Y Academy

The Covid-19 pandemic had a major impact on the Y Academy and Y is in the process of overhauling the programme.

The Y Academy has been around for over 10 years and is South Africa’s most sought-after radio training programme.

Since 2018, YFM began accepting an intake of 10 interns for nine months (April to December).

Each intern will be rotated in the station’s various departments as they learn what goes into the running of a successful commercial radio station. After learning from the station’s staff, guest lecturers and the Y Academy Trainers, the interns will be fully-equipped to tackle the broadcast-radio industry as junior professionals.

At the end of the 9-month programme, the interns are awarded a certificate and, over time, many receive employment opportunities within the station.

Objectives

The Y Academy prides itself in training 10 individuals every financial year (from April) about the business of running a radio station.

It has produced a great number of talent over the years, both on and off-air, making it the ideal stepping stone for graduates who want to gain experience in a media workspace and learn more about radio

The Y Academy is a key part of the YFM brand and its CSI objectives. It’s no lie that SA’s youth are currently facing one of the highest unemployment rates in the world. As a direct response, the Y Academy is a shining light that not only gives the youth a chance at being employed but also offers them the necessary skills to enter the working industry with confidence.

The Y Academy also gives candidates a taste of what it’s like to be part of the YFM family. Working at YFM is an opportunity that very few individuals get to experience and the Y Academy serves as a window into this vibrant company that has been at the helm of SA youth culture for the last 22 years.

Activities

The Y Academy learning structure and activities are crucial to the fundamental day-to-day running of the academy, business and the interns chosen. The academy is a stepping stone to equip young radio enthusiasts and teaches them about the YFM brand, how YFM operates as a business and the commercial radio industry at large. The activities will differ on a day-to-day basis and will vary from in-house lectures from our Y Academy Trainers, different department heads, industry specialists and other senior YFM colleagues and should be focused on the theoretical work that comes with being in the radio environment, the practical skill sets that are to be acquired to last in this environment and motivational life stories of some of their industry heroes / YFM legends.

Activities achievable will be as follows:

• Learning about radio as a medium and art form.
• The history of the medium and where it’s going.
• How new media plays a huge role on how we operate as business today.
• The importance of personal branding, irrespective of which department you work in.
• The importance of putting the brand first in everything you do and where you are.
• The day-to-day running of the various departments (each department will have liberty to use academics as, how and when they see fit – reporting to the managers of the departments).
• How the various departments impact the on-air product and vice versa.
• Learning about why independent / exclusive content creation is the future of the medium.
• What role they play in YFM’s marketing plan.
• Breaking down the fundamentals of the Y Academy and what they are responsible and need to be accountable for.
• In-depth learning about all of YFM’s hardware and software that the company uses to conduct business on a daily basis.
• Creating content and assisting the digital and marketing team on and off-location.

Requirements

• Are you between the ages of 18 – 25?
• Are you a South African citizen?
• Do you love radio in all its forms?
• Do you listen to and love YFM?

If you answered yes to all of the above questions, then you are who we’re looking for!

Applications are now closed.