FEATURE | SK I LLS SHORTAGE
We provide classroom training on skills and knowledge of the industry that has changed
subsidise those placements. We can provide up to £300 a week, which is maxed out at 40 weeks for a trainee, and productions have to match that. That’s probably one of the only examples of where we source the individuals – we try normally to keep it in the hands of the production.” FINDING FUNDING Screen Skills is a charity and not funded by the government. It raises its money through contributing productions, but that is capped. “Essentially, our funding for the most part is from the industry,” explains Elliot. “We administer the skills funds that are connected to the tax incentives. So for HETV, children’s TV, film, animation, across the board, those who are benefitting from the tax incentives are asked to contribute in to the skills fund. “Also, we are currently delivering the BFI Skills contract. This enables us to do things like careers activities, which aren’t paid for out of any skills funds. But there isn’t enough money – even though we have a booming industry, the HETV skill’s fund is 0.5% of a production budget, and that’s capped currently at £55,000. So even if you’re Game of Thrones, you’re never going to pay more than that. It allows us to amass about £3.3 million, but if you look at how much the industry is earning, it’s a drop in the ocean. We have to be targeted and focussed in what we can invest in, which is why we use those industry connections to look at shortages and skills.”
productions do. A production will say, ‘We’ve worked with this person before’, or, ‘We’d like to take them to this level for the next series of something’. We put the decision in the hands of production, as I think this way you’re much more likely to get a success because they are already invested in that individual. It’s also quite off-putting for productions to feel that someone has been foisted on them.” NEW ENTRANTS And what about new blood? Kaye Elliot has that covered, too. “Trainee Finder is a new entrant programme, where we go out and source new trainees who want to join the industry. So across film, TV and HETV, we have about 300 individuals each year who are across a host of different grades. They have been vetted, so they go through an application stage and then an industry interview – again it’s not us deciding if they’re right for a particular grade of job; industry comes in to the heart of decision- making and ensures these people are a right fit for them. “A production will be taking place, for example, and we will send them CVs from a cohort that would fit what they’re looking for. The decision is theirs and we would
“Our online directory of training is growing, too. This is not training that we invest in or are funding, but we’re trying get people in the front door by using us. You can go on screenskills.com and ask, ‘What is my career path, what do I want to do?’ The information is all there for you. We’re growing that all the time with the opportunities around training. It’s a great place to start, I think.” RETURN TO WORK Another great scheme from Screen Skills is Return to Work, designed especially for those who left the industry for whatever reason and wish to return; this year, Screen Skills is concentrating on the edit and VFX side of things. “Post can be a great place to come back to,” reveals Elliot. “Again, we can provide classroom training on skills and knowledge of the industry that has changed since you left. It’s not just that: we look at confidence building and helping persuade people there’s a career there for them, and that we can help them get back in. “We try and keep that placement at the heart of what we do,” she continues. “There’s nothing better than being part of a production, and crucially, it is not us that finds the people for these placements – the
58 DEF I N I T ION | FEBRUARY 2020
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