Lauren's Story
My main placement provider was the STV network in Scotland, where I gained experience working in the STV Newsroom in Aberdeen and working as part of the production team in STV's main studios in Glasgow. Even though I had gained my own independent work experience outside of University, I wanted to challenge myself to adapting to two completely different areas, learning about my new surroundings beforehand and work within one of Scotland's main television channels.
In Aberdeen, my role involved working as part of the news team on generating story ideas and then following up story leads by myself or as part of a team. From my hard work and determination I was then given the opportunity to read a live news bulletin for the lunchtime news. This was a fantastic opportunity for me to showcase my skills as a broadcaster and learn first-hand what it takes to be successful in this highly competitive industry.
In Glasgow, I worked in STV's main base as part of the production team working on programmes for STV and STV2 such as the People's History Show and Live at Five a live studio magazine programme. I took the opportunity to assist behind the scenes in the gallery, the studio floor and on locations filming.
I think the Work Based Learning Programme is a great module to take whilst studying. It enables you to go out and gain invaluable experience in your chosen field of work and gain credit to put towards your overall 2nd year mark. It gives you the opportunity to develop your strengths from practical real life experience and also in your placement you can challenge yourself to gain skills that will benefit your chosen career.
I feel excited and determined to work in broadcasting in the future; from my experiences outside of University and from my work placements it has made me even more passionate about working in television production. I know it is a highly competitive and changing industry, but I believe with my focus and hard work I can achieve my goal of being a successful TV Presenter and Reporter.