Manchester United Foundation Pupils Take Part in a Career Day on the Cobbles

The ITV Academy hosted the Manchester United (MU) Foundation and gave high school pupils the chance to participate in an exciting career day hosted by ITV’s legendary, long-running soap Coronation Street. 

Pupils from Werneth School in Stockport and MEA Central in Fallowfield were invited to explore some of Weatherfield’s iconic locations including The Rovers Return, The Kabin, and Roy’s Rolls during a tour of the famous street before unleashing their creativity in a storyline workshop, where they could suggest their own thrilling plot twists. 

The young people also engaged in a lively panel discussion with the team behind the show, including John Whiston, Managing Director of Continuing Drama, Paris Ventour, Storyliner and cast member Antony Cotton, who has been a great supporter of Manchester United Foundation since its inception in 2007. John Shiels MBE, CEO of Manchester United Foundation also attended and addressed the students with career advice.

Storyliner Paris Ventour 

As Trafford neighbours and Manchester legends, the partnership between ITV’s centralised training and development initiative and the footballing foundation aimed to empower underrepresented groups and allow them to explore the dynamic world of television and the creative industries.

One of the pupils taking part, said: “I really enjoyed working like a true writer and learning more about the career path and it has changed my views on the subject of drama.”

John Whiston, Managing Director of Continuing Drama, said:  "This was our first session with the Manchester United Foundation and the students worked hard to deliver some really brilliant storylines, proving initiatives like this are not only great fun, they're a truly valuable way of educating and encouraging young people to become the creative workforce of the future.” 

Sonny Hanley, ITV Academy Director, said: "We're thrilled to partner with our neighbours at Manchester United Foundation to offer pupils a fantastic opportunity to learn about the creativity that goes into making incredible shows like Corrie. The ITV Academy has been set up to nurture the next generation of talent. Collaborations like this demonstrate our commitment to inspire young people to pursue careers in television."

The students in attendance were selected through MU Foundation’s Next Move programme, which offers young people an insight into various industries and aims to equip students with the necessary skills, qualifications, and experiences to progress onto higher-level education, apprenticeships or employment.

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Notes to editors

Manchester United Foundation
Manchester United Foundation uses football to engage and inspire young people to build a better life for themselves and unite the communities in which they live. Dedicated staff deliver football coaching, educational programmes and personal development, providing young people with opportunities to change their lives for the better.  Find out more: www.mufoundation.org

About ITV Academy

Since launching, The ITV Academy has created 72 new roles and opportunities through initiatives such as the ITV News and Continuing Drama traineeships, launched ITV's first-ever Production Finance Traineeship and partnered with Stormzy's MerkyFC and Adidas to offer roles to black talent in football production. 

The Academy has engaged with schools and colleges, reaching 700 students through projects such as ScreenSkills’ nationwide Discover Creative Careers Week and YouFestival in Liverpool. ITV Academy and SignPost Productions' Making Creativity Works programme trained 23 individuals from the Deaf, Disabled, and Neurodivergent communities, with 18 securing employment.