LONDON—Rise, the media tech industry women’s advocacy group, has launched the Rise Up UTC Mentoring Program for young women aged 16-18 that wish to pursue a career in the broadcast media technology industry.
The program, which at this time is exclusive to the U.K., is funded and supported by BT Sport and ITV. The program is also partnering with University Technical Colleges (UTCs), including UTC Ron Dearing | Hull, UTC Media City | Manchester, UTC Mulberry Schools Trust | East London, UTC Global Academy | West London and UTC Sheffield | Sheffield.
In all, the program will support 23 young women across England with mentors that come from Rise’s annual industry mentoring program. The program will run from February-November 2021 and provide technical and support-oriented initiatives, including training programs and industry networking with virtual and face-to-face mentoring.
“We are really excited to be partnering with University Technical Colleges as we embark on this new mentoring series, supporting young women as they take their next step towards building a career in the media technology sector,” said Carrie Wootten, managing director, Rise. “I would like to thank BT Sport and ITV for their incredible support and generosity, which has enabled us to launch this new Rise Up UTC mentoring scheme this year.”
Rise does have a North American branch, but at this time it does not have plans for a similar program for young women, Wootten told TV Tech in an email. “Although, should we secure sponsorship to deliver this in North America, we would of course move more quickly,” she said.
Plans are in place, however, to launch Rise’s main industry mentoring program in North America in the near future.
For more information, visit www.risewib.com.
