ANNUAL REPORT 2009-2010
Annual Report 2009-2010
SUMMARY
2009-10 was the second fully operational year for the Catch 22 Academy with 15 media partners, three cohorts of trainees and three magazines as the output of the trainees’ work. This report will break down the year in numbers.
DIRECTOR
W
elcome to the Catch 22 Academy Report for 2009/10. This year has seen 42 trainees come through our doors and the academy programme elevated to new heights. In this academy year 31 out of the 42 trainees completed the programme. 11 have secured employment in the industry and seven have progressed onto media related higher education courses. Overall 50% of our trainees have achieved the transition onto our targeted progression routes. These factors prove that our partnership with the media industry is already beginning to succeed in its mission to break new ground and create a positive social impact. Diversity is never about dumbing down and cannot always be established as soon as someone walks into your office. The change that we want to see will not happen naturally, it requires innovation, strategy and importantly a realistic budget. We are built around a model of inclusion and being a mechanism for social mobility, one that is based on merit rather than status. The need for an organization like C22 is reinforced by the fact that entities like institutional racism, intellectual prejudice and class discrimination all still exist and thrive within the creative industries. Simply put, there’s an imbalance between the producers and consumers of communication and C22 is here as part of the solution to this situation. I would like to conclude by acknowledging the fantastic work of my staff team over the past 12 months. I would also like to thank all of our media partners who have believed in us and continue to invest in the future of the industry.
Tokunbo Ajasa-Oluwa Managing Director
Successes Employment Eleven trainees from the year are now working in the industry, in the following roles: 1) Editorial Assistant at The Independent, London. 2) Editorial Assistant at WGSN 3) Staff Reporter, The Independent,Bangladesh. 4) Editorial Assistant, Recognise Magazine. 5) Production Assistant, BBC Documentaries. 6) Freelancer, Outline Editions. 7) Freelancer, Music & Entertainment, The Daily Mirror. 8) Freelancer, Future First (x3 trainees). 9) Freelance PR Higher Education in the Media Seven trainees from the year have moved onto Higher Education (media courses): 1) NCTJ, Lambeth College (x3). 2) NCTJ, NoSweat. 3) BA Politics, Goldsmiths. 4) BA Journalism, London College of Communication. 5) MA Media & Cultural Studies, Goldsmiths.
Placements Catch 22 Trainees completed placements at a number of publications this year, here are a few of the titles: ● Q Magazine ● Empire Magazine ● More Magazine ● Marketing Week ● The Economist ● WGSN ● Stuff ● Company ● Daily Mirror ● Penguin Books Extended Placements One trainee secured a 3-month internship with the Daily Telegraph Magazine. Partnerships Catch 22 announced new partnerships with Associated Papers, Cedar and Think Publishing. Bylines 13 trainees had bylines published this year. Retention Our retention rate has improved year-on-year: in year one 64 per cent of trainees completed the course, in year two 74 per cent completed.
Challenges 1) Financial restraints: ● Our hardship fund for those most in need had to be placed on hold. ● Evolving the structure of programme and affording equipment to reflect multimedia nature of industry. ● Length of time and resource needed when working towards accreditation. ● More personal and financial support for trainees e.g. not being able to afford to go on placements, pastoral issues. 2) Many Catch 22 trainees have challenging personal lives and meeting their pastoral needs is a challenge, without professional counsellors on-hand. 3) Meeting the needs of numerous stakeholders at the same time with limited resources.
STATISTICS Academy Statistics In this report, statistics will be covered for the following areas: ● Post 12-week course ● Gender ● Trainee age ● Ethnicity ● Educational background summary ● 2009/2010 cohort marks ● 2009/2010 cohort retention rate ● 2009/2010 cohort marks ● In their own words
POST 12-WEEK COURSE Still Engaged
83%
No Longer Engaged
17%
GENDER Male
26%
Female
74%
TRAINEE AGE 18 Year Olds
5%
19 Year Olds
7%
20 Year Olds
5%
21 Year Olds
12%
22 Year Olds
9%
23 Year Olds
14%
24 Year Olds
10%
25 Year Olds
12%
26 Year Olds
10%
27 Year Olds
7%
28 Year Olds
7%
29 Year Olds
2%
ETHNICITY Asian
5%
Black African
17%
Black Carribean
7%
Mixed
5%
Black British
28%
Other White
9%
White British
29%
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND SUMMARY Undergraduate
5%
Degree
47%
No Degree
48%
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND 2009/2010 COHORT MARKS AS Level Pass
35%
2%
A Levels Merit
56%
17%
BTEC Distinction
9%
2% 48%
Degree
2009/2010 COHORT RETENTION RATE 2% Undergraduate Completed DIPLOMA
74%
5%
26% Dropped OutDegree Foundation
2%
FDA
2%
GCSE
10%
NVQ
5%
ACCA
2%
No Qualification
2%
IN THEIR OWN WORDS 95%
Of the 31 trainees who completed the 12-week course, 95% said they would recommend Catch 22 to others.
