Massive survey of UK media industry begins

The biggest ever Workforce Survey of the television, radio, video and interactive media industries in the UK is now underway.
Over the next six weeks, Skillset will distribute over 24,000 survey forms, via employers, among a targeted, representative sample of freelancers and employees. The results, to be published in autumn 2003, will provide the most comprehensive profile ever produced of the skills base within each sector and help to shape the future training and development strategy of the audio-visual industries.
Clive Jones, Skillset Chair said: “No one can deny the established fact that the competitiveness of our industry is largely determined by the skills of our people. To maintain and improve those skills, and therefore our business, we must measure existing skills levels and identify where more or different training is called for. Skillset’s Workforce Survey is an opportunity for those working in the industry to have their say and change the way the industry works. I will be encouraging those of my staff targeted by the survey to participate and I would urge all other industry employers to do the same.”
The Workforce Survey will profile the working patterns of both freelancers and employees, measuring age, sex, ethnicity, occupational area and salary brackets.
The survey will detail for what periods of time respondents have been employed in the preceding year and in which sectors, how much training they have received, and perceived barriers to accessing training.
(GB)