Broadcast News

Bookmark and Share
25/10/2024

ScreenSkills Announces Long-Term Vision For The Film And TV industry

News Image
ScreenSkills has published its long-term vision that will power the future of the UK screen industries and make a significant contribution to the UK Creative Economy.

Rooted in partnerships and underpinned for the first time by pan-sector data analytics, this new strategy will ensure the creation of a world-leading, inclusive and agile workforce for the UK’s screen industries, estimated to be worth £13.48bn (Source: Screen Business, BFI, December 2021).

"This strategy is built on partnership and collaboration, bringing together industry, wider stakeholders, and government to build a workforce skilled for today and agile, adaptable, and resilient for tomorrow’s challenges. We are committed to creating a more diverse and inclusive workforce where opportunities are accessible to everyone," commented Laura Mansfield, CEO, ScreenSkills. “By uniting efforts across sectors and regions, this strategy will address skills gaps, drive innovation, and empower the next generation of creative professionals, ensuring long-term sustainability and growth.”

ScreenSkills will play a crucial role in developing a trained and diverse workforce that will help the sector remain competitive globally as it transforms it’s governance and takes on the role of the sector’s strategic skills body.

"The transformation of Screen Skills into a more cohesive, data led long-term strategic partner to the industry is vital to powering the future of the UK's creative economies, and the Screen Sectors Skills Task Force supports this new strategy," said Georgia Brown. Chair, Skills Task Force. "Our industry thrives on innovation and talent, but to remain competitive on the global stage, we must provide a clearer roadmap for skills development and invest in sustainable and structured pathways for our workforce. With a more collaborative, connected and future facing approach we can ensure that our creative sectors not only meet current demands but continue to drive economic growth, cultural impact, workforce satisfaction and sustainability for generations to come."

The five-year strategy will:

Identify and Communicate Skills Needs: As the central resource for data on current and future skills gaps and shortages across the UK screen industries, ScreenSkills will help to shape strategic workforce planning. This includes forecasting future skills needs and communicating these insights to industry and Government, ensuring that training aligns with evolving demands.

Ensure Access to High-Quality Training: Working with training providers and the education sector, ScreenSkills will ensure that training programmes are high-quality and inclusive. Initiatives such as expanding the ScreenSkills Training Passport, which standardises training records, will help streamline career progression, while commissioning targeted courses will address specific skills gaps.

Build Strategic Partnerships: Strategic collaboration with industry bodies, screen agencies, training providers, and government will ensure that training is relevant and resources are used efficiently and that training is relevant. Key collaborations, such as with BBC, seven BFI Skills Clusters across the UK, and Create Central, will help address regional skills gaps and support local production ecosystems.

Promote Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI): ScreenSkills is committed to improving access and progression for underrepresented groups across the UK. Partnerships with organisations like the Creative Diversity Network and the Sutton Trust will address socio-economic diversity, while initiatives like Trainee Finder will create pathways into the industry for diverse talent, supporting a more inclusive workforce. It will also partner with WorkWise for Screen and Action for Freelancers initiative to seek to improve the working culture for the screen sector’s workforce.

Future-Proof the Workforce: ScreenSkills will support skills development in emerging technologies. In partnership with UK Interactive Entertainment (Ukie), it will focus on building a sustainable talent base for the UK games industry, emphasising the crossover of skills between gaming, digital media, and TV. Additionally, collaboration with UK Screen Alliance will focus on skills development, researching skills gaps, and ensuring transferable skills in VFX and post-production.

In the West Midlands, ScreenSkills is partnering with the BBC and Create Central to support the Skills Accelerator cluster programme. Now entering its second year, the programme is focused on mapping regional skills gaps to guide future training.

Dawn Beresford, Director of Talent and Skills, BBC Commissioning added: "The BBC is delighted to be working with ScreenSkills to develop new, impactful regional collaborations which support and underpin BBC and public sector investment in key, strategic locations for the sector and are excited to see where these conversations lead. The new strategy gives both ScreenSkills and the wider screen sector a shared blueprint to address the structural issues around access to the industry, career opportunities and reskilling, and to play a key role in growing the creative industries."

In collaboration with Channel 4, ScreenSkills has commissioned Ampere Analysis to conduct a comprehensive study of the UK's film and TV workforce. The findings will enable ScreenSkills to target its training efforts more effectively, ensuring that resources are directed where they are most needed.

