEs alongside creative qualifications in media, art, business and digital, while a second group beginning their studies at 16 pursues a more focused curriculum around different elements of media and broadcast .
Assistant principal Jonathan Jacob has been involved since the Academy began in 2016. He recalls that a big part of the initial impetus was the need to provide the technical skills that young people were coming into the industry without - as well as a kind of commercial acumen [that they require]. So delivering practical hands-on training alongside a commercial entrepreneurship readiness has been a guiding light across the past eight years.
The college offers the new T Level Media, Broadcast and Production qualification. Unveiled in 2023, T Levels comprise a two-year qualification for 16-19 year-olds, equivalent to 3 A Levels, and designed in collaboration with employers. It includes a 45-day compulsory work placement, underlining the fact that what students are learning about is what's actually happening out in the industry .
The Academy's work continues to flourish in multiple directions. In addition to a really structured mentoring programme that entails 40 Global employees working with a student on a six-month basis to help them become industry-ready , the broadcasting arm of Global takes on between 8 and 12 graduates each year to become apprentices. The Academy will soon launch a Saturday school' aimed at 13- to 16-year-olds, whilst a commitment to growing diversity means that 65 per cent of its students come from non-white backgrounds.
Mentoring mission Whilst the Global Academy has a broad remit aimed at preparing young people for a wide range of media careers, ACCESS:VFX has a more specific emphasis on the visual effects and animation industries. A global non-profit comprising 70 studios, industry groups and educational establishments, the organisation has an explicit focus on pursuing and encouraging inclusion, diversity, awareness and opportunity under our four pillars of Inspiration, Education, Mentoring and Recruitment .
Founder Simon Devereux, who is also director of global talent development at Framestore, points to a dual focus that includes entry-level aspiring talent - people who are discovering visual effects - and on the flip side, people who are already in our industries. In both cases, an emphasis on under-represented communities is a key component: We want to create a space [for people who] don't necessarily see themselves represented within studios, so we create that network for them [which means they] can continue to grow and incubate that within the wider global industry.
Along with a busy yearly programme of
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
07/08/2025
July 8 2025, 22:30 (PDT) Tata Motors & Dolby Bring Dolby Atmos to Harrier.ev, R...
12/07/2025
As the death toll continues to mount, with at least 120 killed and more than 170 people still missing on July 10 from devastating Texas floods, a number of broa...
12/07/2025
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., and MIAMI -DirecTV and TelevisaUnivision have signed a deal that will make the ad-supported premium subscription tier of ViX, ViX Premium wi...
11/07/2025
PARK CITY, UTAH, July 11, 2025 - The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced today the 11 producers chosen for its annual Producers Labs, returning to Ucross Fou...
11/07/2025
If you've ever wondered what might be playing in Clark Kent's headphones...
11/07/2025
L3Harris Technologies President of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Jason Lambert and General Manager of L3Harris Waco facility Sean Ling held a ce...
11/07/2025
ARLINGTON, Va. WETA, the flagship public media station in the national capital area, has launched WETA+, a new streaming service tailored for the local Washingt...
11/07/2025
The Federal Communications Commission has emerged as one of the central players in the broadcast TV landscape in 2025, with its deregulatory policies sparking h...
11/07/2025
Calrec will introduce usability, customization and system enhancements across its entire range of Argo consoles during IBC2025, Sept. 12-15, at the RAI Amsterda...
11/07/2025
LONDON Encompass Digital Media said it will support live and on-demand viewing of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup across multiple global regions for sports enterta...
11/07/2025
Two-thirds of broadcast engineers reaped the benefits of a pay raise within the last year....
11/07/2025
CARY, N.C. SmallHD has launched the Quantum 27, a new 26.5-inch Quantum-Dot OLED monitor designed to deliver postproduction image quality in a compact, set-frie...
11/07/2025
The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau and Tegna have entered into a consent decree that will settle an investigation into the accidenta...
11/07/2025
WASHINGTON Following news in early July that Paramount had settled President Donald Trump's lawsuit, Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Ben Ray Luj n (D-N...
11/07/2025
Model/Actriz Performs Lead Single Cinderella on The Late Show with Stephen Colbe...
11/07/2025
Behind the Mic: Amazon Prime Preps for First Season of NBA Action; MSG Networks ...
11/07/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Suite Studios' Craig Hering on Adapting to Client...
