Following International Women’s Day, we felt we needed to do more than just post a picture of the female members of our team on our socials – we felt we actually needed to take some action. Introducing our new ‘Girls in Film’ programme…
When hiring for a new videographer, we discovered something very interesting… Of the 330 applicants for the role, only 36 were women. And of a shortlist of 36, only 3 were women. But, when we looked at the make-up of the work experience students we’ve hosted over the years, the split is pretty much 50/50. So, what happens between education and employment? Is there a lack of enthusiasm for a career in this industry for female students? Is that due to confidence? Are they keen but overlooked? Or are we all missing something entirely? The repercussions are felt across the industry and it’s time for change.
So, what are we going to do about it? = Girls in Film!
One of our values is caring about our local community, so that’s where we’re going to start. We have contacted our local 6th form college and our female team will run a session to find out what’s going on. What do young women feel the barriers are to them entering and succeeding in the video industry? As part of this session the team will share their stories, struggles and suggestions whilst offering their support and mentoring to students so that we can support them on their journey.
Beyond this, we will also contact local high schools and universities to see if we can provide workshops and support all the way through education, with the end goal of helping more young women get jobs in film, video, animation and design.
