Production Futures tour returns to Manchester
- Details
The organisation is currently running a series of On Tour events, where young visitors from schools, colleges and universities all over the UK are able to directly connect with representatives of its brand partners to learn more about and explore employment opportunities in the industry.
The latest event takes place in partnership with Access Creative Group at New Century Manchester on Wednesday 3 May. This free of charge event, which will be opened by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, will promote employability, transferable skills, and paid work opportunities, and is set to attract a wide range of young people from across the North-West.
Jason Beaumont, CEO Access Creative College, welcomes the event: “The Access Group is so proud to be hosting Production Futures in Manchester. Engagement with employers and work experience is vital to a young person's development. Working with employers to ensure young people are ready for such an exciting industry is central to our ethos and we look forward to a fantastic day at New Century/dBs.’’
Many leading brands will be present, alongside a number of supply and production companies, distributors and venues, to provide information and insights, and discuss specific job and training opportunities.
This flagship event will deliver a packed schedule between 10am and 6pm which includes panel discussions, inspirational keynote speakers, live demonstrations, giveaways and competitions, as well as valuable networking opportunities.
Industry workshops will offer young visitors the chance to engage in a wide range of activities, from preparing to be job-ready with industry-oriented CVs, to hands on exploration of lighting programming, CAD, audio networking, as well as getting under the skin of music production, virtual production and event planning.
In the Production Futures Live Lounge, there will be the opportunity to meet future employers and discuss current paid work opportunities, internships, apprenticeships, freelance opportunities, placements, and full-time jobs.
CEO Hannah Eakins comments, “Our On Tour events have been a great success, attracting and then inspiring hundreds of young people to pursue careers in what is a hugely exciting and rewarding industry. The significance of the sector to the UK economy shouldn’t be underestimated, and a huge skills shortage across the board means that the next generation is well-placed to make a real impact. Very often, we find that youngsters are simply unaware of the variety of opportunities that fall under the umbrella of the production industry. Our aim is to increase the visibility of these opportunities, and in doing so improve the prospects of the whole industry.
“We are thrilled that Andy Burnham will be opening the show, and to have the Greater Manchester Combined Authority behind us. It has never been more important for the live events and broadcast industry to meet the next generation of young production talent, and for this to be recognised by Andy is fantastic for our industry and for the young talent across Greater Manchester.”
Another feature of the Manchester event will be the launch of the new-style Production Futures Breakthrough Awards, as Eakins explains:
“The Production Futures initiative originated as The Breakthrough Talent Awards and have been a fundamental part of our mission from day one. This expanded format takes us back to the roots of Production Futures and why we wanted to recognise young talent. We began as a very small awards ceremony in 2016 that sought not only to mark the achievements of young people in the production industries, but to inspire the next generation coming through.
“We’re pleased to be increasing the number of award categories to better reflect the wide range of roles and skill sets required across the production industry.”
