Read: CPC 23 - Channel 4 launches levelling up impact report
Leading broadcaster, Channel 4, today launched a new report with the Purpose Coalition which assesses its social impact and explores how it can go even further in making a significant contribution to social mobility.
Channel 4 was created in 1982 with a mission to create change in the wider world, on and off screen. It aims to have a positive impact on society, viewers, Britain’s culture and its brand abroad, as well as on the creative industries and the wider economy. Its unique hybrid model of being owned by the public but commercially funded allows it to think and act with public purpose at the forefront of everything it does, different from any other organisation in the UK’s independent production sector.
The report identifies Channel 4’s social impact against an innovative framework of 14 Purpose Goals which cover key life stages as well as barriers that affect people’s life chances, such as digital connectivity and diversity and inclusion. It delivers a wide range of activities that can be mapped across many of the Goals but has a particular focus on investment in training and talent development throughout the diverse communities of the UK. These include 4Schools, an engagement programme to open up the world of television and the creative industries to 11-14 year olds, its apprenticeship programme as part of its 4Skills ambition with at least half outside London and work experience programmes such as the Momentum Project for Black TV, filmmakers and content creators across the UK. It is building creative communities outside London, with offices in Leeds, Glasgow and Bristol, with its 4 All the UK activity resulting in more representation of different parts of the UK on screen. It invests hundreds of millions of pounds every year into the creative economy, supporting over 1200 jobs in its supply chain.
Channel 4 is committed to continuing to work with the Purpose Coalition to make a significant social impact and the report highlights its levelling up guarantee. This will now focus on opening up more opportunities for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds across the country to work in the industry, developing a strong and clear pipeline for individuals from any background. It acknowledges that getting into work is just the first step so it will also create supported pathways to ensure that talented people are able to progress through their careers. It will embed processes across the organisation, and with the partners it works with, to strengthen delivery on social mobility. It will also gather and evaluate data on opportunities and career development for people from disadvantaged backgrounds in the industry to ensure progress is kept on track.
Chair of the Purpose Coalition and former Education Secretary, Rt Hon Justine Greening, said: “This report demonstrates how Channel 4 is already playing an important part in levelling up the country, ensuring that whatever your background and wherever you come from, there is a talent pipeline that will enable you to fulfil your potential in this most successful of industries. Crucially, it extends those opportunities to parts of the country that have previously felt left behind but where its presence can lift a community’s aspirations as well as its local economy.
Over the longer term, the creative economy is likely to be a key driver of economic development. For a country focused on growth and levelling up, Channel 4 can play a leading role in shaping the sector’s crucial contribution to a fairer Britain, continuing to champion creative and stimulating broadcasting while also bringing positive change to people’s lives.”
