Definition of a 'Community Media Sector Connector' Organisation
The term Community Media Sector Connector (CMSC) is a description that has been developed through the ELEBCIS project to describe organisations with a distinct set of characteristics relevant to the development and delivery of training for the Creative and Digital Industries Sectors.
In order to clarify why specific organisations have been defined in this way (and are therefore being included in this category of CMSC’s), below is the rationale for the definition (and therefore inclusion/exclusion of organisations) of this type of organisation.
The definition of a ‘Community Media Sector Connector’ organisation by the ELEBCIS project, draws on the policy guidelines and recommendations from the 2012 Evaluation of Vocational Education and Training in the New Economic Framework (EVALVET)1 project which identifies common characteristics of the most effective vocational education and training opportunities for disadvantaged groups across a wide range of industry sectors across the European Union.
These:
Focusing on those ‘CMSC’ organisations with the City of Bristol boundaries, the established Creative Youth Network provision at the Kingswood Estate in East Bristol, Trinity Centre in Lawrence Hill, Knowle West Media Centre in Bristol South and Ujima Radio CIC in St. Pauls are all organisations whose core purpose is social, as well as providing access to sector-specific and employment focussed skills training opportunities.
These – what the ELEBCIS project is terming ‘CMSC organisations’ - have demonstrable track records of supporting young people from disadvantaged groups into opportunities for skills training and employment in the creative, digital and media sectors. These organisations have existing and extensive relationships with employers in these sectors which could be effectively enhanced and further exploited to support access for young people in those areas of the city to the employment and creative enterprise opportunities that are emerging.
Additionally, as a result of their geographic locations – as well as having immediate access to extensive and active networks in communities within the city where youth unemployment is a particular challenge (through which to recruit young people interested in working in these sectors), these organisations can also function as highly effective communicators of, and advocates for, the opportunities being developed in these sectors in across the city. The ability of these organisations to engage effectively with wider networks of working to support the development of opportunities for young people in the areas within which they are working can help to ensure that the reach of the economic opportunities emerging out of the BTQZ and accompanying LEP activity is meaningfully as extensive as possible.
Targeting resources for skills training and education to support existing training providers, particularly those that have proven track records of supporting young people into sustainable employment (including self-employment and creative enterprise) in these sectors will respond to the need to recognise that many young people in the city who are interested in working in these sectors need significant support to develop appropriate skills and experiences which will enable them to gain access to mainstream programmes including Apprenticeships and/ or Further and Higher Education courses relevant for employment in these sectors.
These CMSC organisations work with young people at a range of levels and who are currently excluded from employment in these sectors for a range of reasons. Some may be at a considerable distance from the labour market, but for others these organisations function to ‘plug the gaps’ in provision across the city, providing multiple access points at a range of different levels including those for young (and older) people who may have higher level skills (for example degree level qualifications) and/or some relevant previous experience, but who do not have the social or cultural capital, nor access to networks which can provide opportunities for employment in these sectors. Additionally, for those young people who are closest to the labour market, but who are struggling to ‘find a door’ CMSCs can provide access to relevant short-term work experience opportunities which enable them to enhance their existing experience and to demonstrate current, relevant experience to employers in these sectors.
1 Evaluation of VET in the new economic framework (EVALVET), 2012 – financed by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency of the European Commission. Project Partners: Marchmont Observatory (United Kingdom), LZone Knowledge Systems (Portugal), Universitatea Babes-Bolyai (Romania), Instutute for Sociology of the Slovak Academcy of Sciences (Slovakia), SERUS Ek.For (Sweden), Academy of Humanities and Economics (Poland), Servicio Andaluz de Empleo (Spain); Project Co-ordinator: Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini (Italy)
2 Ibid, Policy Recommendation Paper Summary
In order to clarify why specific organisations have been defined in this way (and are therefore being included in this category of CMSC’s), below is the rationale for the definition (and therefore inclusion/exclusion of organisations) of this type of organisation.
The definition of a ‘Community Media Sector Connector’ organisation by the ELEBCIS project, draws on the policy guidelines and recommendations from the 2012 Evaluation of Vocational Education and Training in the New Economic Framework (EVALVET)1 project which identifies common characteristics of the most effective vocational education and training opportunities for disadvantaged groups across a wide range of industry sectors across the European Union.
