Taking virtual event content to another level 

The Skills Show 2021

Enabling your audience to provide user-generated content is a great opportunity for GBS IoT to involve and represent them. But making the most of this content is no easy feat.

When the pandemic forced the nation’s largest skills and careers event online, we were tasked with bringing the content to life in a virtual format. This meant producing almost 40 digital assets for the live ZOOM show – from branded agendas to countdown clocks and bespoke backgrounds.

We also collated, edited and subtitled hours of pre-recorded content in a very short time to create a flowing show. We created an upbeat and energetic vibe – with music and animated graphics – to keep the audience onboard.

Cutting through with a new content format

Spotlight Talks 2020 – Ongoing

We helped WorldSkills UK to create a chat-show-style programme which brings together the UK’s leading employers and apprentices to inspire young people across the UK.

Spotlight talks tackle ‘vocational snobbery’ by exploring relevant topics – such as how roles are changing in the automotive sector – through the voices of people experiencing the opportunities first-hand.

Working closely with Mode 13, we direct, film and edit all content – including live (now as-live) interviews and recorded features. Each show is typically 30-minutes long and designed to be shared with young people by educators and parents.

We liaise and film with apprentices, employers and partner organisations using our vast TV experience to ask the right questions and make the content entertaining as well as educational.

Following the Spotlight Talks series on Green Jobs in March 2022, a WorldSkillsUK survey of viewers found:

95% of young people felt engaged.

90% were inspired.

86% gained knowledge to support their progression in technical career routes.

71% of teachers and parents were able to advise young people after watching.

Spotlight Registration: https://oes.worldskillsukevents.org/ondemand/register

Maximising use of content with a call to action 

Skills Competition Films – In Progress

WorldSkills UK uses a programme of competitions to develop excellence across a wide range of skills – from engineering and robotics to construction and forensic science.

We capture these events in detail, ensuring we reflect the diversity of participants, so all potential students get a sense of the atmosphere and can imagine themselves taking part.

WorldSkills UK uses this footage widely across their marketing to ensure young people know what’s involved and where it could lead. But earlier this year, we saw an opportunity to create more engaging content with a clear call to action – cost-effectively.

Previously they promoted the competitions with summary films, copy and images. So we pitched to produce a film for each competition skill – 72 of them – by repurposing existing footage in a super-simple, 60” bitesize format, ideal for web and social media.

Having got the green light, we’re currently producing films that combine a conversational voiceover and animated onscreen graphics to highlight key messages so students can quickly tell if a skill is for them, and what steps to take next.

Diversity is always at the forefront of our mind when creating any content for WorldSkillsUK. We want our viewers to be able to see themselves whatever their background in the content we create. Our openers and stings always feature as diverse contributors as possible.