Graduates dominate media, new research reveals

More than two thirds of media professionals are graduates according to new research.
69% of people working in the media have a degree compared to 16% of the UK workforce.
Almost 7000 people working in the media participated in the survey by Skillset, the Sector Skills Council for the audio visual industries which reveals that 62% of the workforce is male; 38% had done unpaid work during their careers; and 70% got their first job informal routes such as via contacts.
Compared with the wider UK workforce, where 36% are under 35 years and 26% are aged 50 or more, those working in the audio visual industries are relatively young with nearly half under 35 and only 15% aged 50+. Additionally the results show that, unlike the wider UK workforce there are proportionally more older men in the audio visual workforce than there are older women and proportionally more younger women than there are younger men; 45% of women in the workforce are aged between 25 and 34 years in comparison with 37% of men, and 18% of men are aged 50 years and over compared with 10% of women.
Despite a highly qualified workforce the survey highlights significant training needs to meet the skills demands of an industry characterised by change particularly cutting edge advances in technology. Two thirds of the workforce (62%) reported a training need mainly to keep up to date with or improve current work (60%) and to develop new technical skills (49%). Of those who sought training 84% reported experiencing barriers such as fees were too high (42%), and difficulty assessing the quality of training (34%).
Dinah Caine, Chief Executive of Skillset, said: “Continually improving and adding to your portfolio of skills is an absolute necessity for people working in this industry. The speed of change – technically, editorially, commercially – is breathtaking, and to achieve career longevity people have to keep their skills up to date. As the results reflect this can be expensive and time consuming. The industry, through Skillset, is addressing these issues by funding discounted short courses and by highlighting quality training through our accreditation schemes. The industry has prioritised skills, recognising that the talent of the workforce will greatly determine its future success.”
Media professionals work on average 44.6 hours a week earning a mean salary of £32,239pa. This compares to a national average of 33.8 hours and £24,300 for the UK workforce as a whole. However, the survey also shows that the majority of the media industries are based in London and the South East where the average salary and working week is £33,867pa and 44.9 hours.
Martin Spence, Bectu, said: “The results debunk some of the glamorous myths about working in media. The hours are long and although on face value the average salary looks high, when you consider the costs of living and working in London, which most media professionals do, it’s not a huge income.”
The survey also shows nearly a quarter of respondents earned less than £20K in the past 12 months. 38% also reported doing unpaid work during their career. More than a third earn between £30,000 and £49,999 and a further 11% earn £50k+. However, it remains a difficult industry to break into and progress within - only 27% heard about their most recent job through a traditional recruitment route such as an advertisement.
Estelle Morris, President of Skillset’s Patrons, said: “A reliance on contacts and nepotism has adversely affected the diverse make up of the workforce as shown in Skillset’s survey. It’s always going to be a people business and contacts will always play a part in a persons career but, although the industry is waking up to the problem, it needs to introduces more formal recruitment methods if any meaningful change is to happen.”
(GB)