Find Your Place: BBC social legacy projects for London 2012 Olympic Games

The BBC today marked the opening of the third year of the BBC 2012 – London Apprentices scheme with an event hosted by Roger Mosey, BBC Director 2012.

  • BBC 2012 - London Apprentices
  • BBC 2012 Community reporters
  • BBC 2012 Work experience

As part of its commitment to ensuring the London 2012 Olympic Games leaves a lasting legacy for audiences, the BBC has been working with partners from across the media industry and within the skills and learning establishment, to launch three schemes under the Find Your Place banner. These include: BBC 2012 – London Apprentices, the BBC 2012 Work Experience scheme and the BBC 2012 Community Reporters programme. These projects aim to ensure a social and diversity legacy through the provision of training and maintaining industry standards.

Caroline Prendergast, BBC London 2012, Skills & HR Director said: "This is about how we can use the 2012 Olympics as a platform for creating a social legacy for the UK. By creating these schemes we have provided the opportunity for individuals to gain skills and experience to allow them to become work ready and in some cases pursue a career in media. For the BBC it's about developing a more diverse workforce to generate new programme ideas and reach new audiences, in particular those we find hard to reach."

By 2013 we will have had 500 people who have benefitted from the three programmes. To date, 70% of our apprentices have secured either casual, fixed term or continuing contracts in the BBC or other media employers.”

The three BBC 2012 ‘Find Your Place’ schemes have already seen tangible success with regards to developing this more diverse workforce. To date 54% of successful applicants have been from a Black/Asian/Minority Ethnic (BAME) background; while a variety of class, gender and age groups have also been well represented.

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BBC 2012 - London Apprentices

The BBC launched its first apprenticeship scheme in London in 2010 specifically aimed at people who want to gain a qualification while working, rather than through the traditional university-based route. Having conducted research with young people within the Olympic boroughs it quickly became apparent what they wanted as a social legacy. It was very clear that what they felt they needed was relevant skills and a solid work experience foundation that would help them strengthen their CV and increase their employability.

Over the three years to 2012, year-long apprenticeships have provided on the job training across programme making departments including productions such as Eastenders, Strictly Come Dancing, Newsround and The One Show. The apprenticeship has also led to a Creative and Digital Media Level 3 BTEC and Diploma, provided in partnership with the BBC Academy and Westminster Kingsway College.

The scheme

  • Is open to people aged 18+. It has made BBC employment more accessible and will help create a more socially inclusive workforce. The scheme was so successful in the first year it was expanded in its second year (2011) to the wider industry including placements with ITV and Indies such as Endemol, talkbackThames, Maverick and Shine TV. The industry wide placements mirror what individuals might expect in working life after they complete the scheme
  • Provides an opportunity to kick-start a career in the media for people who may never have thought the BBC was for them
  • Has created a new entry point into the broadcast industry for 18 to 25 year olds via an apprenticeship scheme
  • Aims to train up 30 young people through an apprentice scheme by 2012
  • Aims for at least 50% of those who have completed the apprenticeship to gain employment
  • Builds the concept of an industry passport for this category of runners and production management assistants
  • Will create an education legacy for people who live in the six London Host Olympic Boroughs

Results to date

  • 70% of the first BBC 2012 – London Apprentices, who finished their contracts in April 2011, have secured either casual, fixed term or continuing contracts in the BBC or other media employers
  • BBC Scotland has started its own 2012 Apprenticeship, with the first group starting in September 2011. The scheme will continue until the 2014 Commonwealth Games

Partners include

  • Westminster Kingsway College Skillset for training
  • ITV, Pact, Endemol, talkbackThames, Maverick, Shine TV and BBC Studio and Post Productions for placements

BBC 2012 Community Reporters

Launched in autumn 2011 this programme aims to attract people who are passionate about news and love their local areas. The programme offers mentoring and training in professional media techniques and the opportunity to produce broadcast content in partnership with regional BBC newsrooms. The scheme began in London and is currently being rolled out across the rest of the UK.

The scheme

  • Successful applicants will focus on finding local 2012 stories which are strong on original journalism. The roving reporters will also provide content from some of the events in 2012
  • Recent stories produced by the reporters and aired on BBC London include: Postcodes and Gangs; the possible closure of an East London Boxing Club; and the Olympic’s Mental Health Legacy. The ambition is to offer 100 people across the UK the opportunity to become a Community Reporter. After London the scheme goes to Salford and Glasgow, while there will also be projects with BBC World Service

BBC 2012 Work Experience

Launched in January 2011 the BBC 2012 Work Experience programme aims to attract new and diverse talent to the BBC specifically from the six London Olympic Boroughs.

  • The ambition is to offer over 250 work experience placements up to and including 2012
  • This scheme is a great introduction to the BBC and will feed talent into the apprenticeship programme as well as giving individuals a pathway back to work
  • The scheme is open to residents of the London Olympic Boroughs only, with the opportunities ranging from one to four weeks in a number of BBC departments including News, Sport, People, Vision and Children’s
  • The scheme supplements the BBC's main work experience programme which offers in excess of 2500 places to people each year
  • For the second year we are pleased to extend the scheme to Hammersmith and Fulham, home of the 1908 London Olympics
  • 14% of the first 90 people who have taken part in the scheme have been found paid work with the BBC

Partners include

Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Barking and Dagenham, Greenwich and Waltham Forest Councils and in 2012 Hammersmith and Fulham.

For more information on all of the schemes outlined please go to www.bbc.co.uk/2012

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