BBC careers roadshow stops at Omagh High

THE BBC Bitesize Careers Roadshow stopped off at Omagh High School to chat with pupils about careers in the creative and media industries.

The roadshow gave the local pupils an opportunity to learn about professions from people who do those jobs and run companies employing people in the creative industry.

The BBC said it has identified a need for people to work as producers, journalists, storytellers, video editors, and in other creative jobs.

They said that there is a lack of people with the key skills to fill the number of jobs available in the North’s growing film and media industries.

Two local creative businesses appeared as guests and talked about their careers in the industry.

One of the businesses was Derry-based Kippie, which creates workshops designed to teach a range of transferable skills through the process of making a mobile game, from concept to market.

The other company was Castlederg-based stage school, Much Ado.

Rois Kelly-Lynch, from Much Ado, said the talk was great and hoped it encouraged more young people to pursue jobs in the arts and media.

“When I was at school we did not have days like this. There was never an emphasis put on creative jobs and it was very hard to pursue a career in an arts-related field. This is not the case anymore. There are lots of jobs in industries that people assume there are not,” Rois added.

Paula Burns, who is Omagh High School’s head of careers, said the pupils had a “great day” that was very informative and motivational for students.

She said, “It was great for our pupils to have people from outside of the school come in and talk to them about jobs. The pupils really listened and were massively engaged.”

The delighted teacher added, “The videos and interactive parts of the talk were brilliant and pupils will certainly be inclined to look at jobs in creative fields.”