Female focused training announced by the BBC

The BBC Academy and Broadcast Magazine are to host a special free training day for women who want to become presenters on television, radio and online.

Sarah Wood, Executive Producer for the BBC Academy says: “We hope that these women will come away feeling really inspired and confident about their future in the industry. This is a great opportunity for us to share our training, and maybe the day will produce one or more star female presenters.”

The event, which is a pilot, will focus on women who want to be specialist media presenters in fields where they are often under-represented: science, history, politics, business, engineering, architecture and technology.
Participants will have a day of taster training sessions which are designed to boost their chances of success: how best to present and project themselves, how to bring their subjects alive in a way that is compelling and understandable to the many different audiences who will be listening, watching or reading; and how to navigate their way through the industry. They will receive coaching and hands-on practical experience in the studio and in front of a camera and will also get an indication of what area of programming they’re best suited to, whether it’s The One Show on BBC One or In Our Time on Radio 4.
Participants will get to meet some of the UK’s leading media professionals and decision makers. Masterclasses and panels will include ‘Welcome to my World’, where some of the industry’s most successful women, from behind and in front of the camera, talk about their professional experience; and ‘The Business of the Business’ with a range of industry names who will give insider advice on how to chart a successful career course: whether to get an agent, how to pitch yourself, how contributors are selected.
Demand – from over 2,000 applicants – has far outstripped the 30 available places. A rigorous selection process is being carried out to select those who are preeminent in the chosen fields and, in the second round, candidates will be selected through filmed applications uploaded to YouTube.