The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry to Officially Open the Global Academy in Support of Heads Together
Hayes, London
Thursday 20th April, 2017
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry will officially open The Global Academy in support of Heads Together on Thursday 20th April. They will meet students training to be the next generation of production staff, as flagship Global stations LBC, Heart and Capital broadcast shows from the new Academy in Hayes, London. The shows will each focus on the mental health of young people, helping to generate conversations with the Heads Together campaign in honour of the visit.
The Global Academy is a state school founded and operated by Global, The Media & Entertainment Group, designed to prepare students for careers in the broadcast and digital media industry, offering academic and vocational training. Ashley Tabor, Global’s Founder & Executive President, came up with the idea of the Global Academy to tackle the skills shortage and lack of diversity across the industry.
As well as giving young people a route into the media industry, the Global Academy gives students the practical and technical skills they need to succeed in the real world. This includes encouraging young people to talk about any mental wellbeing issues they may be facing, with an hour of mental wellbeing on the curriculum every week, recognising the issue and removing the stigma sometimes associated with it.
The Duke and Duchess and Prince Harry will visit the Heart Breakfast Show and LBC’s Nick Ferrari Show – to see the programme in action and meet students helping to produce the material. They will each visit a classroom, where pupils are learning about the science of sound, the student radio station where pupils are working on a mental wellbeing project, and an audio project listening to EMI’s vinyl recording of early speeches of the Royal Family. They will also join a roundtable discussion with Global presenters, LBC’s Nick Ferrari, Heart’s Jamie Theakston & Emma Bunton and Capital’s Roman Kemp, as well as students and people who have taken part in the morning radio shows, talking about the importance of having a conversation about mental health. The visit will end with an assembly featuring work of students focusing on talking about mental wellbeing, where Their Royal Highnesses will officially open the Global Academy.
About Global Academy:
The state school is a university technical college for 14-19-year-old students. By 2020 the Global Academy will reach its full capacity of 800 students. Students at the Global Academy work towards GCSE and A Level qualifications and learn the hands on skills to apply for jobs in the media industry, working towards Ofqual-approved diplomas in broadcast and digital media from the Global Academy’s university sponsor, University of the Arts London, and other awarding bodies.
The newly built school is on the site of the Old Vinyl Factory in Hayes in West London which was once the EMI Music headquarters and now houses a rich archive of vinyl and broadcasting equipment. The new four-storey purpose built school building has state-of-the-art TV and radio studios, flexible teaching spaces, informal learning zones, a dining area, a sports hall and a theatre.
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