22 December 2021
Newsdesk
The BRITs Apprentice Scheme – back for a third round since launching in 2017 – today announces its latest and expanded intake of apprentices, who have been recruited by a range of independent record labels and music companies located in London and around the UK in Northern Ireland, Yorkshire and Derbyshire.
A total of 13 apprentices (up from 10 in 2019/2020) will now commence working with immediate effect. The 15-month paid placements will see apprentices receive specialist training in either business administration or content creation and will also benefit from further structured support, mentoring and industry networking.
First launched in 2017 for independent and major record labels association the BPI, The BRITs Apprentice Scheme has been created and managed for the BPI by DiVA, the recruitment and training organisation and their partners, All Spring Media, who have a successful track record in delivering apprentices in the entertainment industry. The Scheme is two-thirds funded by music industry The BRIT Trust, with the remaining investment met by the host companies as a cost-effective opportunity to take on and train new talent they might not otherwise be in a position to employ.
Host companies in this latest round include Dirty Hit – home to The 1975 and Wolf Alice; Score Draw Music – the Belfast-based creative music and sound company; Come Play With Me – which supports people in Yorkshire into sustainable careers within music; live concert and festivals promoter FKP Scorpio; Leeds-based indie record label Dance To The Radio; label group Full Time Hobby; artist marketing agency Blackstar; and Absolute Rights Management – part of Absolute Label Services.
The 13 apprentices, nine of whom are women and four are young people of colour, are:
Calum Ian Macgregor, Cara Averill, Chelsea Louza Bewley, Eleanor Palmer, Erin Taylor, Istvan Farkas, Jazzia Dita Mesa, Katie Jackson, Lucy McGinn, Malik Shittu, Mthabisi Dube, Ollie Hedin and Storm Wright.
Additionally, Amazon Music will help meet the investment cost of training the BRITs Apprentices, as part of the £2.5 million Amazon Apprentice Fund. The company is committed to supporting career opportunities and skills development across England, by using Apprenticeship Levy Transfers.
It is expected the experience will lead to further employment opportunities in the industry – the apprentices who took part in the last round were either offered full-time roles with their host companies or took up jobs with other music companies. The Scheme also encouraged host companies to develop their own apprentice openings.
Geoff Taylor, Chief Executive BPI & BRIT Awards, said:
“It’s a privilege to work in the music industry and we want to give more young people who love music the opportunity to turn their passion into their career. Thanks to the generosity of The BRIT Trust and BRIT Awards, the BRITs Apprentice Scheme has developed a great track record in boosting diversity and creating opportunities for aspiring industry executives. We are delighted to see the Scheme return to support this next wave of talent breaking into the industry.”
Tony Wadsworth CBE, Chair of The BRIT Trust, said:
“Promoting education and creating positive opportunities for young people of all backgrounds through the transformative power of music is core to the BRIT Trust’s ethos, and the Trustees are delighted to continue investing in future talent through the successful BRITs Apprentice Scheme.”
