Launch of new youth internship scheme: Travel Media Awards Step Up

London, 9 November: The Travel Media Awards — in partnership with APL Media, FINN Partners, Intrepid Travel and TTG Media — is pleased to launch Step Up, a new internship programme driving diversity and inclusion in the travel media industry.

Maria Pieri, editorial director of APL Media, said: “The Travel Media Awards is committed to recognising the importance of cultivating and uplifting people from different backgrounds to strengthen the industry by better reflecting the diversity within the UK. To this end, we are excited to be launching Step Up with our industry partners and look forward to welcoming applications for this new scheme.”

The Travel Media Awards Step Up (TMA Step Up) has been launched in response to research indicating there is a lack of diversity and inclusion in the travel media industry.*

TMA Step Up will be advertised across the UK and two candidates will be chosen to join our partner companies in London for paid internship positions in summer 2024. TMA Step Up interns will receive a further six months of mentoring and will be invited to join us next year at the Travel Media Awards 2024, leading to a promising career in travel media.

What does the scheme offer?

Two candidates will be selected for the following:

A two-month paid internship in London in summer 2024. One month will be spent learning about PR with either FINN Partners or Intrepid Travel; the other month will be spent learning about journalism and publishing at TTG Media or APL Media.

Six months of mentoring via Zoom (6 x 1hr)

Who can enter?

The TMA Step Up programme is open to anyone aged 18+ who can demonstrate a passion for travel media and identifies as coming from an under-represented demographic. Applicants must be UK residents and have the right to work.

Why was TMA Step Up started?

TMA Step Up is a positive action scheme that looks to address demographic imbalances within travel publishing, journalism and PR.*

How can I enter?

We'll ask you to submit the following: 

Personal statement (max. 200 words). Tell us about yourself and why you’d be right for the internship

CV: Creative writing task (max. 300 words) answering the question: What does travel mean to you?

Deadline: 23.59 on 31 January 2024.

What are the key dates?

Regsitration opens: 9 November 2023

Applications open: 30 November 2023

Applications close: 31 January 2024

Placement: Two months within June-August 2024, dates TBC

Can my company get involved next year?

The Travel Media Awards welcomes interest from travel media companies for the 2025 Step Up internship scheme. Please contact info@travelmediaawards.com for more information.

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Notes:

*Sources

In journalism, research from Statista shows 12% of the UK workforce belong to a non-white ethnic group, while this group makes up 18% of the population. In PR, it’s 10%; in publishing, 15%.

A recent study published by Statista shows 59% of journalists are male, compared with the population average of 49%; in PR, there’s a skew in the other direction – 67% of the industry is female, according to the PRCA.

The outlook is more positive for LGBTQ+ representation, and it’s important to maintain these figures. In the UK, around 10% of the population identify as LGBTQ+. In the publishing industry, Publishers Assocation data shows 13% of staff are LGBTQ+.

In the UK, around 24% of the population have a disability. In journalism, one data set from the NCTJ shows a comparable 22% having a disability or a work-limiting health problem. Meanwhile, in the publishing industry, just 13% have a disability; in PR, 4%.

Data from Press Gazette shows 80% of journalists come from households with professional occupations, yet only 33% of the country fall into this demographic, indicating an over-representation of middle- and upper-class voices in UK journalism. The data for the publishing industry is 67%, according to the Publishers Association.

statista.com

pressgazette.co.uk

prca.org.uk

ons.gov.uk

publishers.org.uk

researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk

nctj.com

Travel Media Awards Step Up is an internship programme run by the Travel Media Awards – run in partnership with APL Media, Finn Partners, Intrepid Travel and TTG Media – that aims to drive diversity and inclusion in travel media for young people.

Travel Media Awards was created by, and is owned and operated under, a joint venture agreement between Travega and APL Media Limited. Launched in 2015, the Travel Media Awards is widely recognised as the premier awards event in travel media, and the only UK national awards exclusively rewarding editorial excellence and achievement across all forms of travel media.

For more information, visit travelmediaawards.com

General enquiries:

Travel Media Awards Step Up

Maria Pieri
E: maria.pieri@aplmedia.co.uk

Sponsorship enquiries:

Giles Harper
T: 07771 812 372
E: giles.harper@travega.co.uk

Anthony Leyens
T: 07768 711 718
E: anthony@aplmedia.co.uk