Business and Computing students visit Sky Studios

Sunderland College students recently visited London, to visit Sky Studios and Sky HQ.

The Level 3 Business and Computing students participated in an equality and diversity project, to understand more about Sky’s recruitment, and to also learn more about the apprenticeship options that Sky can offer following the completion of their course.

The students were given a tour of Sky Studios and experienced where programmes such as Sky Sports News and Thronecast are filmed, recorded and produced. They were also able to explore new, up and coming technology such as augmented virtual reality headsets and participated in green screen activity.

The students worked alongside Sky employees and were able to learn more about life behind the scenes and the career opportunities available to them such as the Sky apprenticeship scheme and their Sky Ambassador roles. Students were matched to a Sky employee as a buddy, who will act as a mentor to them, and they will also gain some further work experience in the coming months.

Danielle Oliver Sunderland College Student Progress and Development Manager said:

“The visit was a fantastic opportunity for our students to travel outside of Sunderland and gain some real life work experience. All the students worked well to develop their employability skills and each of them grew in confidence throughout the day. It was a fantastic industry experience which helped to raise the aspirations of the students, showing them a range of opportunities for employment which they may not have considered before. I am looking forward to seeing their progress at the end of this project.”

Jay Cooke, Sunderland College IT BTEC Level 3 student added:

“I had a fantastic time working alongside Sky. I have gained so much knowledge about what it is like to be part of the Sky team and I wish to hopefully be working with Sky in an apprenticeship scheme in the near future.”

Helen Oldham, Accelerating business and personal growth founder continued:

“Bringing together Sunderland College students and Sky colleagues from the Customer Service Group has provided a dynamic feedback loop on what cultural changes need to be made to create a truly diverse workforce at Sky’s Newcastle operation. The students involved had an engaging work experience and unique access to future career opportunities whilst they participated in this ‘reverse mentoring project’. I’ve really enjoyed building and delivering a programme which provided real insights for Sky and the students.”

The students have also taken part in a further 2 days of work experience hosted at Sky in Newcastle and there will soon be a celebration event to mark the end of the equality and diversity project.