QTV joins forces with Glasgow Caledonian University’s outreach initiative to introduce broadcast careers to school pupils
Pictured at Film City in Glasgow, GCU student helpers show school pupils the methods of film and television. Photo: Paul Chappells
QTV, in partnership with the Caledonian Club, a Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) outreach initiative, helped to deliver a STEM programme in Govan, Scotland, with a series of broadcasting workshops this week at Film City Studios.
Approximately 300 P5 children aged 9-10 had the opportunity to enjoy hands-on activities and challenges to inspire and educate them about work opportunities in the broadcast industry.
The Caledonian Club works with Glasgow communities to tackle below-average progression rates into higher education, challenge perceived barriers to progression and provide positive and rewarding experiences within a higher education setting. The club works with five communities across Glasgow to deliver curriculum-enhancing projects with learners aged three to 18.
Staff and volunteers from QTV, which specialises in sports broadcasting and is the principle production partner to the Scottish Professional Football League, showcased the array of equipment used and types of careers available in the broadcast technology industry. They shared their knowledge and experience with 9- and 10-year-olds from six schools in the Glasgow area across five days.
Presenting all aspects of the broadcast industry, QTV offered activities involving filming with broadcast-quality cameras, lighting sets, setting up audio equipment, an introduction to replay operating and much more.
The issue of new talent joining the broadcast industry will be explored on 9 March at an in-person SVG Europe Women event in Glasgow sponsored by QTV.
During the SVG Europe Women Scotland Awareness, Training and Talent event, speakers and guests will explore and showcase the concrete progress and plans that have been made to create new talent for the Scottish sports broadcasting industry by spreading awareness of job and career opportunities, providing training, and growing new talent.
At the event, Lucy Lake, QTV’s director of people and purpose, will join Katie Leveson, BBC Studioworks’ culture and transformation director and Michael McGee, a trainee at QTV, to speak about a new training course developed between QTV, BBC Studioworks and NFTS Scotland.
Speaking about the partnership with the Caledonian Club, Lake said: “We have been faced with a skills shortage in many areas of the broadcast technology sector and so wanted to build a long-term strategy within the education sector to develop a sustainable, diverse and engaged pool of talent in Scotland.
“The industry needs more social and economic diversity within the STEM-aligned roles involved in broadcast. We are very grateful that, with the support of Scottish Enterprise, we have been able to pilot our workshops within the Caledonian Club’s well established and successful outreach initiative.
“These workshops are a drive to alleviate the ‘elusive’ accessibility of careers within the broadcasting industry, especially to those from underserved communities. By engaging children from a very young age, we would hope to inspire more of them to open their eyes to the technical side of broadcasting as a resilient and exciting career path.”
Caledonian Club’s Nathan Tagg added: “The Caledonian Club’s P5 STEM project helps pupils explore different topics and careers across STEM industries. The partnership with QTV, that grew through a connection with GCU’s Audio Technology degree, opens up the exciting world of broadcast and introduces pupils to roles and careers they may have never considered.
“TV is so familiar to us all and, through this year’s P5 STEM project, the pupils will develop an understanding of the number of people and diverse roles it takes to bring programmes to our screen.
“These pupils could be the broadcast engineers of the future and with the fun, interactive experiences QTV are able to provide, pupils can see themselves in these roles and be inspired to follow a new career path.”