Channel 4 to create jobs for disadvantaged young people in Leeds

It is offering 25 more career-changing opportunities to young people based in the North of England.

The opportunities come as Channel 4 launches the next round of recruitment for its Content Creatives initiative – a training and work scheme aimed at 18 to 24-year-olds with a passion for content creation and creativity. It will be the first time the Channel 4 Content Creatives initiative will run in Manchester as well as Leeds.

Sinéad Rocks, Channel 4’s managing director nations and regions, said: “We know our Content Creative initiative can change people’s lives and we’re really thrilled to extend the programme to Manchester and offer more opportunities than ever before.

“Working with partners in Leeds and Manchester means that more young people with a passion for creativity can take that first, important step into a career that they might not even had realised existed on their doorstep.”

The fully paid 14-week scheme sees trainees undertake six weeks of bespoke training with the specialist company SharpFutures. The training covers production techniques, storytelling, pitching as other key skills such as teamwork and communication.

The training is followed by an eight-week work placement either with 4Studio, Channel 4’s digital content studio, or one of Channel 4’s creative partners in Leeds or Manchester. For this cohort of trainees Channel 4 has lined up work placements with some fantastic creative organisations on either side of the Pennines including Chief, Consume Comms, Dentsu Creative, Dubit, Jaywing, Leeds 2023 and Social. And negotiations are still ongoing with several other companies with a view to them joining the scheme.

The organisations cover a range of creative disciplines, but each has a passion for creativity.