Sky appoints Clark Contracts to build brand new £2m learning facility in Livingston

Sky has today announced that Clark Contracts, the Paisley-based construction company, has been selected to build Sky’s brand new dedicated £2 million learning facility at its Livingston site.

Sky Academy Skills Studios in Livingston aims to provide 12,000 young people each year with a free learning experience that will link to the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence and help students build life skills.

Preliminary work has already started on the 4,300 sq. ft. facility. Due to open in early 2015, it will be the second Sky Academy Skills Studios to launch in the UK. 

Students will be able to create their own TV report about a subject they are studying at school using Sky’s state-of-the-art technology, including broadcast-quality cameras, green screen technology and touch-screen edit tables.

The new Skills Studios in Livingston forms part of Sky Academy, a ground-breaking set of initiatives that aims to help one million young people build skills, confidence and self-belief by 2020. 

Since the launch of the first Sky Academy Skills Studios in West London in 2012, over 20,000 students have taken part in the unique interactive learning experience, which has helped them to build important skills including communication, creativity and team work.

Bella Vuillermoz, Head of Sky Academy, said: “This is a substantial investment at our biggest site in Scotland and is a big step in our ambition to see Sky Academy help a million young people build skills, experience and self-belief by 2020. School children from all across Scotland will be able to take advantage of a  state-of-the-art facility where they can write, shoot and edit their very own television reports related to a subject they are studying at school.  I’d encourage teachers to sign up so their class can come and experience it for themselves.”

David Cooper, Construction Director, Clark Contracts, said: “Sky’s aspirations for this project are closely aligned with Clark Contracts’ approach to investing in the training and development of the next generation. We will be working closely with Sky to ensure the project goals are achieved.” 

Cathy Muldoon, West Lothian Council’s Executive Councillor for Development and Transport, said: “I am delighted that Sky is investing further in West Lothian. To have an employer that is not only committed to our area and its employees, but will also provide a first-class learning facility to benefit schools in the local area and beyond, is an indication that after two decades, Sky remains at the forefront of our community.”

Sky Academy Skills Studios Livingston will be available for use by students aged eight to 18 from schools across Scotland. Teachers will be able to book free visits for classes from their school online from autumn 2014 at www.sky.com/academy.

Sky has approximately 3,000 employees in Livingston, located in the town’s Kirkton Campus and Alba Campus. In addition, there are a further 2,700 employees in Dunfermline and Uddingston, making Sky, Scotland’s 9th largest private sector employer. 

- ENDS -

For further information:

Joanna Wilson/Hazel Clare Beattie Communications
01698 787847/01324 602557
joanna.wilson@onlybeattie.com/ hazel.clare@onlybeattie.com/

About Sky Academy

Sky Academy is a unique and ground-breaking set of initiatives that uses the power of television, creativity and sport to inspire young people and help them reach their potential. Launched in 2013, Sky’s ambition is to create opportunities for up to one million young people to build skills and experience by 2020.

Headquartered in a building at the heart of Sky’s West London campus, Sky Academy comprises: Sky Academy Skills Studios, Sky Sports Living for Sport, Sky Academy Scholarships and Sky Academy Starting Out. 

Now in its tenth year, one-third of British secondary schools are taking part in Sky Sports Living for Sport and it’s been launched in Ireland, with over 50,000 young people to benefit this year alone. Sky Academy Scholarships have helped almost 60 talented artists and athletes achieve their goals. And through Sky Academy Starting Out, we're doubling the number of youth employment and work experience opportunities at Sky.

For more information, go to www.sky.com/academy.

About Sky

Sky employs over 5,700 people in its Scottish contact centres (Livingston, Dunfermline, Uddingston) and has a 6,000 strong total number of Sky employees in Scotland, making it  Scotland’s 9th largest private sector employer.

Sky is the UK and Ireland’s leading home entertainment and communications company.  Around 40% of all homes have a direct relationship with Sky through its range of TV, broadband and home telephony services.

Sky is the UK’s biggest investor in television content, investing more than £2.5 billion a year in channels such as Sky 1, Sky Atlantic, Sky Living, Sky Arts, Sky Sports, Sky Movies and Sky News.   Around two-thirds of Sky’s content spend is invested in the UK and Sky is the fastest-growing source of investment in original British programmes.  More than 30 million people watch Sky content each week.

Alongside its commitment to offering customers a greater choice of high-quality content, Sky is a leading innovator.  Customers enjoy total control and flexibility over their favourite TV through Sky+, watch TV on the move through Sky Go, and enjoy the best quality TV experience at home through High Definition and 3D.

Sky distributes its content broadly over several platforms, including satellite, cable, IPTV, mobile and WiFi.  NOW TV, Sky’s second consumer brand, builds on the company’s leadership in internet TV.  Sky is also the UK's fastest-growing home communications company and favourite ‘triple-play’ provider of TV, broadband and home phone.

Sky believes in making a wider contribution to the communities in which it operates by taking positive action on the environment, supporting grassroots sports and increasing access to, and participation in, the arts.  Sky employs 23,000 people, has annual revenues of £7.2 billion and is estimated to support a £5.4 billion contribution to UK GDP.  Sky is listed on the London Stock Exchange (BSY).