The value of Media Studies Degrees

Dr Bex Lewis posted an extract from A Times Educational Supplement article about Media Degrees and I have posted the following as a comment...

Don't get me started on Media degrees. well you have, I do't have a problem with a Media Studies degree "as an object of academic study" as long as graduates don't consider, or get sold the idea, this will prepare them for a career in the media industry because it won't. 

The industry is fed up of people leaving uni with a media degree and expecting to enter the industry at a higher level or even at an entry level, at which point you have to ask what was the point of a 3 year degree course especially from next year! My experience as an industry practitioner and sometime involved in training at both apprenticeship and degree levels, as well as talking to key staff involved in finding new talent, is that very few media degrees actually prepare students to work in the industry without significant additional training. 

The industry has got so fed up, it has put its money where its mouth is and set up a range of apprenticeship schemes so it can train and prepare students with the skills needed.  

You talk about transferable skills and the skills you list are transferable IF they were delivered and developed properly in university, but experience leads me to believe they rarely are. 

We find these practical skills are rarely delivered in a real world and current way, rather they are dealt with in a generalised unrealistic way and students believe they are being prepared for a career in the media industry and I am afraid a lot of universities are letting their students down badly. 

For example, I delivered a Media Induction Course for a dozen cohorts and the first 8 or 9 cohorts were largely graduates with a variety of media degrees and I have lost count of the number of times they would tell me that they learnt more in that 9 day course about working in the media industry than they did throughout their 3 year degree course. 

A Media Degree shouldn't be a soft option. To prepare students for the relatively small number of opportunities in the media industry, it should be a tough course learning a range of practical skills in the first and second years and specialising into a specific area in the 3rd year. Media is a very practical and hands on industry. This needs universities to employ a broad range of associate lecturers who remain active practitioners in the industry so they can deliver current and future practice. The industry is changing so fast that someone who has left the industry even 3 years ago will be out of date.

Mike on the panel at BVE North on 16th Nov

BECTU are kicking off the seminar programme at BVE North on 16th Nov and I will be on the panel. The session is entitled "How to be a Successful Freelance".

If you work in the North and you have registered for BVE North (16-17 November at Manchester Central) don't miss BECTU's seminar How to be a Successful Freelance.
Our learning organiser John Crumpton has devised the session with the great help of panellists Christine Pyke, Mike Thornton and Faisal A Quereshi.
The seminar helps to kick off the first ever BVE North; join the discussion at 10.00 am on Wednesday 16 November. If you have yet to take advantage of free registration, here's the link.

For more info on this seminar go to the BECTU web site.

Fast Train freelancer project to focus on radio

Radio Fast Train will be hosted by the BBC Academy in partnership with Skillset, and will be produced in association with The Radio Academy, Radio Independents Group, RadioCentre, and Community Media Association.

It will take place on 7 February 2012 and comprise a day of free training sessions for freelances and independents in the radio sector.

Acting head of the college of production Donna Taberer said: “Radio, like other parts of the media industry, is facing huge change.

“Radio Fast Train is a fantastic opportunity to discuss and learn new technology, new ways of working, inspire creativity and a chance to collaborate and share ideas for the radio of the future. It’s key for the Academy to engage with freelancers, indies and radio organisations.”

Radio Fast Train will centre on four themes: Ideas; Technology; Skills; and Business.

Sessions and masterclasses will include Visualising Radio, Audience and Social Media, Writing for Radio, and Managing the Talent.

The event will be project-managed by Debbie Kilbride, who won Sony Gold & Silver Awards for her work on BBC Radio 4 and Saturday Live, has worked in local, community & network radio for BBC Radios 1, 2 & 4 and in both production & interactive teams.

There will be opportunities for networking and the chance to meet the key players at BBC Radio.

More details, including how to register, will be announced over the coming months,

The event follows Fast Train for television in May 2011 - a training and networking event hosted by the Academy and sponsored by Skillset which attracted around 350 TV freelances to taster sessions and masterclasses - for free. 

BBC anounce applications for new apprenticeship scheme

BBC North has announced its new apprenticeship scheme. From their web site...

BBC North is delighted to launch our new entry-level apprenticeships. If you’re aged 16 and over, live in the Greater Manchester area and have left formal education and not gained A Levels or equivalent qualifications, then our new Apprenticeships provide you with the ideal route of entry into the BBC.

Running for 12-18 months, Apprenticeships at the BBC combine college learning with full time paid jobs. You’ll find all that you need to apply on this webpage, so check through all the information on how to apply below, and head to the right side of the page to read the job descriptions for exciting new apprenticeships at BBC Learning, BBC Marketing & Audiences, BBC Technology Operations, BBC Head Quarters North and BBC Children's (roles at BBC Children's are only open to those who are 18 years of age and over.)

You will be based at our new location at Salford Quays. When you've completed your apprenticeship, you'll not only have had valuable work experience to help you get started in your career, but you'll also have a chance to apply for a permanent position at the BBC.

This will be a specific job in a specific department and will be day release to college. It is being run in conjunction with Manchester College and will be overseen by David Longworth who is now working for the BBC. Also please note the salary scales £8K per annum for 16-17 yrs old, £11.1K per annum for 18 + yrs old which works out at around £154 per week for 16 to 17 year ols and £212 for 18 plus. 

The closing dates for applications for all posts is on 8th July at midnight.

