Network Live Editor Emma Njagi goes to ITV
Network Editor Emma Njagi left H&E last year to pursue her dreams of working in the media. She gained a place on a highly sought after apprenticeship with ITV. We'll be hearing from her throughout the year in a special series of features. Check out her first post below as she tells us all about taking the first steps on this amazing journey:
At the beginning of year 13, like most people, the university route was the path I thought I would go down. However, after looking at many different courses at a range of unis, I felt it was not the right choice for me, at least not this year.
I began to explore other options, including apprenticeships, which are a great alternative to university, giving you valuable work experience. I decided to apply for an apprenticeship as the idea of learning on the job really appeals to me.
As I aspire to work in the media industry, I looked at a few different apprenticeships. ITV, Channel 4 and BBC all announce openings for apprenticeship applications on their Twitter accounts, so following them allowed me to know when to apply. There were 3 stages to the application process: Stage 1 an online application, stage 2 an assessment day and stage 3 an interview.
The apprenticeship I applied for is with ITV’s online and on demand team. The work this team does includes the ITV Hub, social media accounts for ITV shows, app creation and TV production. After getting through the online application stage I was invited to an assessment day.
There were around 50/60 people at the assessment day that I went to, with about 6 different apprenticeships available. In total, from all of the different assessment days, there were around 24 apprenticeships places available. We sat on tables of around 10 applicants with two representatives from ITV. We chatted to each other as well as the ITV representatives at our table and then completed an ice breaker task.
We were asked to bring a memorable item with us and talk about it to the rest of the group. The memorable item I brought was a memory card. I'm into photography and filming so I thought it fit as I could talk about the work I've done as well as fun memorable experiences that are documented on the card. I also spoke about the potential of a memory card to hold new memories. The ITV professionals were really fun and easy to talk to.
My line manager has since said that my work on The Network was one of the main reasons they picked me for the apprenticeship. It's really important for Herts and Essex students to remember that people value this kind of experience (sometimes more than results!). I really appreciate the opportunities I was given through the Network and hope more students join the project and make the most of the opportunities on offer too.
Emma Njagi
I began to explore other options, including apprenticeships, which are a great alternative to university, giving you valuable work experience. I decided to apply for an apprenticeship as the idea of learning on the job really appeals to me.
As I aspire to work in the media industry, I looked at a few different apprenticeships. ITV, Channel 4 and BBC all announce openings for apprenticeship applications on their Twitter accounts, so following them allowed me to know when to apply. There were 3 stages to the application process: Stage 1 an online application, stage 2 an assessment day and stage 3 an interview.
The apprenticeship I applied for is with ITV’s online and on demand team. The work this team does includes the ITV Hub, social media accounts for ITV shows, app creation and TV production. After getting through the online application stage I was invited to an assessment day.
There were around 50/60 people at the assessment day that I went to, with about 6 different apprenticeships available. In total, from all of the different assessment days, there were around 24 apprenticeships places available. We sat on tables of around 10 applicants with two representatives from ITV. We chatted to each other as well as the ITV representatives at our table and then completed an ice breaker task.
We were asked to bring a memorable item with us and talk about it to the rest of the group. The memorable item I brought was a memory card. I'm into photography and filming so I thought it fit as I could talk about the work I've done as well as fun memorable experiences that are documented on the card. I also spoke about the potential of a memory card to hold new memories. The ITV professionals were really fun and easy to talk to.
My line manager has since said that my work on The Network was one of the main reasons they picked me for the apprenticeship. It's really important for Herts and Essex students to remember that people value this kind of experience (sometimes more than results!). I really appreciate the opportunities I was given through the Network and hope more students join the project and make the most of the opportunities on offer too.
Emma Njagi