Media, print and publishing... in detail

What does it involve?

The media industry has a huge amount of different jobs available. Some are creative, some are technical and others involve good language skills. The media is a difficult industry to get into—this means you need to have the right qualifications, the right experience and be really keen to stand a chance of getting a job. Because a lot of people think the jobs are glamorous there’s lots of competition but media professionals work longer weeks than a lot of people, are more likely to freelance or be self-employed and most of them will work in London.

Some jobs involve working as part of a team (producer, floor assistant) and other jobs mean working alone for long periods of time (animator, writer). The areas you’d be working in can be broken down into: journalism, radio and TV, design, photography, film and DVD, publishing and advertising. You’ll probably have to start at the bottom and work your way up!

How much will I get paid?

What’s happening in the industry?

The creative industry is the fastest growing sector in the UK. However, many people in arts and entertainment find themselves unemployed or in jobs that are poorly paid and not very secure. This is partly because there are too many trained people and new students for the jobs available.

The majority of the jobs are in London and the South-East so you may need to be prepared to move if you really want a job in this sector.

The majority of skills gaps are in the 'behind the scenes' jobs, such as IT and new technology, project management and people management.

The media industry is expected to grow over the next 10 years. However, there are many skills shortages. The reasons for these shortages are: an ageing workforce, lack of the right skills or qualifications and lack of specialist knowledge. In particular, there is a need for people with business and management skills and for people with advanced technical skills .

The creative and media sectors are going to be driven more and more by technological advances and trends. For example, in the future, if people prefer to use computers rather than watch TV, the industry will have to change. Animated films are a fast growing area and there may be a greater demand for people with web and software skills. There are also technological changes in areas such as photography, publishing and the visual arts. Some novels may be only published on the Internet, digital photography and visual arts become more readily accessible to people and need the skills to promote them. In the music industry, some people compose their music using computer software.

More than two thirds of media professionals are graduates*. That’s a lot higher (over 50% more) than the UK workforce as a whole (16%). Because it looks like there will be more media graduates in the future, people wanting to get into the industry will also need to be able to show that they have other skills or experience. The number of self-employed freelancers in the industry is expected to increase.

There is plenty of opportunity in this industry to work abroad due to a global market. Animation and the film industry especially offer these opportunities.

The number of self-employed people working in these industries is expected to grow where, in other sectors, it is likely to decline.

*Skillset 2005

What's happening locally?

Nottinghamshire information

How to get into this type of work

Your Personal Adviser will be able to discuss your options with you.

School or college - study for GCSEs, a diploma, AS / A levels, NVQs or other vocational qualifications that could lead to a job, an Apprenticeship, further qualifications or even a degree.

e2e (Entry to Employment) - if you’re not sure if you’re suited to this job you might be able to get some work experience through e2e. It can also give you extra support to gain the right qualifications, get onto a training programme or get a job.

Apprenticeship - train ‘on-the-job’ with a wage or allowance. For the latest Apprenticeship vacancies in Nottinghamshire go to Vacancies Online.

Work or work with training.

Which skills?

Team work
Creative
Communication
Organisation and planning
Business

What else can I do?

Get some work experience.
Brush up on some of your skills such as communication and ICT.
Read the CODES leaflets: Working in the media (P 01), technical and engineering careers in radio and television (PA 04), Writing for a living (PB 02), Photography (PC 01) or Publishing (PD 01). You can find these in your school Connexions library or nearest Connexions centre.
Talk to your Personal Adviser.

Useful links

For courses go to MyChoiceNotts

For job and training vacancies go to Vacancies Online

For more job info go to Jobs4U

For more useful links go to Fetch!