Focal International Secures Skillset Training Funding

There has been a successful bid to provide the first Skillset funded training programme for new entrants into the world of archive technical work.
Focal International has been awarded the funding and the course is due to start in January 2010 with calls for participants taking place in late Summer/Autumn this year.
After some years of lobbying for formal archive training investment, Focal International, the footage and content trade association has secured funding for ten young people to engage and complete a year-long course including practical work placements with Focal International members.
Skillset has invested over £100,000 in the scheme, which will contribute to the creation and running of the course, including recruitment, premises, trainers, mentors, course literature and an allowance for students whilst on placement. Students will spend two weeks in the classroom and then spend two blocks of ten weeks placement with various host Focal Int members archives.
Sue Malden, Chair of Focal International, said: "The course is designed to attract school leavers to spend nearly one year on the training course which has been designed with our partners Film London and the University of Hertfordshire.
"This is such an encouraging achievement for our industry and we are most grateful to Focal's footage library and facility house members who have offered work placements."
The training course has been formulated specifically for keen and committed 18+ students who are interested in a long term career in archives, learning the complex skills required to both preserve audio visual content and to prepare this content in the digitisation process for use across multiple emerging platforms.
Focal International has always had a strong commitment to training in all aspects of the archive footage industry, from archive preservation through digital asset management, research and licensing.
For over ten years Focal has run a training week, which has been attended by delegates from around the world and for the past three years has offered the opportunity of a bursary.
Sue Malden continued: "We see training as an essential means to ensure professionalism and high standards in our industry. So, again Focal International is inviting applicants for the Jane Mercer Footage Training Bursary. The bursary of up to £1,000 is intended to provide assistance to those individuals wishing to further their professional development in the footage industry and its associated areas. Applicants will have to demonstrate that their chosen development programme has a direct association with audio visual footage or archives and so we hope to receive lots of interest."
The closing date to apply for a Jane Mercer Footage Training Bursary is August 31, 2006. Further information is available at: www.focalint.org.
(KMcA/BMcc)