Six young people have joined Radio & Music Production, the BBC department which makes many of the key programmes for Radio 4. They’re already bringing new ideas and a fresh approach. Can they help attract younger listeners to the station?
Ailish Tucker is 18 and working with the team making the In Touch programme. “For fear of sounding like a hopeful on the X-Factor, I am passionate about radio and for as long as I can remember it has been a dream of mine to work in the radio industry”.
Eighteen year old Edward Jankowski spent a year volunteering at Bolton FM while he sat his final exams at college. He’s joined the Midweek team.
Joel Cox is 28 and is the oldest of the apprentices. He played in a rock band and then taught music in a special needs school while working as a video editor. He’s presently working on The Film Programme.
Sally Garwood is 18 and developed her love of radio while studying for her Level 3 BTEC diploma in Media. “Radio came naturally to me and from the beginning I knew it was what I wanted to do”. Sally is working on Desert Island Discs.
Olivia Cope is 19 and was a Broadcasting and Digital Communication Media student at the BRIT School for Performing Arts in South London. She has joined the team working on Saturday Live.
Nadia Youssef moved to London to work full-time in a tea shop in Highgate. She’s 23 and has joined the Open Book team. “I've wanted an opportunity like this for so long!” she says.
The first task on their two year apprenticeship was to create a podcast for the College of Production which answers the simple question: 'Speech Radio – can young people do without it?'
You can hear all of their podcasts on the BBC’s College of Production website. Let us know what you think.