11/07/2025
2025 SVG Content Management Forum Breaks Down AI's Impact, Continued Transit...
11/07/2025
A Journey HOME: University of Nebraska's HuskerVision Goes IP Leaders from the HuskerVision and Lawo share their IP learnings By SVG Staff
Friday, July 1...
11/07/2025
CMSI, Remote Picture Labs, Ace ESPN's Cloud-Based Editing Efforts for Wimble...
11/07/2025
Netflix Enters the Live-Boxing-Production Ring for Round 2 With Historic Taylor-...
11/07/2025
Back to All News
Too Hot to Handle: Italy Is Coming on July 18 Only on Netflix
Entertainment
11 July 2025
GlobalItaly
Link copied to clipboard
July 11, 20...
11/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Will Release Death Inc. Seasons 1, 2 and 3
Entertainment
11 July 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Season 1
Season 2
Se...
11/07/2025
AI and Multimedia Authenticity Standards Collaboration launches two papers to guide the future of AI integration, today at the AI for Good Global Summit
The...
11/07/2025
Ceramics - the humble mix of earth, fire and artistry - have been part of a global conversation for millennia.
From Tang Dynasty trade routes to Renaissance pa...
10/07/2025
The current holder of the prestigious Thomson Foundation Young Journalist of the Year Award has been forced to stop reporting over fears for her safety in Afgha...
10/07/2025
Spotify is turning up the volume on Australian music with a multipronged initiative designed to highlight the dominance of Australian artists on the global stag...
10/07/2025
This is not a drill: Oasis is back on the road-marking its first live performanc...
10/07/2025
The music industry depends on fresh ideas, bold voices, and emerging talent. Yet across the U.K., too many young musicians lack the space to develop their craft...
10/07/2025
NEW YORK - July 10, 2025 - Nielsen, the global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, today announced that it appointed Richard Pacheco as head of ...
10/07/2025
Local newscasts don't exist in a vacuum. News directors and station management constantly evaluate what's working, what isn't and perhaps most impor...
10/07/2025
Lawo has announced that Stuttgart Media University (Hochschule der Medien, HdM) has comprehensively modernized its central recording studio after selecting an I...
10/07/2025
The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) has opened early-bird registration for the Media Technology Summit, which will take place in a ne...
10/07/2025
NASHVILLE, Tenn. TNDV Television has launched Aspiration 35, a new version of its 40-foot Aspiration truck reimagined for cinematic multicamera productions....
10/07/2025
BURBANK, Calif. Key Code Education, a provider of instructor-led postproduction training, is growing its curriculum with new programs for beginner and intermedi...
10/07/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. Actus Digital will demonstrate how broadcasters can transform compliance monitoring from a necessary expense into a strategic revenue driver at...
10/07/2025
The Federal Register has published a summary of the Federal Communications Commission's Public Notice seeking comments on its ownership rules that lists a d...
10/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Presents the Official Trailer for SuperestarPlay Video
Play Video
Entertainment
10 July 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard...
10/07/2025
In the race to understand our planet's changing climate, speed and accuracy are everything. But today's most widely used climate simulators often strugg...
10/07/2025
As one of the world's largest emerging markets, Indonesia is making strides toward its Golden 2045 Vision - an initiative tapping digital technologies and...
10/07/2025
10 Jul 2025
VEON and Cohen Circle Secure Investor Commitments for Kyivstar Listing Kyiv, New York, Dubai, and Philadelphia - July 10, 2025 - VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq:...
10/07/2025
5G for all? What the DFL's use of Easy5G and RefCam could mean for events in...
10/07/2025
Save the Date: PGA TOUR Studios Welcomes SVG Remote Production Summit on Oct 14-...
10/07/2025
Cloud on the Road: How Remote-Production-Service Providers Are Adapting to a New...
10/07/2025
Seattle Kraken's Ryan Schaber on the NHL Team Taking Live Game Productions I...
10/07/2025
FOX Sports Reboots Small Control Room in Los Angeles as Hub for Vertical-First P...
10/07/2025
SVG Sit-Down: MSE's Zach Leonsis, ViewLift's Rick Allen Go Deep on Joint...
Against a backdrop of broadcast companies finding it increasingly hard to recruit engineers and technicians, a wealth of initiatives tackling everything from VFX skills to diversity in beta-testing give cause for optimism
