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• ´óÏó´«Ã½ Blast and BAFTA offer new scheme to give young people the chance to break into TV production
• ´óÏó´«Ã½ Blast and BAFTA join forces to offer £3,000 bursary and new award
• New TV Craft bursary announced for 16 to 19 year olds from ´óÏó´«Ã½ and BAFTA

The ´óÏó´«Ã½ and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) have formed a partnership to offer 16 to 19 year olds the opportunity to win a new TV Craft bursary.

The new Screen-Skills initiative will award eight bursaries in total, each with a budget of £3,000, and give the recipients the opportunity to work with the ´óÏó´«Ã½ or an external production company over a six-month period to produce a new piece of work.

Content created by the winners will be screened on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two, at the 2010 Future Film Festival at the BFI and at a special event held at BAFTA in November 2010 to showcase their work to filmmakers, TV production executives and industry professionals.

Four out of the eight bursary recipients will be nominated for a Screen-Skills Award and the winner will be announced at the British Academy Television Craft Awards in May 2010.

Developed to give talented young people the opportunity to showcase their skills and gain valuable training, the new bursary covers multiple aspects of TV production and is looking for applicants in four separate categories – Editor, Scriptwriter, Composer and Director of Photography.

James King, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 1 Film Critic and TV presenter, said: "Working within the media industry, it's often hard to get that first break to show off your work and meet the right people who can help you in your career.

"I've been working with ´óÏó´«Ã½ Blast for the past year and this new bursary is an amazing opportunity for young people to get that all-important first foot in the door."

Liz Cleaver, Controller of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Learning, said: "TV production can be very competitive and gaining credible experience and exposure can make all the difference.

"´óÏó´«Ã½ Blast provides the platform for young people to showcase their talent and receive the necessary training and skills needed to succeed.

"´óÏó´«Ã½ Learning is in a unique position to be able to offer initiatives such as Blast and we're really looking forward to working with the new talent this bursary finds."

John Willis, Chair of BAFTA's Television Committee, said: "It's vitally important that we support the future of British television and we're pleased to be partnering with ´óÏó´«Ã½ Blast to offer this new scheme.

"Screen-Skills will not only showcase new talent, but also offer them the chance to be mentored by an expert in their field, in the form of a previous BAFTA Television Craft Award winner."

To enter, applicants must be aged between 16 and 19 and upload an original video, no longer than five minutes, to the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Blast website by 5.00pm (UK time) on 30 September 2009. All original content uploaded will also be screened on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

The new TV Craft bursary is the latest scheme offered by ´óÏó´«Ã½ Blast this year. Other projects include Your Label, that gives 10 young people the opportunity to launch their own fashion line at London Fashion Week, and U Takeover, which is giving 22 young people the chance to run ´óÏó´«Ã½ 1Xtra for a day.

Notes to Editors

´óÏó´«Ã½ Blast is the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s creative learning initiative for young people interested in a career in film, fashion, music, dance, writing, art or design.

It provides access to industry professionals and mentors, both online and in free events and workshops across the UK, and also offers more than 400 media industry work placement opportunities each year.

This year sees a revamp of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Blast online services, with fantastic new video resources that inspire, teach and help develop young people's creative skills. Films online feature expert interviews from rappers, designers, TV presenters, all designed to help build users creative confidence.

For more information, please visit bbc.co.uk/blast.

The ´óÏó´«Ã½ is committed to education and ´óÏó´«Ã½ Blast is just one of the many unique and varied offerings from ´óÏó´«Ã½ Learning. For more information on all other learning programmes offered for adults, teachers, parents and students, visit bbc.co.uk/learning.

BAFTA is the leading independent charity which exists to support, develop and promote the art forms of the moving image, by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public.

Screen-Skills has been developed as part of BAFTA's Learning and Events programme, which aims to reach diverse public audiences through nationwide events and activities which recognise and celebrate achievement and share knowledge. For a full programme of BAFTA events that are open to the public, please visit www.bafta.org.

DM