Erewash Sound, the local community radio station based in Ilkeston is expanding their media academy. This is to offer more media training to young people in Erewash. The Erewash Sound Academy is now accredited to deliver NCFE training. NCFE training is NVQ equivalent and the courses give varying amounts of educational credits. The will be achieved in part by a £10,000 grant from DHL UK Foundation Transform It! funding.Through the Transform It! programme, DHL colleagues can apply for a grant of up to £10,000 to make a transformational change in their local community project that helps disadvantaged children and young people in the UK.
With the funding Erewash Sound Academy will build a brand new state of the art broadcast studio. This means young people training at the radio academy will be using the very latest equipment.
The academy has been transforming the life chances for young people for many years now with 14 people who have gone on to get paid media work.
As Jeff Martin from the academy said though, it’s not just about media jobs. “For everyone who goes on to get a paid media job there are even more young people who have their confidence boosted and their communication skills improved – making them more employable and improving their life chances”
Jeff who also works for DHL Premier Customer Service at East Midlands Airport added. “I approached the DHL UK Foundation to ask if I could tell them about the work we do with young people at Erewash Sound and explain that we really needed to replace our older studio so we can continue and increase the amount of the training we can do. We were delighted when our application was successful. It’s an amazing amount of money and it’s a real boost to the academy and of course the young people who we train.
Nicky Donovan from DHL UK Foundation said: “The Foundation is a UK charity dedicated to supporting the education and employability of young people aged 5-25 in disadvantaged communities across the UK. This project will provide opportunities for young people to boost their confidence and resilience which will help when it’s their time to enter the job market.”
Premier Customer Team Service Manager Abigail Lack visited Erewash Sound to seen the facilities and the work the station is already doing with young people. “I really enjoyed seeing first-hand what Erewash Sound do and looking forward to returning to see the studio when it’s completed”.
The rest of the funds to complete the studio have been raised by Erewash Sound volunteers which included a variety show last July at Long Eaton’s Duchess Theatre.
Work on the studio starts in July.
Photos: Abbie Lack (DHL) visiting Erewash Sound studios and Abbie Lack with Jeff Martin, Erewash Sound Academy Manager
