SKILLSET TARGETS TELEVISION SCRIPTWRITING

SKILLSET’S Investment Committee have decided that training for television scriptwriters is to be a top priority in next year’s funding allocations.
The committee, who decide where money from Skillset’s training fund will be invested, have decided to target television scriptwriting as film scriptwriting is to benefit from the Film Council’s new £1 million training fund.
Other priorities identified were digital production skills, film production accountants, researchers, production grades, new entrants in craft, technical and production grades and set craft apprentices.
Dinah Caine, Chief Executive of Skillset, said: “The good news is that overall the increase in training for scriptwriters will be massive. The establishment of the Film Council’s training fund allows Skillset to focus their spending on training for TV scriptwriters where there has been less investment recently.”
In the previous year much of the scriptwriting training funded by Skillset focused on film scriptwriting. The Film Council’s new Film Training Fund has two priorities, scriptwriting and the development of producers. The Film Council have established a working group which will decide how to distribute the £1 million between the two priorities.
Helen Bagnell, Training Manager at the Film Council, said: “Skillset’s commitment to TV scriptwriting training will dovetail neatly with the support for film writing and development training from the Film Council. This co-ordinated in response will give a huge boost to the development of the writing skillbase across the UK.”
Skillset’s Investment Committee is made up of representatives from the industry and decides upon the strategic priorities for Skillset’s freelance Training Fund and Skills Investment Fund.
(CD)