These:
- Work to develop the workplace (not classroom based) component of vocational training
- Support the development of social capital through vocational training
- Improve the fit between training and employment opportunities
- Improve the long-term impact of vocational training
- Widen the availability of training tailored to the needs of disadvantaged people
- Adopt differentiated approaches to stimulating the engagement of future employers (and in the context of the Creative and Digital Industries sector developments in Bristol, this should be extended to include also differentiated approaches to the creation of employment through self-employment and social-enterprise/enterprise development)
- Ensure that training covers the full range of content
- Adopt holistic policies to involved enterprises
- Build on the enthusiasm of already proactive enterprises
- Develop the role of training providers and public employment services
- Remove structural obstacles on the demand and supply sides2
- Delivering skills-training which is sector specific and which demonstrates understanding of industry practices through innovation in practices
- Engaged with employment sector partners, networks and opportunities for meaningful work experience and skills development
- Recognised by the sector as delivering skills training and access to opportunities which reflect industry needs/standards and practices
- Physically located in local areas in which access to employment in these sectors (and wider employment opportunities) is limited
- Inclusive
- Responsive and flexible to support individual skills development needs
- Able to support multiple entry and exit points into, through and out of the organisation into the external labour market
- Able to maintain and enhance relationships and networks throughout the city in the mid-long term
Focusing on those ‘CMSC’ organisations with the City of Bristol boundaries, the established Creative Youth Network provision at the Kingswood Estate in East Bristol, Trinity Centre in Lawrence Hill, Knowle West Media Centre in Bristol South and Ujima Radio CIC in St. Pauls are all organisations whose core purpose is social, as well as providing access to sector-specific and employment focussed skills training opportunities.
These – what the ELEBCIS project is terming ‘CMSC organisations’ - have demonstrable track records of supporting young people from disadvantaged groups into opportunities for skills training and employment in the creative, digital and media sectors. These organisations have existing and extensive relationships with employers in these sectors which could be effectively enhanced and further exploited to support access for young people in those areas of the city to the employment and creative enterprise opportunities that are emerging.
Additionally, as a result of their geographic locations – as well as having immediate access to extensive and active networks in communities within the city where youth unemployment is a particular challenge (through which to recruit young people interested in working in these sectors), these organisations can also function as highly effective communicators of, and advocates for, the opportunities being developed in these sectors in across the city. The ability of these organisations to engage effectively with wider networks of working to support the development of opportunities for young people in the areas within which they are working can help to ensure that the reach of the economic opportunities emerging out of the BTQZ and accompanying LEP activity is meaningfully as extensive as possible.
Targeting resources for skills training and education to support existing training providers, particularly those that have proven track records of supporting young people into sustainable employment (including self-employment and creative enterprise) in these sectors will respond to the need to recognise that many young people in the city who are interested in working in these sectors need significant support to develop appropriate skills and experiences which will enable them to gain access to mainstream programmes including Apprenticeships and/ or Further and Higher Education courses relevant for employment in these sectors.
These CMSC organisations work with young people at a range of levels and who are currently excluded from employment in these sectors for a range of reasons. Some may be at a considerable distance from the labour market, but for others these organisations function to ‘plug the gaps’ in provision across the city, providing multiple access points at a range of different levels including those for young (and older) people who may have higher level skills (for example degree level qualifications) and/or some relevant previous experience, but who do not have the social or cultural capital, nor access to networks which can provide opportunities for employment in these sectors. Additionally, for those young people who are closest to the labour market, but who are struggling to ‘find a door’ CMSCs can provide access to relevant short-term work experience opportunities which enable them to enhance their existing experience and to demonstrate current, relevant experience to employers in these sectors.
1 Evaluation of VET in the new economic framework (EVALVET), 2012 – financed by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency of the European Commission. Project Partners: Marchmont Observatory (United Kingdom), LZone Knowledge Systems (Portugal), Universitatea Babes-Bolyai (Romania), Instutute for Sociology of the Slovak Academcy of Sciences (Slovakia), SERUS Ek.For (Sweden), Academy of Humanities and Economics (Poland), Servicio Andaluz de Empleo (Spain); Project Co-ordinator: Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini (Italy)
2 Ibid, Policy Recommendation Paper Summary