A new initiative from Sky and Adobe aims to equip 30,000 school students with critical digital skills for the future.
Sky and Adobe have launched a new digital programme for primary and secondary schools across Ireland and the UK. Called The Edit, it will provide 30,000 young people with media and digital literacy skills. It will also aim to bring more diversity into newsrooms and equip students from low-income areas with digital skills for the future.
School students who take part will produce and broadcast their own news reports on the climate emergency “from script to screen”. They will use creative video tools from Adobe, including Adobe Spark Video and Adobe Premiere Rush, as well as content from Sky to develop the reports, which will be entered into a competition.
The programme will involve a set curriculum of teacher resources and lesson plans tailored to both in-person and remote classrooms. It will teach pupils essential skills in digital storytelling, teamwork, collaboration, communication and critical thinking.
Sky’s executive VP and CEO in the UK and Europe, Stephen van Rooyen, said that the media industry has “significant barriers” that need to be broken down.
“Every child, in every community, should have access to digital programmes,” he said. “The Edit can help them find their voice and build the essential digital skills that the future of our economy relies upon.”
Head of digital media marketing in northern Europe at Adobe, Sam Robins, added that young people need to be prepared for a “digital-first society”.
“It’s essential that schools find ways to promote digital literacy as a core part of the curriculum,” Robins said. “The Edit not only provides an inspiring challenge and curriculum-ready resources that teachers can apply to classroom or remote learning, it also gives students the opportunity to work with the same tools and footage that the professionals use every day.”
