4Schools X GirlTech

By Emily Doherty

Posted: 22 May 2025

A Day of Inspiration and Innovation

4Schools was honoured to support the Ahead Partnership’s GirlTech Leeds event! Designed to address the lack of female representation in the digital and tech industry, GirlTech is a careers experience day that introduces year 8 and 9 students to a range of inspirational role models across the sector.  

Alongside 20 other businesses, 4Schools showcased the wonderful world of digital and tech careers to 140 students from across Leeds. Here’s how it all went down for 4Schools and our Channel 4 volunteers.

Morning Coffee and Careers Carousel

The day kicked off with the Careers Carousel, where students got to rotate around the room meeting the employers and asking questions. At our stand, we highlighted the varied roles in the broadcasting industry that rely on technology. From Grips to Digital Imaging Technicians to Broadcast Engineers - the students were surprised at just how much work and tech is involved in creating their fave shows! One student noted that if Nella Rose showed up on set to feature in a show and the tech didn’t work, it would be really embarrassing!

Hydration and Innovation: The Gadget Show

With their shiny new 4Schools water bottles in hand, we moved into the Gadget Show after lunch. This is where the real magic happened! I was joined by an A-Team of Channel 4 Volunteers: Amelia Rothwell, Sarah Luke, Cera O’Rourke and Alexandra Archer, who all gave invaluable insights into their roles. Students got the chance to test their skills with a teleprompter, seeing if they have what it takes to be a Continuity Announcer. Cera dished out all the tips and tricks on using your voice to stop viewers changing the channel! Alexandra gave students a peep at real editing software and some of her edited content.

The Grand Finale: The Innovation Sprint

Finally we dove into the Innovation Sprint. We became the client for the students at Temple Learning Academy who had to design an app concept that ‘solves a work-related issue’. Cera explained that throughout a production project, there are lots of different people involved both within Channel 4 and externally. She wanted an app to help everyone communicate easily, and make sure no one misses important information. The student’s concept, branded in C4 Arsenic Green, of course, included everything a production team would need. It featured an easy-to-use interface where all team members have a profile and could be added into projects for seamless communication. There was even a feature that notifications wouldn’t disappear until read, tackling the issue of information being missed! They thought about every detail including a space to input dietary requirements and other well-being information on shoot days! Their convincing pitch wow-ed the Channel 4 team who loved the communication features, and attention to detail with branding.

A huge thank you to the Ahead Partnership for organising such an exciting event. We had an absolute blast and hope the students feel inspired to continue to be curious and explore opportunities for them in digital and tech!