Sky today announced details of five Sky Academy TV Scholarships to be made available for successful applicants on the existing Sky partnered courses run by the National Film and Television School
Sky today announced details of five Sky Academy TV Scholarships to be made available for successful applicants on the existing Sky partnered courses run by the National Film and Television School
The scholarships will fully fund three places on the Broadcast Production course and two on the Digital Content and Formats course. The scholarships are part of Sky Academy - a set of initiatives which aims to use the power of television, creativity and sport to give up to one million young people opportunities to build skills, experience and self-belief. As an industry partner, Sky already supports both these courses by providing placements and mentoring.
The scholarships will be offered to young people from economically disadvantaged backgrounds with the aim of supporting and encouraging individuals who may not otherwise have considered a career in the media. There will be a particular focus on supporting students from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds and disabled talent. This reflects Sky’s determination to encourage diversity and inclusion in its business on the basis that having a workforce that is more representative of its customer base means that the decisions it takes and the content it produces will better reflect their interests.
Sky’s Managing Director of Content, Sophie Turner Laing said: “Part of our commitment to developing home grown content is about investing in the next generation of production talent. Fundamental to this is ensuring everyone, regardless of background, has the opportunity to get a start in the industry. We are therefore delighted to strengthen our partnership with NFTS by offering these five new scholarships”.
Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries expressed his support, commenting: “It’s great to see Sky driving and encouraging access into the creative industries for young people through the Sky Academy TV Scholarships. The creative industries are the fastest growing sector in the UK, and these scholarships help to ensure that the industry is open, diverse and accessible, whilst equipping the next generation with the skills they need”.
National Film and Television School Director, Nik Powell said: “The NFTS is proud to partner with Sky on these two courses. The five fantastic Sky scholarships will enable the NFTS to attract the most talented students, regardless of background, to be trained to the highest standards.”
The NFTS Broadcast Production course provides training for vision mixers, sound, lighting and camera specialists. As part of the course, students receive a six-week placement at Sky and then one student receives a three-month paid placement at the end of the course. All students also receive a mentor at Sky.
Launched earlier this year, the NFTS Digital Content and Formats course trains students in interactive and new media skills. All students receive mentoring from Sky and one student will receive a three month paid placement at the end of the course.
In addition to the funding, each scholar will receive:
• Group mentoring session with Sky’s Managing Director of Content, Sophie Turner Laing
• One year’s free membership of the Royal Television Society, which includes one year’s free membership of The Hospital Club
• Networking opportunities within RTS and BAFTA including invitation to industry events and chance to join BAFTA Crew online master classes
• An opportunity for a place on the BAFTA Youth Board
Applications close on 5th June 2014 and further information can be found at: www.sky.com/academy/tv_scholarships
In addition to opportunities at the National Film School, Sky will also be awarding one scholarship to a student taking the Broadcast Production MA at Ireland’s National Film School, part of the Irish Institute of Arts, Design and technology. As part of the scholarship they will receive mentoring from Sky and the opportunity for a placement within the industry.
-ENDS-
For more information:
Robin Tozer
Corporate Communications
0207 032 0620
robin.tozer@bskyb.com
Notes to Editors:
About Sky Academy:
Sky Academy comprises of four initiatives, with a fifth built around creativity and the arts following later this year. The four initial initiatives are:
Sky Academy Skills Studios - An interactive learning experience that takes young people behind the scenes at Sky. Students build life skills by using Sky’s state-of-the-art technology to make a TV news report on subjects they’re studying through the curriculum. Almost 14,000 young people aged 8 to 18 have visited the first Skills Studios in West London since they opened in 2012. To provide opportunities for even more young people, Sky is going to open three more Sky Academy Skills Studios. The second will launch in Livingston, Scotland later this year, and will be followed by two others in Dublin and Leeds.
Sky Sports Living for Sport - A national schools-based initiative that uses sports stars and sports skills to help build young people’s confidence and life skills. Delivered in partnership with Youth Sport Trust and teachers, Sky Sports Living for Sport is now in its 10th year. One third of British secondary schools participate in the initiative, which has recently launched in Ireland to extend its reach even further. In September 2012, Sky was named Corporate of the Year at the international Beyond Sport Awards in recognition of the difference that Sky Sports Living for Sport has made to young people’s lives.
