SKILLSET REPORT RECOMMENDS FUTURE SKILLS STRATEGY

FOR THE first time ever the UK Audio Visual industries have joined together to analyse skill needs and develop a long-term strategy to ensure their future competitiveness.
The report of the joint Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)/Skillset Audio Visual Industries Training Group (AVITG) was launched by Kim Howells MP, Minister for Tourism, Film and Broadcasting.
‘Skills for Tomorrow’s Media’ is the most comprehensive and in-depth investigation ever undertaken into future skills needs across the UK’s media industries. The report puts forward a wide-ranging series of recommendations and measures. More than 75 senior industry figures were involved in the Group’s work.
Roger Laughton, Chair of the AVITG and Head of Bournemouth Media school, said: “‘Skills for Tomorrow’s Media’ looks at where the industries have come from, what they’ve achieved and where they need to be. They need to take a more professional approach as they mature without becoming a white-collar profession that closes its ranks to talented and creative newcomers. The task now is not just to deliver the recommendations set out in this report – but to ensure we get an industry confident enough and committed enough to pay more than lip service to the role of training in its future success.”
As well as suggesting future policy, the Group has been keen to promote action wherever possible. Some of the outcomes already achieved include: An industry-wide Census, already an annual event; A stronger Labour Market Research base; A joint Skillset/BECTU media careers service, skillsformedia, has been developed with support from the industry, also to be launched on September 10 and Training initiatives by major broadcasters.
A key issue identified by the Group is the need for industry-wide action to provide training opportunities for freelancers, who now make up over 50 per ecnt of the overall workforce. AVITG has recommended support for training be included in Tier One of the remit of the new industry regulator, OFCOM. AVITG wishes to see OFCOM being given powers to work with Skillset, the National Training Organisation, to promote support for training and to act as an independent monitor of that provision.
‘Skills for Tomorrow’s Media’ is a UK-wide report. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, a range of initiatives – directly targeted at the needs of their industry sectors – have been proposed or are already in development. In Wales, for example, Media Skills Wales will employ a new training officer, one of whose roles will be to implement the recommendations of this report. (CD)