Sheffield High School students explore digital media career pathways during “Day of Discovery” hosted by Discovery Education

According to a study conducted by O2 and published in The Guardian, Britain will need 750,000 skilled, digital employees by 2017. Because of the growth in the computer-science industry, digital-leadership training is vital to prepare children for the future.

Discovery Education, whose mission is to provide high-quality teaching and learning experiences for school children, presented “A Day of Discovery” for twelve female students from Sheffield High School, a member of the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST), at its European Headquarters on 8 July. The purpose of the day was to inspire the girls to consider a variety of digital and media-related careers by learning more about the different roles available across the Discovery Television Networks and at Discovery Education, as well as hearing about the career paths employees followed to arrive there.

“Discovery Education is honoured to present an educational day for Sheffield High School’s girls. We want to empower young women to become successful digital leaders through this interactive and engaging event and encourage them to start planning for their bright future,” Christine Major, Director of Professional Development at Discovery Education, explained.

Throughout the day, girls learned about the careers of a Discovery TV Producer, Digital Education Entrepreneur, Digital Publisher, and Operations and Technical Support Manager. They gained insight into the job details, as well as the importance of each role. At the end of the day, students filmed their own news broadcast, reporting on the knowledge they gained about digital-media careers and their own future.

“I found it so refreshing to hear a man talking about empowering women; we get that all the time in school, but usually from women,” revealed Year 10 student, Sophie. “We have the world at our fingertips!”

Sheffield High School was one of 22 schools across the UK to compete for a chance to visit Discovery Education Europe Headquarters for “A Day of Discovery.” During the February GDST Digital Leaders Conference, teams of students designed a product or service to demonstrate a range of transferable skills including creativity, teamwork, presentation skills and financial planning. Sheffield High School’s Dream Pillow, an incredibly well researched product, was the overall winner, with South Hampstead High School taking the people’s choice award with Safe Step, and Bromley High School snapping up the best app prize for Appetizer.