Media release: STV and RTS announce first recipients of new partnership bursary programme for Scotland

STV and the Royal Television Society (RTS) today announce the first ten recipients of an undergraduate bursary scheme, funded by STV and supporting talented students from diverse and lower income backgrounds who are hoping to pursue careers in television.

This significant multi-year investment, which was launched in March 2019, aims to create and develop a stronger, more diverse pool of creative talent in Scotland.

Delivered in partnership with RTS, the aim of the programme is to help drive Scotland’s creative economy by offering a range of opportunities for talented students embarking on journalism, television production and technology-based higher education courses at Scottish colleges and universities.

Each student will receive annual bursary funding of £1,000 for the duration of their course, along with a comprehensive line up of paid work placements and mentoring opportunities at STV. STV will also work with RTS Scotland to offer a wider programme of activities, including networking opportunities and industry insight sessions.

The support will help participants establish a network of industry contacts and gain a fuller insight into the range of career opportunities available within the creative industries.

The students were welcomed to STV’s Pacific Quay today (Thursday) to meet key staff, tour the studios and attend an RTS event hosted by STV personality, Sean Batty. They are:

* Bethany Watt from North Ayrshire – BA (Hons) Multimedia Journalism at Glasgow Caledonian University;

* Connor McGhie from Glasgow – BA (Hons) Media and Communication at Glasgow Caledonian University;

* Craig Rae from Glasgow – BA (Hons) Journalism at The University of the West of Scotland;

* Dylan-Starr Adams from Edinburgh – BA (Hons) Film and Television at The University of Edinburgh;

* Jessica Kelly from Ross-shire – BA (Hons) Film at Edinburgh Napier University;

* Kara Devlin from Edinburgh – HNC Television course at City of Glasgow College;

* Ross Harkins from North Lanarkshire – (BA (Hons) Television course at Edinburgh Napier University);

* Szimonetta Simon from Edinburgh – BA (Hons) Television at Edinburgh Napier University;

* Lea Racine from Carmarthenshire – BSc (Hons) Computer Science at The University of St Andrews; and

* Milena Stefanovic from West Lothian – BSc (Hons) Computer Science course at The University of St Andrews.

This collaboration with the RTS’s prestigious and highly successful bursary award scheme, will see a further ten students from Scottish colleges and universities joining the programme each year, with the ambition that in five years’ time, 50 students will be beneficiaries of the STV investment.

Simon Pitts, CEO of STV, said: “There’s an incredible amount of young talent in Scotland who we are determined to discover and develop as part of this ambitious bursary scheme. Together with our partners at the RTS, we are offering financial support, mentoring and valuable hands-on experience to the stars of the future, whatever their background. Our first ten students from colleges and universities across Scotland are extremely talented and we’re very excited to be working together.”

Theresa Wise, Royal Television Society CEO, said: “We are so grateful to Simon Pitts and his team at STV for putting people and resources into this important industry initiative supporting new students from low income backgrounds studying in Scotland.

“I am impressed by STV’s substantial commitment to providing support and a potential home for young talent in the nation.”

For more details on the scheme, go to https://rts.org.uk/education-training/rts-bursaries.

Notes for editors:

Photography of students at STV studios will be available this afternoon.

For further information, please contact:

STV press office
Kirstin Stevenson
0141 300 3886

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Contact: Kirstin Stevenson

Email: Kirstin.stevenson@stv.tv