50%
50% of the trainees identified being taught by working journalists as the most beneficial element of the course. One trainee said: “Learning from the professionals sets a realistic bar for achievement.”
65%
65% of trainees who arrived at Catch 22 as media graduates identified the Catch 22 experience to be more beneficial than their experiences at university. One graduate trainee said: “The hands-on nature of the course is far more beneficial than the theory based learning we got a university.”
35%
35% of trainees identified the daily features meetings as being the part of the course they liked the most, while 20% identified the “inspiring guest speakers” as their most enjoyable part of the Academy experience.
25%
25% of the trainees identified the deadline-driven nature of the Academy as the most challenging aspect of the course. One trainee said: “The daily deadline is really challenging and pushed me out of my comfort zone.”
CASE STUDIES Rebecca Gonsalves Autumn Cohort 2009 Editorial Assistant The Independent Newspaper (News Desk) What were you doing before Catch? Before Catch I was working for the Department of Health, dealing with correspondence relating to mental health and social care policies (among others). I’d been there for 18 months on a casual basis, so had experienced none of the benefits of being a civil servant and no real scope for progression. Two years after graduating I realised that I wanted more for myself.
Where did you go on placements / how did the placements help you in your journey? I went on placement to NatMags working on You and Your Wedding Online: a website that receives over 6 million views a month. Working as a web journalist I learnt ridiculous amounts everyday and have added a string to my bow that is so important to any budding journalist in the current media climate, which will really increase my employability.
What was your ‘Catch 22’ situation? When I started Catch, my financial situation meant that I couldn’t even consider the expense of studying for an NCTJ qualification and struggled to gain much work experience. I realised that I was being held back by my lack of industry knowledge and lack of confidence in my ability. Although I knew I had the skills to be a journalist, I often had difficulty translating that due to shyness or feeling intimidated by a situation.
What are you doing now? I’ve just finished a fortnight placement on The Guardian’s fashion desk where I assisted on three shoots, learning more practical skills. I’ve just started a position at The Independent newspaper as an editorial assistant.
How has Catch 22 helped you? Catch helped me to build self-confidence and realise how much of my skillbase from previous jobs was transferrable. I learnt so much about the secret world of journalism; how ideas are generated, the language used, the different roles that aren’t really seen by the reader. The tutors were really supportive and building a relationship with them proved very helpful.
What do you think Catch 22 graduates have to offer the media world, that sets you apart from other candidates? Now more than ever there is no set route into journalism: C22 graduates demonstrate that they can find a creative approach to a difficult situation, are focused on the goal they want to achieve and well equipped to achieve it. Through Catch 22 Rebecca has: ● Gained training and improved written skills ● Improved confidence ● Gained a network of contacts ● Secured a placement with NatMags and a job with The Independent.
John James Anisiobi Autumn Cohort 2009 Post-Graduate Student Freelance Showbiz, Ents and Music Journalist What were you doing before Catch? Before Catch I had interned and done work experience with a few papers and magazines but never got my foot through the door, even with a degree.
What do you think Catch 22 graduates have to offer the media world, that sets you apart from other candidates? I’m not an Oxbridge graduate and I don’t have any uncles in the media to help me, so I think I can offer a fresh perspective to media that generally gets pushed into a pigeon-hole.
What was your ‘Catch 22’ situation? My catch was that I had too much experience to do more work experience but not enough to be hired on a full-time job. Through Catch 22 John James has: ● Gained training and improved written skills ● Defined journalism as a chosen career path Educational Background? ● Secured a place on an NCTJ course Degree from Keele University in Business admin and Media (2:2) ● Secured freelance work with The Daily Mirror How has Catch 22 helped you? Catch helped me decide to do a post-grad course in journalism and also helped me to network. Through Catch I was able to get a placement at the Daily Mirror, where I now work on the showbiz desk on a freelance basis. Where did you go on placements / how did the placements help you in your journey? I went to John Brown and The Daily Mirror. Both were great experiences. I now return to the Mirror every Friday and write for the showbiz desk. What are you doing now? Studying for my post-grad in Journalism (NCTJ). Future ambitions? To become a senior showbiz and fashion journalist or to work as a press officer in a top fashion house.