Drive to increase diversity in media industries

A new programme of initiatives to tackle diversity in the media has been launched by Skillset and the UK Film Council. Over £3m funding will enable over 20 innovative projects across the UK to benefit almost 600 individuals. The projects are part of the Audio Visual Entrepreneurship (AVE) programme which has been launched to support individuals from groups currently under represented within the media including women, people with disabilities, black & ethnic minorities, older people and young people from economically disadvantaged areas.

The wide ranging projects include mentoring schemes, showcasing and networking events, work placement schemes and graduate fellowships. All are designed to foster creativity and develop industry skills, knowledge and experience to boost both individual career potential, self employment and the success of businesses.

Trevor Phillips, Skillset Patron and Chair of the Commission for Racial Equality, hosted the AVE launch event in London saying:

"The media industries play a key role in telling our national story and contributing to a genuinely inclusive society, which is why representation within the workforce is so important. It is hoped that the AVE Programme will have a profound effect on the careers of the individual beneficiaries as well as helping our industries as a whole to successfully address the diversity issues they are facing."

Skillset’s survey of the workforce, which received nearly 7000 responses and was conducted last year, found that:

38% of the workforce is female, compared with 46% of the UK workforce as a whole. 5% of the workforce has a disability - a similar proportion to that reported by the wider UK workforce. 7% of the workforce is from a black or minority ethnic origin, a similar proportion to the UK workforce as a whole. However, around half the workforce is based in London in which 24% of the working population are from a black or minority ethnic origin.