Responding to the concerns of colleagues in higher education, RTS Yorkshire held a different kind of networking night for students in November – a supper attended by 50-plus local students and seven production companies.
Through their links with universities, the RTS Yorkshire Committee understood that the post-Covid generation of students may struggle with traditional networking events that often require students to approach industry professionals, one on one, in a noisy, high-pressure environment.
Not everybody has that confidence, and some students feel excluded due to their age or because they are neurodivergent. The student supper was a low-pressure event, at a community-run space in Headingley, Leeds, to start conversations and build confidence.
Production companies from across Leeds sent production, post-production and back-office staff who were briefed to initiate conversations and soon the room was buzzing. The event was an experiment, but the reaction on the night suggested it succeeded.
