Four short video films aim to inspire young people to develop employability skills

HAMMERSMITH, U.K. - Oct. 9, 2013 - PRLog -- Video Arts, the learning content specialist, has created four short video films for City & Guilds, a global leader in skills education, to raise awareness of the key competencies and employability skills needed by young people on completion of their studies.

The videos form part of a suite of support resources that City & Guilds is developing for its new TechBac^® programmes of study for 14-19 year olds. The TechBac^® was originally developed by City & Guilds in 1991 and has been re-designed to deliver a robust and high-quality vocational alternative at Levels 2 and 3 to the traditional GCSE and A-Level routes. It will provide young people with a balance of technical knowledge and the core competencies and skills that employers look for, giving students the tools to progress into further skills development such as Higher Level Apprenticeships, into higher education, or on to a job.

“Our TechBac^® will be enabled by a range of innovative learning technologies to help students complete the programme and tutors deliver it,” said Kirstie Donnelly, Director of Product Development and Learning Technologies at City & Guilds. “As part of this we wanted to bring alive the competencies, skills and attributes that young people need for a successful career. We approached Video Arts as we felt video would be the most effective channel for these resources.”

City & Guilds identified the key competencies they wanted to portray, including communication, motivation, self awareness, personal development, organisational skills and commercial awareness. Video Arts then developed storyboard ideas for four videos, showing young people demonstrating these competencies in customer care, construction, computer gaming and childcare scenarios.

City & Guilds tutors provided input to ensure the suggested scenarios drove home the key competencies and were pitched at the right level. Video Arts then developed the scripts, shortlisted actors and undertook all of the filming and editing. Each of the final films lasts 4-5 minutes and shows young people trying to cope with the realities of their new jobs and the step change in behaviour that’s required at work.

“The videos illustrate how work can be an opportunity to show your capabilities and keep your individuality, whilst being professional,” said Kirstie Donnelly. “Importantly, they don’t just show good practice, each one tells a compelling story that will appeal to the target audience. These films will help young people to make that big jump into their first job.”

City & Guilds will incorporate these videos into a wider e-learning programme for schools and colleges, with additional guidance on how to embed the key competencies as new behaviours.

“The videos are assets that we’ll utilise in different ways to help young people identify and develop the skills that employers value,” said Kirstie Donnelly. “Learners will be able to watch them with their tutors or watch them independently, at home or on the go. We are really pleased with the finished products and were very impressed by Video Arts’ expertise, production values and professionalism.”

Martin Addison, CEO of Video Arts, said: “City & Guilds has taken a proactive step to equip young people with the knowledge and skills that employers need. We’re delighted to have worked with them on this exciting initiative which bridges the gap between education and employment.”

For further information, please contact Video Arts via www.videoarts.com or call +44 (0) 20 7400 4800.

Background notes: Video Arts is the world’s leading provider of ready-made and bespoke video-based learning. The company has won over 200 awards for its learning content and is now part of the BAFTA-winning Tinopolis Group.

City & Guilds (www.cityandguilds.com) is the UK’s leading vocational education organisation. Each year, around 2 million learners work towards its qualifications. The City & Guilds TechBac® will be available for study nationwide from September 2014.