Channel 4 in Leeds one year on: Why broadcaster did not consider withdrawing from Yorkshire amid the pandemic

Sinéad Rocks, managing director for nations and regions, said that at no point during lockdown “was there a suggestion of dialing down any of the out-of-London commitments”.

This was despite the public-owned, privately-funded station being thrown into a “perilous position” post-coronavirus, revealing in April that it expected to lose £150m from its content budget in 2020 and £95m of savings to be made from planned projects and investments.

Marking a year since it landed in Leeds, the broadcaster is today launching 4Skills, a new training and development programme to “supercharge its efforts to seek out and develop talent” across Yorkshire and other areas.

It is hoping to attract people from diverse backgrounds and employ those who might never have considered a career in broadcasting.

In an interview with The Yorkshire Post, Ms Rocks said: “We want to tackle skills gaps. Quite often you might hear - in any broadcaster - a commission will be made [with] a London company because, and you’ll hear someone say, ‘there aren’t enough of X people’, whether that’s picture editors or producer directors, in another part of the country.

“We want to make sure that 4Skills is finding out about those skills gaps and doing something about them so that there can’t be an excuse not to give work to a certain part of the country moving forwards.”

The scheme will involve apprenticeships across Channel 4, with the first cohorts starting in Leeds and Manchester bases in early 2021; a new initiative focused on digital creativity and production that will provide open days, workshops and paid placements; a schools and college engagement and outreach programme; and the relaunch of the company’s Production Training Scheme with “a 100 per cent focus on the nations and regions”.

Among other measures, there will also be virtual industry events in Leeds for independent productions companies, providing a mix of commissioner sessions and workshops.

It will continue to offer “bespoke tailored training to address skills gaps” in the nations and regions alongside organisations such as the National Film and Television School (NFTS), which has also opened a base in Leeds.

Jon Wardle, NFTS director, said “we welcome 4Skills with open arms,” adding: “At the NFTS we are working harder than ever to identify skills gaps and provide world class training to match demand.

“It’s key to the future success of the creative sector that it’s regarded as an industry that offers a career path open to everyone, regardless of background or circumstance.”

Ms Rocks said: “We made a series of commitments and this is us now making sure that what we said we were going to do, we absolutely do.”

Before lockdown, around 90 Channel 4 jobs were based in Leeds but this has grown to about 120 so far, and its temporary offices in Grace Street reopened last month. It is due to move into the Majestic building next year.

Applications are open for 12 places on 4Skills apprenticeship schemes in Leeds and Manchester, covering content production, finance, agency sales, social media, programme management, IT support and cyber security.