The University of Bradford has been chosen to be part of the UK's Media Academy Network - a national footprint of colleges and universities working with industry to develop a new wave of talent.
The Media Academy Network was launched on 13 December 2007 in London by Culture Minister James Purnell, Skills Minister David Lammy and a host of representatives from the media industry.
The network has been devised by Skillset - the UK Sector Skills Council for the Audio Visual Industries. The Network is made up of 15 Academies in England, drawing together creative education partnerships between colleges and universities.
The institutions in the network are already centres of excellence in television production and interactive media, and Bradford will build on its existing partnership with the National Media Museum by working with East Coast Media based at the Grimsby Institute in Lincolnshire.
The network will see world-leading academics, content creators, computer games developers, software programmers and creative artists working with industry to develop talent, creativity and business ideas to exploit new technologies and opportunities in broadcast television and interactive media.
Media companies supporting the Skillset Media Academy include the BBC, Channel 4, ITV and Sony.
"We live in a very competitive world where one good idea can see a person move from mums garage to global media magnate virtually overnight. The problem for the UK, though, is that a lot of people all over the world are having good ideas in television and interactive media. Good ideas are simply not enough – they have to be world-beating! This is where education and industry collaboration can play a crucial role."
"Media organisations are all about ideas and doing the unthinkable - going left when the herd veers right. Youre looking for people who do things very differently. You go into a college or university in the Skillset Media Academy Network and you find people who are working with industry and doing remarkable things that arent predictable, and thats what youre looking for all the time."
"The creation of the Skillset Media Academy Network is a big step forward for Higher Education in the UK. With the new technologies in media and communications, we now find ourselves in a world that doesnt have borders and boundaries, a place of online social networks where people put their lives online and increasingly use interactive media applications to navigate their way through everyday living. The space of places is making way for the space of flows."
"Pioneers and innovators, in this digital and interactive world, will play a key role – creative men and women from wide and varied backgrounds with the skills, information and knowledge to harness existing and create new media technologies for the benefit of all of us. It is absolutely fundamental that we lay down the educational infrastructure bringing together our finest minds, entrepreneurial flair and the best technical know-how. Its a question of convergence. The Skillset Media Academy Network represents a new approach for a new digital age."
"The collaboration between Skillset, Industry and Higher and Further Education must be applauded for its strategic thinking, insight and commitment in establishing the Skillset Media Academy Network. The partnership will guarantee a continuous flow of talent, creativity and business ideas to fully exploit the opportunities of the digital age.”
"The Skillset Media Academy Network is the realisation of a new tradition of partnership between Industry and Higher Education. I applaud the initiative taken by Skillset in building the key relationships that are needed to ensure the UK remains at the forefront of global competitiveness.”
"We live in a digital age where people can access information, ideas and entertainment wherever they want and whenever they want. It is a time of I-pods, Bebo, Facebook, You Tube and broadcast television online. People can download movies and music to mobile phones, enjoy the best of British television on the Internet, and even share their own video clips with an audience of millions through social network sites."
"We are experiencing unprecedented change in our television and interactive media industries. And where there is change, there is always opportunity. We can proudly say that the UK is taking a leading role in how this digital future is taking shape. But we have to get better at what we do, and the way we do it to stay ahead of a very competitive international field.”
"In this new world, the UK is up against fierce international competition. The focus can no longer be about Education, on the one hand, and Industry-led demand for Skills on the other - the infrastructure for a more holistic approach is needed and the Skillset Academy Network model is delivering that vision."
"The Skillset Media Academy Network is providing the blueprint for how industry and education can work together, harnessing collective resources and knowledge into a tangible network to unleash a powerful new force in creative education in the UK.”
"The industry support behind the Skillset Media Academy Network is a who's who of leading and innovative media organisations. There's a simple reason for this - broadcast and interactive media organisations know the crucial importance of creating the human and intellectual capital needed in a fast-changing environment where traditional media is crossing over to new media with content across many platforms.”
