International Women’s Day – Ellen Sanderson, NCTJ

To mark International Women’s Day, we hear from some of the women who have recently taken up new roles at the NCTJ. Ellen Sanderson, assessment controller, tells us about herself, and what IWD means to her.

I’ve worked at the NCTJ for just over eight months now, originally as an assessment administrator. I have been recently promoted to assessment controller, responsible for the NQJ and shorthand, which I am absolutely thrilled about.

Whilst working full-time with the NCTJ, I have also volunteered for an organisation called Girls Against. We aim to educate a wide audience on sexism and misogyny within the music industry and beyond. We work closely with venues and events organisers to make sure their spaces are safe and inclusive and if not, we offer solutions on how they can improve their environments. We value International Women’s Day really highly.

International Women’s Day is all about championing the achievements of women globally and to me, it is also about making sure women feel represented. The focus this year is to #breakthebias and make the world a more diverse and inclusive place. The education sector may seem fairly equal at present but we should be continuing to break gender stereotypes and not creating structural inequality, by continuing to allow equal opportunities at all times. I am proud that the NCTJ is an equal opportunities employer and that gender will never be a barrier for any work that I’ll undertake as an employee.