More info, including job specs here

Fast Train – free training day for TV freelancers May 18th

This is a press release from the BBC that came from an email from my union BECTU

Fast Train, a free training event for TV freelancers, will be held on Wednesday 18 May 2011 at the BBC Academy in White City. This ground-breaking initiative will provide freelancers with the unique opportunity to sample a wide range of high quality professional training from the industry's leading providers. Short training sessions will be provided by the BBC Academy, the Indie Training Fund, DV Talent, VET, NFTS, BECTU, Four Corners, The TV Collective and Skillset Media Academies, with the support of many independent production companies. Skillset will also be on hand to discuss training bursaries and guide freelancers through the application process.

This new initiative, which will be open for up to 500 freelancers, is in direct response to Broadcast's TV Freelancer Survey in which training was highlighted as an important factor in career progression. Of those questioned, 52 per cent listed it as being far more important than professional support bodies, commercial recruitment services or online social networking.

Fast Train will comprise practical workshops, day and half-day courses and short "taster" sessions covering all aspects of production; camera, self-shooting, editing, HD, multi-camera, scripting, legal, digital, cross-platform, social media, H&S, production management, making the web work for you, business, leadership and people skills, editorial policy, pitching and much more.

There will also be updates on key industry issues – such as tapeless production, the BBC's Digital Media Initiative (DMI) and connected TV; leading industry figures will give master-classes on hit shows and, importantly, the day will also provide networking opportunities with commissioners, controllers and indies. 

Lets hope this doesn't remain a London centric programme.

Is Media Studies at University a good idea?

This is a question I am regularly asked and my answer is "don't!".

Let me explain, in my opinion most media degrees are all about theory and don't actually prepare you for a career in the media. I have some evidence to back this claim up. Firstly, I have delivered and then improved the technical units of a City & Guilds Media Induction course which is described as.....

"This qualification is for new entrants to audio visual industries, both freelance and employed, or those who are looking for their first role in the field. You don't need any previous experience and you don't need to be working already. "

We delivered this 9 times in a year and for at least the first 6 or 7 most of the students were media graduates who routinely told me that "they had learnt more about the media industry in 10 days than there entire 3 year degree course".

Secondly, I am the NVQ assessor for the Advanced Media Apprenticeship scheme that has been piloted here in Manchester as is now in its 4th year. It is now being rolled out nationally. It was the industry itself that have driven this programme forward because they haven't been getting enough new entrants into the industry with the correct knowledge and experience.

These apprentices get practical and relevant knowledge based study at college as well as real work based placements in a wide range of industry placements for up to 12 weeks at a time where they undertake real jobs and so get experience, and build up a reputation in the industry.

The apprentices go on and get real jobs in our industry because they have a proven track record and an qualification respected by the industry because they have been involved in forming and developing it. That said I think there are a few careers paths where a degree is still useful like Journalism for example. But remember most people get work in this industry by being able to prove then can do the job and being known by key people.

Here is a video completed from star to finish by a team of the apprentices...

CIPD gets it wrong on interns’ pay

The TUC "Rights for Interns" web site has posted about a new Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) report on interns rights and pay. The TUC site says....

A CIPD report out this week calls for a new National Minimum Wage ‘training rate’ of £2.50 to be applied to all internships.  In response, the TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber commented “Although this proposal is well-meaning, in practice it would represent a  significant watering-down of the current rights for most interns. The vast majority already have the right to be paid the minimum wage in full, and the problem has been in getting employers to face up to their responsibilities.  What is really needed is simply better awareness and enforcement of the existing law.”

CIPD assert that interns and apprentices share considerable similarities, warranting a common wage entitlement.  But we would question this.  Apprenticeships are governed by regulations and vocational frameworks that guarantee a certain level of quality (or at least consistency) and lead to a recognised qualification.  Internships do not, they don’t even exist in the law and their design and delivery are governed exclusively by the whim of the employer. 

The Low Pay Commission introduced a training rate in the early days of the National Minimum Wage.  It was not widely used but when it was it was often abused, with employers taking people on a reduced rate but offering little in terms of training.  Under these proposals, we see potential for similar sharp practices that a voluntary code of practice would fail to address.  Its telling to note that the LPC shelved the training rate some time ago.

Go to the Rights for Interns site for more details.

According to the People Management site....

The suggested rate of £2.50 is the same as a newly announced government rate for apprentices. This was announced at the same time as increases in the national minimum wage. The adult minimum will increase by 2 per cent in October to £5.93 an hour. Workers aged between 18 and 20 will receive a 9p increase to £4.92, while those aged 16 or 17 will get £3.64 – a rise of 7p.

It seems like one step forward and two steps back with a reduction in payment. I agree with the TUC that the alignment of internships and apprenticeships is not a valid one and the start, or even continuation, of a slippery slope.


Folks, another reason to join a union to have someone who can protect and fight for your interests.

Skillset announce more than £1 million earmarked for TV training

From the Skillset press release dated 17th June 2010...

Skillset’s TV Freelance Fund (TVFF) will spend almost £1.2 million on television training in five priority areas over this financial year.

The TVFF is made up of voluntary contributions from the BBC, Channel 4, Five, the Indie Training Fund (via contributions from member companies), Sky and other cable and satellite companies, and is designed to invest in training for the entire television workforce.

The opening up of a global market, technological changes in how content is created and consumed and reduced commissioning budgets have all resulted in seismic shifts to traditional business models. Skillset argues that to remain competitive, both companies and individuals need to embrace new skills, techniques and business practices. Therefore, investment will be directed into five priority areas:

• Multiplatform: £300,000
• Management and Leadership: £300,000
• New Entrants: £300,000
• Craft and Technical: £50,000
• Health and Safety: £25,000

Read the rest of the press release on the Skillset web site.

According to Broadcast the Multi-Platform budget has been increased by £50,000  which is good news. However yet again Broadcast + Television. Where is the equivalent radio programme?