Screen Scotland has announced £3m in funding for its BFI Skills Cluster, a UK-wide initiative to build networks of film and TV skills development projects.
The funding will be spread across three years and will support three projects to begin with: a virtual production programme; broadcast skills training; and an internship, titled Reset, aimed at people looking to retrain in the animation, VFX and games sectors.
Support is split between the BFI, which will contribute £1.1m; Screen Scotland, which will provide £800,000; and a further £1.1m from industry partners.
BFI Skills Clusters were announced as part of the BFI’s 10-year funding strategy Screen Culture 2033 and is focused on building film and TV work skills regionally, as opposed to nationally.
The three projects
The three-year virtual programme will be delivered by Final Pixel Academy in association with Night Sky Studios and Bafta award-winning digital entertainment outfit Blazing Griffin.
The Stornoway Studio Training Programme is a broadcast skills training scheme for the Scottish language and will be delivered by Gaelic language broadcaster MG ALBA and the Western Isles Council.
Reset is a Glasgow-based initiative aimed at people working in a different industry who want to transfer their skills and retrain in the animation, VFX or games sectors. The eight-month programme first ran in 2022 and saw 90% of participants secure relevant employment.
Sara Whybrew, director of skills and workforce development at the BFI, said: “The BFI is committed to supporting the growth of local crew bases in production hotspots across the UK, including in geographical areas that have been too easily overlooked for investment previously.
“Screen Scotland’s leadership, and that of its local partners, means we can develop and roll out skills and training initiatives that augment and complement existing interventions and in doing so ensure we reach new and diverse talent.”
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