The Haymarket Skills Academy will include work experience and skills development for young people in education and a new UK apprenticeship scheme.
Haymarket currently offers 150 places for work experience for young people in education from 15 years to graduate level. By the end of the 2014/15 academic year this will increase to 175 places. By the end of 2017/18 the group’s aim is to increase this to 240, an increase of 60% against today’s number.
Haymarket’s new apprenticeship scheme will include five apprenticeships in 2014/15, increasing to 20 by 2017. The first apprenticeships will be open to young people from the ages of 16 to 19. Apprentices will benefit from Haymarket’s learning and development programme which, for the last five years, has seen the company spend more on training per employee than the CIPD average, says the company.
The media group will collaborate with the Richmond Education Business Partnership to arrange work experience for students at local schools and academies. Available to young people in years 10 and 11, the week-long programme will see students placed in three departments, providing them with an insight into the diverse range of roles that exist within a global media company.
Haymarket will also offer week-long programmes to college students in subjects related to their course, from graphic design and photography to sales and marketing.
Haymarket will also continue to work with universities nationwide to offer work placements to undergraduates and postgraduates. A number of three-month internships will also be available to graduates who are looking for longer-term paid experience.
Kevin Costello, CEO, Haymarket Media Group said: “We have a proud history of working with schools colleges and universities locally and nationally and believe we have a responsibility to help them build strong careers in the future. The Haymarket Skills Academy will give young people an insight into what it’s like to work in the fast-paced world of media while our new apprenticeship scheme will equip young people with the skills they need for a successful career in the industry.
We also have much to gain from supporting young talent within our recruitment programme as this will help us to develop as an innovative and sustainable media business.”
The announcement follows the launch of the Richmond Education and Enterprise Partnership which saw Haymarket and partners Richmond upon Thames College (RuTC), Richmond Council, Clarendon School and The Harlequins rugby club present their plans for an innovative “campus of education and enterprise” on Egerton Road in Twickenham. The plans include a new building for Richmond College, a new free secondary school, a purpose-built home for Clarendon School and a new headquarters for Haymarket’s 1200 UK staff.
