Leading broadcaster provides more than 150 jobs to locals at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

More than 150 people have been given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with one of the country’s leading sports broadcasters for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

They were selected to take part in a unique training initiative, created by host broadcaster Sunset+Vine, that was created especially for the Games, which is the widest-reaching sports event in the UK since the 2012 Olympics in London.

Award-winning Sunset+Vine, which provides live sports programming to UK and international broadcasters, partnered with Birmingham City University, Create Central, WMCA and Solihull College to deliver the Host Broadcast Training Initiative (HBTI), which offered 200 work experience placements on its outside broadcasts and studio productions.

After taking part in the training earlier this year, which saw them receive industry-level skills training across a variety of disciplines including live TV, broadcasting and production, about 150 are now looking forward to playing their part in the screening of the Games, which take place in Birmingham between July 28 and August 8, to 1.5 billion people worldwide.

Roles include content creators, production co-ordinators, media managers, camera operators, edit assistants, loggers, live gallery PAs, assistant floor managers and technical roles.

David Tippett, managing director of Sunset+Vine, said providing paid work opportunities for those wanting to break into sports broadcasting or to those who wanted to expand their skills and work experience was an important part of the legacy programme for the Commonwealth Games.

“The HBTI is the jewel in Sunset+Vine’s Commonwealth Games legacy for the Midlands. We’re thrilled to have completed training and offered real-world industry experience to over 200 trainees, with 150 of them now set to join us for paid roles on the Games.

“The lack of diversity in sports broadcasting is an ongoing issue and this scheme is one way we are looking to play our part in addressing that – and we’re thrilled that over 60% of our trainees are from underrepresented groups within our industry.

“Now all that remains is for them to join us on one of the biggest sporting events to be held in the heart of Birmingham.”

He added that Sunset+Vine will continue to mentor trainees post Games, helping them to launch a career in the industry.

One of those given the opportunity to work with Sunset+Vine is Birmingham man Ahmed Al Bakri.

The 42-year-old, who lives in Aston with wife Sumaia and their four children, secured the spot earlier this year as he completed his final year media production studies at Birmingham City University.

He has now been offered the role of vision mixer at the NEC, where he will be working with the teams responsible for bringing the badminton, table tennis and netball onto viewers’ television screens. All the Sunset+Vine roles are paid and aim to help people across the region benefit from new skills in the broadcast industry.

Ahmed, who was born in Cardiff but was brought up in Yemen before returning to the UK in 2008, has already enjoyed two stints as a television presenter for two Arabic TV channels in London, but is hoping to pursue a career behind the camera.

“I was so pleased when I was offered the vision mixer role as it was one of the jobs I wanted to do,” said Ahmed, who has also picked up freelance jobs as a runner and camera operator.

“I’ll be based in the gallery, working with the director and the VT operators making sure that viewers see the right action at the right time. It’s a job that needs 100% attention because if you’re too late to get to a good bit of action, you’ve missed it entirely. It’ll keep me on my toes, but I’m really excited to be part of this massive sporting event.”

He said he hopes his experience at the Games, which included a day’s work experience with Sunset+Vine at a live football game, will help him to secure future television roles.

“Having this opportunity and being able to put it on my CV is priceless and I hope it will help me to be offered a job in TV, whether with Sunset+Vine or with another broadcaster,” said Ahmed. “But I’ve no doubt it’ll be an unforgettable experience.”