Skillset Ploughs Further Funds Into Film Training

A highly successful training scheme, for new entrants working in the technical areas of archives and digital content for UK Film and TV, is now reaching its end.
Launched in January 2010, the trainees are now finishing what has been an intensive period of training and work placement with big name employers across the UK broadcast and film world.
The measure of success in any vocational training is the response of employers. With that in mind, the industry has given the Film and Media Technician Scheme its highest accolade by employing the new entrants.
Five of the nine new entrants have now found full time employment in companies ranging from Sky, Deluxe Digital to Ascent Media.
The success is expected to be ongoing with this year's New Industry Trainees programme about to launch which aims to meet the industry's immediate needs with regards to providing skilled professionals to work in digital cinema hard drive print technology.
Paul Collard, Vice President of Film & Digital Service at London's Ascent 142, explained his company's involvement: "Both the trainees we gave initial placements to have been exceptionally good in quality, motivation and ability and as a result we have given one of them a full time position in the company. The scheme exceeded my expectations in terms of the match between training and the work experience they received. Finding young people with the ability and passion for film archive work is challenging, so these trainees have real future value."
Over £100,000 was invested in the scheme by the Skillset Film Skills Fund and the UK Film Council Digital Film Archive Fund.
The New Entrants training scheme delivered by FOCAL International and Film London is a structured programme of industry, technical and workplace knowledge and skills to the new entrants over a 12-month period. The course was designed to provide all that is needed to establish a successful career in the technical areas of film and television media libraries.
The training course was designed specifically for keen and committed 18+ students who are interested in a long term career as film media technicians, learning the complex skills required to both preserve audio visual content and to prepare this content in the digital process for use across all media.
On joining the scheme, each trainee was given a suitably experienced and trained mentor from within the archive sector who supported and monitored the individual regularly throughout the life of the scheme.
(BMcN/KMcA)