MEDIA SKILLS TO BE SPREAD TO ETHNIC MINORITIES

A NEW scheme to help untap, over the next three years, the potential of 120 individuals from ethnic minority communities will be launched by Skillset and the BBC this summer.
The highly practical Skillset/BBC programme will be supported by a grant from the Millennium Commission with funds from the National Lottery and will provide an opportunity for 40 individuals every year to acquire a range of media skills that can be used in a project to benefit their local communities.
The initiative will be delivered on a revolving UK-wide basis beginning this year with London, the South East and East of England. The second year will cover Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North of England and the last year, Wales, the Midlands and the South West of England.
The brief for the projects is wide and could involve anything from producing an item for local radio, to developing a website or making a video about the experiences of a particular community.
The panel selecting which projects receive funding will include: Jo Gardiner, Head of Skill Exchange at BBC; Wyn Baptiste, BBC London Live; Patrick Younge, Channel Four; and Ali Raschid of Real Life Productions.
Dinah Caine, Chief Executive of Skillset, said: “We are really thrilled by this award. Not only will we be able to benefit a really quite significant number of individuals from groups often excluded from participation in our industry, but we also hope the Millennium Award Scheme will contribute in the longer term to giving ethnic minority communities a stronger voice within the mainstream media by assisting them to develop technical and communications skills, particularly in journalism, press management and digital technology.”
BBC Training and Development will provide the training for the Millennium Award Scheme which will be offered in one of four two-week modules covering either professional journalism, radio journalism and production, digital video camera and film, or multimedia production. All Award winners will also attend a Training the Trainer module designed to equip them to pass on the skills they have learned to their wider communities.
On completion of the initial training, Award winners will receive a grant of £500 for their individual projects which they will have 12 months to complete. During the 12 months they will attend two supplementary workshops where they will be offered practical help and advice on their projects and where they can share the experience they have gained so far. In addition, access to mentoring and general support will be provided throughout the period and Award winners will receive additional training sessions in fund-raising and marketing.
For more information on the programme contact Sam Weaver on (020) 7534 5302 or email: [email protected]. (CD)