Kevin Blacoe, Head of Partnerships and Skills, 4Skills, commented: "Establishing a clearer picture of the people who work in our industry - who they are, where they are and what they do – will enable 4Skills and ScreenSkills to continue to make much more meaningful and impactful interventions, to broadcasters, production companies and stakeholders will be able to make much more impactful and meaningful interventions to identify gaps, strengthen the workforce and bolster the creativity and resilience of British production."

Additionally, the BBC and ScreenSkills will co-commission research to gain more detailed insight of the routes into the screen industries to support workforce planning. The research may consider analysing areas such as key entry points, including HE and FE courses, internships, and entry-level jobs, as well as barriers to entry and the wider impact of training routes.

As part of its ongoing transformation, ScreenSkills will streamline its Board to ensure it remains representative of the industry and the UK. Regular engagement with industry stakeholders will also help ensure that ScreenSkills stays responsive to the sector’s evolving needs.

screenskills.com
VMI.TV Ltd

Top Related Stories
Click here for the latest broadcast news stories.

22/08/2019
ScreenSkills To Invest £488,000 In Training For UK Film Industry
ScreenSkills is to invest £488,000 in training for the UK film industry including measures to tackle identified gaps in leadership and management skil
04/10/2018
Creative Skillset Adopts New Name
Creative Skillset have adopted a new name, ScreenSkills, to more clearly reflect the work they do delivering a skilled workforce for the UK's screen i
20/06/2019
ScreenSkills Increases Funds For Individual Screen Professional
ScreenSkills has announced it is increasing the funds available for individual screen professionals for training and career opportunities and opening
22/10/2018
Production News : London Mayor And Film Industry Leaders Tackle Diversity In The Film Industry
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and major film industry leaders have teamed up to tackle the lack of diversity in the film industry. Sony Pictures, H
27/02/2006
Industry confidence high, reports IABM Industry Trends Survey
Respondents to the IABM Industry Trends Survey have revealed that their confidence is high with just over half stating increased confidence in the nex
15/12/2023
ScreenSkills Appoints New Chief Executive
ScreenSkills has appointed Laura Mansfield as its new Chief Executive to succeed Seetha Kumar. Currently Managing Director of Outline Productions and
08/12/2022
ScreenSkills High-End TV Skills Fund Unveils The Next Leaders Of Tomorrow
The ScreenSkills High-end TV Skills Fund has unveiled 22 mid-level crew identified by industry recommendation as Leaders of Tomorrow as part of the pr
06/10/2021
Mentees And Mentors Announced For ScreenSkills Rise Mentoring Programme
Rise and ScreenSkills have announced the pairing up of mentees and mentors for the ScreenSkills Rise Mentoring Programme. This new ScreenSkills Rise M
01/09/2021
ScreenSkills Launches Animation Trainee Finder
ScreenSkills has launched Animation Trainee Finder. It is an entry-level paid placement programme, introduced by the ScreenSkills Animation Skills Cou
05/08/2021
ScreenSkills Welcomes 20 Apprentices
ScreenSkills, Netflix and WarnerMedia have welcomed a diverse cohort of 20 apprentices on to a pilot programme for apprenticeships in the UK's booming
07/07/2021
ScreenSkills Champions 'Leaders Of Tomorrow'
The first participants of a three-year development programme for behind-the-camera talent have been unveiled. ScreenSkills announced 19 mid-level crew
23/01/2020
Netflix And Warner Bros To Partner With ScreenSkills
Netflix and Warner Bros. are to partner with ScreenSkills on an innovative pilot programme to enable more people to join the film and TV industries th
04/07/2019
ScreenSkills Supports Project To Unlock Apprenticeship Levy
ScreenSkills has welcomed a Government decision to back a pilot project originally developed by ScreenSkills to unlock the apprenticeship levy for the
28/03/2019
ScreenSkills Announces Pan-UK Mentoring Drive
ScreenSkills has announced a pan-UK mentoring drive to support new and established professionals in the UK's screen industries. The ScreenSkills Mento
04/03/2019
ScreenSkills Introduces New Initiative Aimed At Military Veterans
ScreenSkills has introduced a new initiative to offer military veterans the opportunity to work in the television industry. Veterans will be given tra