Cool FM’s Pete Snodden last week welcomed learners from Belfast Met’s latest Digital Skills Academy to Bauer Media’s new headquarters at Belfast City Quays.
The 16 learners from the Digital Film Production course, part of the Belfast Digital Skills and Employability Programme, visited the studio on Tuesday for a tour and Q&A with presenter Pete.
He said: “It’s fantastic to see the next generation coming through, especially a group like this where there’s so much enthusiasm for the creative industries and a real desire to learn. We had a really interesting discussion about the skills they’re learning and the type of work they want to do.
“They were really receptive to the importance of working hard, having a human running the show behind all the tech and most crucially of all, holding on to their self-belief. With all that covered, I have no doubt each one of them has every chance at success.”
The group also visited UTV last week, where they were given a studio tour and watched a live news bulletin, before attending a workshop with Tactical Screen Training, lead by Jason Dade at the Accidental Theatre, an independent Belfast arts organisation. The previous week, the learners took at tour at Q Radio and spent an afternoon with top Northern Ireland TV production company Stellify Media.
Vikkie Taggart, Director of Operations at Stellify, said: “It’s always brilliant to meet people with a passion for the creative industries, and I was really impressed with the enthusiasm and knowledge of everyone on the course.
“It can sometimes feel like areas like TV, film or radio are hard to break into, but with backing from a course like this one – and all the connections and industry insights it offers – this group is off to a strong start.”
The Digital Film Production Academy, part of the Belfast Digital Skills and Employability Programme, will see learners explore scriptwriting, filming editing and production, while creating their own short films in a professional learning environment.
The eight-week course, which started on May 14, is delivered in partnership with Northern Ireland film charity Cinemagic, and offers the chance to graduate with an OCN NI Level 3 qualification. Designed for learners aged 16 to 24, with training in digital skills in TV and film, it provides access to industry experts while building confidence and boosting participants’ employability potential in the creative industries.
Carrie Gray, a learner with the academy, said: “The course has been brilliant so far, and these visits have been a highlight. Learning about what people working in the creative industries do day to day, and hearing about all the different pathways everyone had into their careers is inspiring. It’s a reminder that not everyone takes a straight path into the jobs they love, and that with hard work, we can get there.”
The Belfast Digital Skills and Employability Programme launched in 2023 with sponsorship from Bank of America, running a series of Digital Skills Academies designed to open doors to further training and employment for underrepresented groups.
So far, 18 of 30 planned courses have been completed, covering areas from digital marketing and data analytics to software development, giving expert training and support to participants from a range of backgrounds including women returning to work, neurodiverse learners, new arrivals to the city and people not in education or training.
Cinemagic Project Executive Laura McCurdy said: “This is the third course Cinemagic has delivered along with the Belfast Digital Skills and Employability Programme, and once again we’re thrilled with the calibre of learners coming through. They’re learning essential, technical skills that will set them up to progress in one of Northern Ireland’s most thriving sectors. We’re delighted to partner with Belfast Met on this and can’t thank the all the teams we visited enough for being so generous with their time, sharing their expertise and inspiring our learners to believe that the careers they aspire to are within reach.
"The students have had Cinemagic workshops with leading industry professionals such as Ally Thompson, whose latest TV production Natalie Cassidy: Caring Together is currently airing on BBC, Adam Wilkinson, Location Manager and Director of Bigger Picture and Helen Thompson from HT Media. These talented professionals have all provided an incredible opportunity for the students giving an invaluable insight to the creative industries."
Diana Atchison, Belfast Met’s Centre for Digital Innovation and Technology Project Manager, added: “A huge thank you to everyone we visited for giving our learners such a warm welcome. Getting out into the real world to see what working life can look like a little further down the path is a central element of what we do with everyone who comes through our academies.
“Career paths are no longer linear, and it’s courses like these, which build connections and open doors to further opportunities for learning, technical training and work, that will set our young people up for jobs they love in the future.”