Sky Academy Scholarships – A bursary scheme that supports some of the most exciting emerging talent in the worlds of sport and the arts. As well as financial backing, the scholarships provide assistance and mentoring from Sky’s staff and other experts. Already the support of a Sky Academy Scholarship has helped more than 30 young artists and athletes to achieve their goals. Building on this success, Sky is working with the National Film and Television School (NFTS) to create a brand new set of scholarships to support young people setting out on a career in the television industry.
Sky Academy Starting Out - A comprehensive range of work experience and employment opportunities that opens up Sky to young people, helping to raise their aspirations and prepare them for the world of work. To match the needs of young people at different stages in their journey from education to employment, Sky offers a range of work experience, placement, apprenticeship and graduate programmes. The total number of opportunities across the business will double over the next three years. In addition to this, Sky will launch a new programme in 2014 that gives teenagers the opportunity to spend a day at Sky for hands-on experience of the workplace.
For more information, go to www.sky.com/academy.
About the Royal Television Society:
The Royal Television Society is Britain’s leading forum for television and related media. Membership is open to everyone with an interest in the medium. The RTS was granted its Royal title in 1966 and HRH The Prince of Wales became Patron of the Society in 1997.The RTS brings together people to exchange ideas, debate and explore key issues. The RTS Awards are an internationally recognised hallmark for quality and originality. For over 80 years, the RTS has provided the UK’s main platform for debate about the future of television. Its lectures, events and publications make a substantial contribution to raising standards and developing practice. The RTS organises dinners with influential speakers, lectures, monthly sessions on current issues, and the world famous biennial Cambridge Convention sets the agenda for the future. Television, the leading UK monthly on television issues and broadcasting policy, is distributed free to members. Separate RTS Awards events cover Programme Making, Television Journalism, Craft and Design, Students and Innovation. Many of the Society’s dinners and conventions are oversubscribed. Patron and individual membership entitles members to priority applications and advanced booking. There are 13 regional centres in the UK, and a Republic of Ireland Centre located in Dublin. Each Centre provides a mix of programme, technical, and craft events. The Society is an educational charity, embracing all aspects of television, including the creative community, broadcasting, equipment manufacture, professional consultancy, journalism, design, research and development, cable, satellite, video and interactivity. The Society relies for its future on the contributions of individual members, corporate Patrons and the hard work of its volunteers. Individual membership is available from £65.00 per year.
About BAFTA:
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is an independent charity that supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public. In addition to its awards ceremonies, BAFTA has a year-round, international programme of learning events and initiatives that offers unique access to some of the world’s most inspiring talent through workshops, master classes, scholarships, lectures and mentoring schemes, connecting with audiences of all ages and backgrounds across the UK, Los Angeles and New York. BAFTA relies on income from membership subscriptions, individual donations, trusts, foundations and corporate partnerships to support its ongoing outreach work. To access the best creative minds in film, TV and games production, visit www.bafta.org/guru. For more information, visit www.bafta.org.
About the National Film & Television School (NFTS)
The National Film and Television School (NFTS) is the UK's centre of excellence for graduate film and TV training (http://nfts.co.uk). It selects the most talented people to enter the film, games and television industry at a professional level and is ranked by the Hollywood Reporter as one of the Top Four Film & TV Schools in the world outside USA.
The NFTS has taught the country’s top media talent for over forty years including award-winning graduates Director David Yates (Harry Potter), Cinematographer Roger Deakins (Skyfall), Animator Nick Park (Wallace & Gromit), Composer Dario Marianelli (Atonement) and many other notable talents in the UK film and television industry. NFTS graduates have won a stunning 7 Oscars, over 100 BAFTAs and the coveted Cannes Film Festival Camera d'Or prize among many others. In 2014 so far, NFTS graduates have been nominated for 13 Academy Awards and BAFTAs. Our graduates received 6 out of the 7 Golden Reel awards for sound editing in a student film and won the top prize for the 12th time – more than any other school in the world. Last year it made history by becoming the first film and television school to win all three CILECT awards for fiction, animation and documentary. The NFTS is a Creative Skillset Film Academy and its MA courses are recognised by the Royal College of Art. http://nfts.co.uk
