How TV is inspiring the career choices of Leeds teenagers

National World - LocalTV

We meet 21-year-old Statistical Programmer Tegan Hinch as new research reveals 55% of Leeds teens are inspired by careers they see portrayed in TV shows.

Transcript

00:00 From the sofa to skills. The Department for Education's Skills for Life campaign is encouraging

00:06 parents and teenagers to talk about their shared TV viewing, and possibly identify interests

00:12 which could lead to an exciting career journey.

00:15 With medicine and healthcare portrayed in the likes of Grey's Anatomy, The Big Bang

00:19 Theory and Last of Us, to the world of food being explored in The Great British Bake Off

00:24 and MasterChef, new research suggests that over half of Leeds teens are inspired by careers

00:29 they see on the small screen.

00:32 After completing a degree apprenticeship in data science, Teagan Hinge is now a statistical

00:37 programmer at Fortria in Leeds.

00:40 Initially I didn't know what I wanted to do as a career. I took so much inspiration

00:43 from different things on TV. At one stage I wanted to be a doctor, so I looked at things

00:46 like casualty in Grey's Anatomy. At another stage I really liked programming because I

00:50 found I liked that at school and I really was interested in a lot of the spy programmes

00:54 like Alex Rider and things, where you got to see how the computing side of it made things

00:58 happen next. And then from there I just kind of stumbled across where I am now, ended up

01:03 inspired by programming and things and came across data science and working in clinical

01:07 trials really.

01:08 I've done a data science degree apprenticeship, so I've done that with York St John University

01:12 whilst working at Fortria. Now this apprenticeship has covered all things from statistical analysis,

01:17 data visualisations and artificial intelligence. And as we know now in every single TV programme

01:22 and every single thing that's going on we have artificial intelligence, it is the next

01:25 big thing. So I think being able to study that whilst working at the same time and looking

01:29 at so many really interesting things within clinical trials and within all the programming

01:33 that I do, I think having it all combined together has just been kind of the perfect

01:36 career path for me.

01:38 Skills for Life is hoping to highlight the full range of education and training choices,

01:42 including the technical pathways on offer such as T-levels, apprenticeships and higher

01:47 technical qualifications.

01:49 Parents don't always feel as well equipped about talking about the different routes into

01:54 these sort of careers and employment. And it's to raise that awareness that there are

01:59 so many now different options and different routes available. So very much sort of technical

02:05 qualifications that parents may not be as familiar with, as opposed to the traditional

02:10 A-level academic university routes. With the T-level, around 20% of the course is with an

02:16 employer. So that's a different way to gain experience. Apprenticeships, which is a way

02:21 of working and learning at the same time, and also higher technical qualifications.

02:27 It's really opening up that opportunity and different way of learning, which best suits

02:32 an individual, which is the most important thing.

02:34 From a personal point of view, interior design, something like changing rooms or location,

02:40 location, location. I'd love to be Kirsty Allsop. So yeah, if I had my time again, property,

02:46 interiors, that would be definitely the route I'd take.

02:49 You could want to do one thing and stumble across another. I never knew this is where

02:52 I wanted to be and this is where I've ended up, and it is the best decision I've ever

02:56 made. So kind of soak all the information up like a sponge and don't be too hard on

03:00 yourself. And when it comes to looking for a new job, just be yourself and the right

03:03 thing will come to you.

03:03 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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