Gifted & Talented at Canterbury College

Nice to see you, to see you nice!  Have you ever wondered who came up with the next big Game Show catch phrase?  That is the task three budding media students from Canterbury College have been set by ITV.

The three media students are part of a national initiative created by Aimhigher in conjunction with ITV Sparks, from a panel of twenty 17-19 year olds who have been selected for their creativity and being Gifted & Talented. The Canterbury College Students were chosen from many other students studying at South East Colleges and schools, to become part of a group in the Further Education Gifted & Talented scheme.

The Gifted & Talented scheme strives to reward students for achieving high standards in their education, and is designed for the top 10% brightest and most talented young learners in the UK. To qualify for the scheme, students had to prepare work, answer questions and submit ideas, then perform a number of activities during a special selection day.

On gaining their places, students have been invited to take part in a number of Workshops in London, at the ITV studios. The first workshop on Graphics and Special Effects, required students to research and develop ideas for long term new programmes, including creating new concepts for Game Shows.

Having secured a place with Sparks, Martin Taylor, BTEC National Diploma in Media Production student from Canterbury College, said “I still cannot believe that I can say I work for ITV”.  Martin, who has worked his way up from level 1 Media studies, added “The highlight of my trip to ITV was talking to the professionals and seeing people on set”.

Zoran Tesic, Manager of the Media Department at Canterbury College, said “The Gifted and Talented scheme has been running for many years now in schools, but this is the first time the concept has been transferred into Colleges.”

The students are now looking forward to the next step in their media journey and the opportunities available to them.  Working alongside professionals in the industry, the students will now gain invaluable experience from working on live projects, all of which is a direct result from their dedication to education at Canterbury College.