UKTV to Hold Open Doors Event for Teens & Young Adults

LONDON: UKTV has partnered with Creative Skillset to host an Open Doors event for young people seeking to learn about the television industry.

Set to take place on November 18, the event is part of UKTV’s efforts to offer industry access for young people. It provides individuals aged 16 to 24 with the chance to gain a greater understanding of the industry.  

Darren Childs, the CEO of UKTV, said, “Creative Skillset are doing a brilliant job of opening the doors to the creative industries for talented and hungry individuals. I’m delighted that UKTV is the first broadcaster to partner with them on this type of event where we are offering 40 young people the opportunity to meet with teams from across the business and get hands-on experience in our brand-new production facilities, including our edit suites and voiceover booth. As part of the event, we are also offering the chance to win two paid, one-week work placements, based right here at UKTV.”

Lydia Lewison, the schools policy and engagement manager at Creative Skillset, added, “We are delighted that UKTV is opening its doors and helping us to enable young talent to access the great career opportunities that exist in the creative industries.” 

The broadcaster is also expanding its award-winning apprenticeship program. UKTV is in talks to create new openings in areas of the business where it would like to develop grassroots talent, including technology, operations and digital. In addition, later this month, UKTV will host its annual Learning at Work Day, during which students are invited to the broadcaster’s offices to participate in brainstorming ideas for original content and attend master classes in pitching and making programs. UKTV is also teaming up with the Media Trust to connect with Southbank University and participate in a session that will see UKTV staff share their career experiences with students.

Della Hirons, UKTV’s HR business partner, commented, “UKTV’s apprenticeship opportunities, which were developed with the National Apprenticeship Service backed by Mayor of London, Boris Johnson and are supported by our training partner Outsource, have given industry access to passionate and motivated young people who are delivering impressive and tangible results for the business. Two of our apprentices have already been promoted to permanent roles within the company, which demonstrates how successful apprenticeships can be for developing and retaining new talent.”