Trainees for ITV Granada

MTNW believe in regional talent and also understand that there are lots of barriers to getting into the industry. To address some of these barriers we have joined forces with ITV Granada & Pure Innovations. This partnership has enabled 6 disabled individuals from the NW to gain a paid six month placement in Granada.

Disabled people are severely under-represented in the audio visual industries, indeed the AV INDUSTRY EMPLOYMENT CENSUS (SKILLSET 2004) found people with disabilities make up only 1.3% of the workforce. This lack of diversity, coupled with the industry’s specific structure and eratic employment patterns means that people with disabilities face real and specific barriers to developing successful AV busineses. Furthermore, people with disabilities are more likely to be disenfranchised when it comes to accessing national training schemes; barriers cited by the target group include mobility and access issues and low self esteem.

The vision of Enabling Talent is to increase the diversity of our workforce through a number of initiatives that will enable individuals with disabilities to gain the necessary information, career guidance, support, and where possible relevant experience to increase the accessibility of opportunities within the industry to people with disabilities.

We hope to achieve the above through 3 key initiatives; one being to offer a further 2 individuals who have a disability a fully sponsored training placement within ITV Granada.
The placement would include:

• A 2 month pre-entry level paid placement scheme, co-ordinated and administered through a scheme co-ordinator who will be based within ITV (Manchester)
• Funded centrally through the partners and not at departmental level
• Support around a specific disability will be fully available through
  one to one coaching around the trainees disability prior to the trainee starting placement for the manager and team as necessary
• funding and administration for access to work
• suitability audit supported by Gina Groves to ensure accessibility has been assessed

Training and Professional Development once in placement:

• Supporting a further 2 individuals with disabilities to gain real work experience across different departments within ITV Granada through a 2 month, fully supported, placement scheme.
• All trainees will have access to an extensive network of formal and informal support, including dedicated placement line manager, work place buddy, external media mentor and access to appropriate stakeholder and shareholder contacts and industry networks.
• All trainees will receive a robust induction and bespoke exit programme
• All trainees will receive an initial appraisal to develop a bespoke learning and training development plan mapped against departmental requirements and aligned to individual needs and career aspirations. The agreed development plan will be produced containing specific targets, goals, expectations, tools for self assessment and agreed review and assessment periods.
• All trainees will be supported through a structured professional development programme to support the acquisition of entrepreneurial skills, industry knowledge and media experience in order to maximise employment potential or economic activity in the audio visual industries..
  
  Please note all trainees must be from the North West region. The trainees will be paid on an hourly rate at £5.35 an hour.
  
  Daisy Ashton
  Project Co-ordinator
  Northwest Vision + Media
  Room G082, BBC
  Oxford Road
  Manchester
  M60 1SJ
  Telephone: + 44 (0) 161 244 4642
  Fax: + 44 (0) 161 244 4198