INDUSTRY PATRONS SHOW SUPPORT FOR SKILLSET

TEN of the most senior figures in the audio visual industries have thrown their support behind Skillset, the National Training Organisation, by becoming Patrons of Skillset.
The Patrons were announced by Lord Puttnam of Queensgate, the Chair of Skillset’s Board of Patrons, at the launch of the Audio Visual Industries Training Group report.
The ten senior figures from the audio-visual industries are: Dawn Airey – Chief Executive of Channel 5; Lord Alli; Peter Bazalgette – Creative Director of Endemol Entertainment UK; Lord Bragg; Greg Dyke – Director General of the BBC; Michael Grade – Chairman of Pinewood Studios; Roger Laughton – Chair of AVITG and Head of Bournemouth Media School; Denise O’Donoghue – Managing Director of Hat Trick Productions; Trevor Philips – Broadcaster & Deputy Chair of the London Assembly; and Stewart Till – Deputy Chair of the Film Council.
The role of Skillset Patrons is to champion the organisation and encourage support for their work. This is particularly critical at a time when the Government are reviewing the future of NTOs with a view to making the network smaller and more influential. The current list of Patrons represents nearly all sectors of the audiovisual industries and more are to be announced shortly.
Lord Puttnam said: “I am delighted that these senior industry figures have agreed to join me on the Skillset Board of Patrons. Their willingness to do this is recognition of the critical importance of having a strategic training organisation. The efforts of Skillset, operating on limited resources, have a hugely beneficial impact on the training of our workforce and it fully deserves the support of the industry’s most senior representatives.” (CD)