Announcement on Forthcoming Programme
Posted in News, tagged with Diversity & Inclusion, on June 29, 2020
Our objectives are to work with our members to access a more diverse workforce of both employees and crew, and to help provide opportunities for those currently underrepresented in production.
We are retaining and building upon existing APA initiatives that we consider effective, as well as adding new ones that we believe our membership can make a real impact with.
We know that many of you already participate in diversity and inclusion schemes, but are always looking at how you can achieve more, which the below selection of programmes and organisations will help you to do.
1. Just Runners
An organisation designed to create a fair and equal entry system info the production industry.
All the runners are recruited from film and media courses that have been set up by government and lottery funding to draw the best talent nationally.
JR reps those who do not know someone in the industry, and provides them with further training to hit the ground running in production environments on set and in the office.
To date 38 APA member companies have supported the programme by engaging their runners. These numbers need to be much higher to provide sufficient work for their runners and make active changes to the make-up of our industry.
Contact: [email protected]
2. Inspire!
A local education charity that works with Hackney, Islington and Camden councils to give young people access to environments and industries they wouldn’t automatically know about.
We are currently working on a virtual work experience programme with them and their schools which will commence in September.
Further information on the different ways our members can be involved will be shared directly.
3. Speakers for Schools
Speakers for Schools’ aim is to end educational inequality by giving all young people access to the same prestigious networks available to the top fee-paying schools in the UK.
They keep their services for all their schools and students entirely free of charge, and our Chief Executive Steve Davies has spoken at schools across London for them for many years.
Contact: [email protected] to find out more about how your company can be involved.
4. Members Survey
We have created a members survey to understand what proportion of people employed by the APA membership are BAME.
This survey will be sent to you shortly.
The purpose of the survey is to create a benchmark, against which we can measure the progress we are making as an industry, year on year.
5. Creative Mentor Network
We have created a partnership with Creative Mentor Network that will provide APA members with the opportunity to:
- Take part in a specifically designed course of training as mentors that will help you to support creative young people from different backgrounds and give support on inclusive leadership.
- Be paired with one of CMN’s talented young people from diverse backgrounds who are keen to learn more about the production industry.
- CMN check-ins that will help keep the relationship productive and offer chances for mentors to ask for guidance.
Further information on the programme, subsidised costs and how to put yourself forward will be released later this week.
6. Challenge Consultancy
We will be providing our members with the opportunity to undertake unconscious bias training through the Challenge Consultancy.
There is now a large body of research conducted at, amongst others, Harvard, Yale and MIT that show that unconscious and hidden bias or implicit associations explain a great deal of our patterns of behaviour around diversity.
Unconscious biases don’t just affect the decisions that we make, they also affect how we communicate with people every day.
This course defines unconscious bias, investigates why it is inherent in us all and how we can recognise and deal with it at work.
The course takes a practical approach through everyday examples, and explores the psychology behind unconscious bias.
Course content includes:
- Concept of unconscious bias
- Relationship between implicit association, unconscious bias, stereotypes and attitudes
- Recognising the impact of unconscious bias
- Reducing the effects of unconscious bias as individuals and within the organisation
Keep an eye on your inboxes for further details on how to sign up for training.
7. Diverse Crew Resource
We will be sharing the list of organisations that will help you access diverse crew, which is needed to improve representation in our industry.
These organisations have extensive lists of talent across crew and within production.
We’re endeavouring to work with BECTU and crew groups to help them improve diversity in crew grades.