Media Students were Treated to a day of Discovery

A group of students at Coventry College were joined by media professionals from the company behind the Discovery Channel this month to learn about careers in the industry and take on their own creative projects.

After an introduction to the company and its values, students across BTEC Level 2 and 3 media courses learned about all aspects of the world-famous brand, including video production, sound editing, accounts and HR, as well as its efforts to increase diversity in media roles.

They were then split into groups and given a creative brief before presenting their creations to their online visitors and receiving expert feedback.

Projects included creating a trailer to advertise a new children’s TV channel, launching a digital brand on social media to make houseplants interesting, and creating a new show format to attract a global audience.

One team was asked to design a training programme and poster to promote access to digital skills training for women in media.

Creative Media student Jack Horsley said: “This day gave some valuable insight on how to break into the industry and how to meet deadlines.”

His classmate Shafaib Hussian said: “This allowed me to experience a real-life job and the role each person plays.”

Helen Bruce, Course Leader and Film Lecturer at Coventry College, said: “We are extremely grateful for the incredible insights and enthusiasm that everyone from Discovery brought with them for the day.

“We were also impressed by the quality of work that our students produced and proud of the way they approached the tasks.

“They thoroughly enjoyed their role-playing activities with some even wanting to work through their lunch breaks.

“It has definitely got them thinking about what a career in media might look like and the types of projects they might encounter in the future.”

Aneka Ganatra, Director of Digital Strategy at Discovery, said: “I had a great day bringing together Coventry College students with my Discovery colleagues.

“The volunteers really loved getting a glimpse of the next generation of talent which will be coming through our doors and getting inspired by the fresh ideas that the students were bringing to the table.”

For more information about the Media & Interactive Media programmes at Coventry College visit: www.coventrycollege.ac.uk/subject/media-interactive-media