RTS Technology Bursary

There has long been a technology skills gap in TV due to the competitive recruitment of graduates in related fields, and despite the best efforts of employers, that gap remains.

As Freeview’s Head of Technology Partnerships, Alex Russell, acknowledged, “It’s certainly true that companies like Google and other tech giants can pay higher graduate salaries. As a smaller company though we offer a different sort of environment with the same benefits around flexible working, an exciting range of projects, a great pension. It’s just about getting ourselves noticed.”

The RTS launched its Technology Bursary Scheme in 2015. The initiative supports students from lower-­income households studying science, technology, engineering or maths (Stem) subjects, with the aim of tempting them into a career in the media industry when they graduate.

Our first group of five students comprised four men and one woman. This year, we awarded eight bursaries. For the first time, we have equal numbers of male and female students. Is this a blip, or are we moving towards a more equal gender balance?

Audiences flock to the BBC during moments of national importance. That’s the received wisdom, anyway. Think World Cup finals, the Queen’s Speech or big news days. After a career in commercial TV, I’d become resigned to this. Until I moved to Scotland, that is.

It’s different here. Partly, that’s because Scots watch more TV than anyone else in the UK, an average of 25 more minutes per day last year, to be precise (thanks for asking).