New UK-Wide Survey Launched To Tackle Skills Gaps In Screen Industries

A nationwide survey has been launched to pinpoint current and emerging skills gaps across the screen sector, covering film, television, visual effects (VFX), animation and post-production.

The initiative, led by ScreenSkills, is calling on industry professionals to contribute their perspectives. The findings will play a key role in shaping the future of training and development across the UK's creative screen industries.

Laura Mansfield, CEO, ScreenSkills, said: "We want to understand exactly how we can help the industry crew up effectively. To do that, we need to hear directly from professionals about the specific skills challenges faced across the UK. This intelligence will help us not only plug skills gaps but also level up opportunity — ensuring every part of the UK’s screen industry can thrive."

The survey seeks input from all those involved in hiring/crewing up which may include heads of production, heads of departments, talent managers, coordinators and supervisors working across animation, film, post-production, special effects, television, and VFX.

Laura added: "This survey is targeted at those who hire talent and crew up teams — the people who know first-hand where the skills pressures and shortages are. By taking 15 minutes to share their views, respondents will directly shape the training provision and support available in the future. This is data the industry has told us it needs — a collective voice that can inform government policy and investment decisions.

"Ultimately, the findings will help safeguard and nurture the talent pipelines essential to keeping the UK’s screen sector world-leading."

The research is being conducted by Harlow Consulting, an independent, full-service research and evaluation agency based in Harrogate. Harlow recently worked with the British Film Institute (BFI) to help identify skills and training needs in the screen heritage sector.

ScreenSkills' five-year strategy, launched in 2024 following consultation with more than 1,600 industry stakeholders, commits to using robust workforce data to define training priorities, track skills trends, and represent the screen sector to government and funders.

The findings from this new survey will provide evidence-based insight to target future training investment, help identify under-represented regions and disciplines that need additional support.

It will help direct funding toward high-quality training that meets real industry needs and give employers clarity and confidence to plan their workforce development.

www.screenskills.com