SVG Europe announces Dr. David Crawford to lead education initiative

Dr. David Crawford has been a mainstay of the broadcast and media entertainment industries for more than 40 years

As part of its ongoing initiative to nurture the development of future sports broadcast engineering and production personnel, SVG Europe is delighted to announce the engagement of a senior media training figure to lead its educational drive. A mainstay of the broadcast and entertainment industries for more than 40 years, Dr. David Crawford is currently a Professor at the University of Essex in Colchester and Ravensbourne College in London.

With his main research interests residing in networks and transmission for ‘beyond HD’ multimedia services, Crawford lectures at Essex and Ravensbourne on ICT and digital media. At present he is focused on facilitating courses suitable for a new range of Degree Apprenticeship schemes.

In addition to his responsibilities at these two leading UK media colleges, Crawford is director of a small high tech start-up in France, runs his own technical consultancy company, TTL, and chairs and presents regularly at international conferences. He is also a Member of the Royal Television Society; Council and Board Member of the Institute of Engineering & Technology (IET); CW Digital Content & Delivery SIG Champion; and Executive Producer for the annual IBC Multimedia Conference in Amsterdam.

Speaking to SVG Europe, Crawford says that among his objectives for his new role will be “to create a ‘centre of knowledge’ within SVG Europe, so that members can understand the formalities, financial commitments, and benefits from starting up formal Degree-based Trainee and Apprenticeship schemes. This will include the presentation of case studies that explain and inform upon the opportunities and experiences of companies throughout Europe.”

With the UK Government recently unveiling proposals for a new Degree Apprenticeships scheme, there are a number of pressing issues that SVG Europe members and sponsors thinking about their next generation of recruits need to address. “I am keen to find out whether there are ‘best practices’ in Europe that we should be lobbying the UK Government’s new leadership to consider,” says Crawford. “It will also be instructive to identify the most relevant courses coming out of UK and European universities, and whether there is scope for SVG Europe to pool the knowledge of the best training institutions.”

It is also time to consider whether the students of the future could combine training and courses in different countries to receive recognised universal qualifications, and to establish the possible benefits of linking SVG Europe-recognised training with the activities of other significant industry groups, suggests Crawford.

“I am also keen that we do everything we can to encourage more women to pursue broadcast engineering and production courses. This is a crucial time in defining how the needs of broadcasters will be met five or ten years from now, so I am delighted to be engaging in this conversation in my new role with SVG Europe,” he concludes.