Potential is a better starting point than polish

Opinion | Future of Talent and Leadership Week in Focus

Bauer Media Audio’s Elaine Bremner reveals the thinking behind the company’s early careers apprenticeship programme.

I have worked in people and culture for 25 years, and one thing I know is that talent is everywhere – but opportunity is not.

I have seen brilliant people flourish because someone opened a door for them. I have also seen how easily organisations miss potential when they rely too heavily on traditional routes, polished CVs, or prior experience that not everyone has had the chance to get.

For media, advertising and the creative industries, this matters deeply. We talk constantly about fresh thinking, cultural relevance and reaching younger audiences. But we cannot keep saying we want different perspectives if we keep recruiting through routes that favour people who have already had access.

Too often, entry-level hiring rewards polish over potential. It favours the young person who already knows how to write the right CV, find the right internship, speak the right language or make the right connection. None of those things is bad in themselves. But they are not the same as talent.

If we are not careful, we confuse privilege with readiness.

This is one reason Bauer Media created Amplify, our early careers apprenticeship programme, designed to open access to careers in media, audio and beyond.

Designed for fair access

Amplify is built around the belief that potential is a better starting point than polish.

Our first cohort of UK-based apprentices is joining teams across Audio UK and Audio Europe-wide functions, including content, communications, finance, data and technology. They will contribute to initiatives and projects across Bauer Media’s wider markets while developing the skills, confidence and experience to become the next generation of audio and media professionals.

This breadth is what makes Amplify so important. A modern audio business is not only what happens behind a microphone. It is storytelling, data, audience insight, technology, commercial thinking, finance, communications, creativity and collaboration.

If we want young people to build meaningful careers in media, we need to show them the full range of what the industry can offer – and give them a structured route into it.

Amplify removes the requirement for previous sector experience, formal qualifications or industry connections. Instead, it looks for young people with curiosity, passion, raw capability and future potential.

The distinction is important, because fair access does not happen by accident. It must be designed.

We have also been deliberate about how we have built the programme. If Amplify is going to create lasting change, it cannot be something people do around the edges of already busy jobs.

The support of Bauer Academy

The Academy’s role is vital because delivering apprenticeships well takes more than good intentions. It takes expertise in learning design, assessment, coaching, support and qualification delivery.

Bauer Academy already has deep experience in apprenticeship programme training, so we knew we had the right people in place to help apprentices not only start the programme but succeed through it.

We created an assessment process to identify strengths to nurture and develop, rather than simply rewarding those who have already had opportunities.

We wanted candidates to show how they think, how they communicate, how they respond to ideas and how they approach problems – not just what was already on their CV.

Opening the door is only the first step. What matters is what happens next.

Amplify combines paid employment with a structured apprenticeship programme, mentoring, coaching and hands-on experience in real business environments. Apprentices work alongside experienced colleagues, contribute to live projects and build practical knowledge of how media operates – from understanding audiences and content to using data, technology and cross-functional collaboration.

Crucially, apprentices will be working towards a recognised Level 3 apprenticeship qualification. That matters because Amplify gives young people more than a first opportunity. It gives them a structured pathway: the chance to earn, learn, contribute from day one and build the skills, confidence and qualification to support a long-term career in media.

This is the part I am particularly passionate about. Access on its own is not enough. If we bring young people into the business and expect them to simply work it out, we have not created a pathway. We have created pressure. A proper apprenticeship must combine opportunity with structure, training, support and progression.

After 25 years working in this space, I believe that is where organisations must be honest with themselves. It is easy to talk about potential. It is harder – and much more important – to invest in it properly. Hiring for potential is the starting point. The real work is helping people build the confidence, skills and belief to succeed.

Elaine Bremner is the global people and culture lead at Bauer Media Audio