ABOUT THE ACADEMY

The Erewash Sound Academy is the training and development arm of Erewash Sound, a not-for-profit community interest company which delivers a genuinely local radio station for local people, run by local people.

The Academy was formed in 2013 and was born out of our internal training programme, developed for our on-air team.

We provide a range of courses, in our state-of-the-art, industry-standard training facilities in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, as well as on-line and at partner locations.

All of our courses are designed to be enjoyable, fun and interactive, using a blend of theoretical and practical learning in our sessions.

Not only do our students learn new skills, but our courses also improve confidence, communication, and increase employment prospects.

Crucially our training does not assume prior radio experience, so the knowledge and hands-on skills are backed-up by practice sessions, production of demos and provision of feedback before broadcasting live on our FM radio service.


Our Record

We pride ourselves on giving our students the best possible training and learning experience.

Many of our former students have gone on to find paid work in the media, including commercial stations such as Capital, Heart and the Hits Radio Network, as well as BBC Local Radio and Television.

A number of our former students have also gone on to take honours at the annual Community Radio Awards with academy alumni winning in categories such as ‘Best Female’, ‘Best Male’, ‘Best Newcomer’ and ‘Young Person of the Year’.

OUR MEDIA CENTRE FACILITIES

State of the art, professional standard studios and training facilities in the heart of Ilkeston, Derbyshire.

Our modern, clean and safe training facilities are based in a modern purpose-built Media Centre in Cotmanhay, Ilkeston with easy access from both Derby and Nottingham and the M1 corridor.


Erewash Sound has a state-of-the-art, industry standard studio suite, providing the perfect place to learn in a professional environment.

Our site includes a bright, open learning space for group training sessions and activities, alongside two broadcast-ready radio studios and production areas.

The Erewash Sound training studio

With support from DHL UK Foundation, our primary training studio has been refurbished with state-of the art equipment, providing one of the most modern studio facilities in the East Midlands.

Our building is fully accessible with a secure car park. The ‘two’ and ‘ilkeston flyer’ bus routes pass by our studios from Nottingham and Derby respectively and we’re just a five minute drive from Ilkeston Railway Station.

Our training programmes are open to the whole community, the general public and educational establishments. 

We offer presenter training and producer training courses alongside a recognised NCFE Level 2 qualification ‘Create a Radio Programme’. 

An offer for schools has also been developed in ‘Studio in a Box‘, a bespoke hands-on radio training programme where we take our portable studio into a school to develop key skills and reinforce the curriculum.

New for 2021, we are also now offering podcast training courses too.

MORE ABOUT THE ACADEMY

MEET THE TEAM

All of our training is delivered by knowledgeable radio people with years of hands-on experience of working in professional media environments.

OUR HISTORY

More than 15 years of Erewash Sound history has contributed towards today’s Academy success story.