Research finds indie television producers invest £31.5 million in training

The independent television production industry spent £31.5m on training in 2003, according to research undertaken by Spectrum Strategy and commissioned by Pact and the Independent Production Training Fund (IPTF).
This figure represents a healthy 3.5% of the sector’s total annual turnover.
Spectrum, a respected strategic consultancy, was asked to develop a robust, evidence based methodology for quantifying how much and what types of training are being undertaken in the independent television sector.
The report found that the majority of indies’ training takes place ‘on the job’, offering the flexibility both employers and employees demand in a fast moving sector. This on the job training was perceived as the most important and valuable way to learn by employers as well as staff and freelancers.
Spectrum’s findings provide timely evidence to contradict the claims of those critics who suggest the independent television sector relies on broadcasters’ in-house production arms to train the UK workforce – and that this is an argument for maintaining the 25% independent production quota as a ceiling.
Methodology and results from the report will also feed into the current Ofcom consultation about how to regulate broadcasters’ training obligations under the Communications Act. Spectrum’s findings will provide useful comparisons for the regulator when forming its conclusions.
The report makes recommendations about how to continue to improve the skills of the sector, which indies are keen to take forward. The IPTF has therefore committed £100K to kick-start pilot initiatives to help indies’ develop in-company training.
Philip Clarke, chairman of IPTF and managing director of Feelgood Fiction and Wildfire TV said: “We have felt for some time some time that structured training courses only formed the tip of the iceberg for the sector’s training – and the BBC’s claim to train the whole industry through its in-house production arm was outdated. We now have evidence to prove it and we can use this information to help indies get even better at developing their staff and freelancers.”
John McVay, Pact chief executive and an IPTF director, added: “This report puts to bed the myth that small indies don’t take talent or skills seriously – talent and skills are the lifeblood of their companies.”
(GB)