THE BRITISH FILM AND TELEVISION INDUSTRIES – DECLINE OR OPPORTUNITY

As you’ve probably have seen from our recent press activity, the Lords Communications Committee’s report on the state of the UK Film and TV industry was out this week. Not only was it a fine report, it had a lot of very good things to say about the importance of training and skills for the prosperity of the industry and our work at Skillset.

Here is a summary of what we said about the recommendations:

1. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills should encourage the Higher Education Funding Council to deploy some of its funding to support high-level, post-graduate training in the postproduction and animation sectors;
2. The Higher Education and Funding Council should encourage closer relationships between universities and the creative industries;
3. Skillset’s work on a code of conduct for internships. We are encouraged by the Committee’s support and we will soon be able to publish Guidelines for the industry that cover apprenticeships and other on-the-job training, as well as internships;
4. The film and television industries should provide more equal access to training and skills-based career development through greater use of apprenticeships and graduate internships;
5. Welcoming the continuing role played by the BBC and the BBC’s willingness to make its training more widely available through the launch of the BBC Academy;
6. Understanding the current pressures on the budgets of UK commercial public service broadcasters, but highlighting that a reduction in training budgets threatens the future competitiveness of the UK television industry and urging the Government to encourage them to revive their investment in training;
7. Regret that the UK Film Council should be forced to reduce significantly its funding for training for the next three years, at a time when training should be a priority. Skillset backs the Committee’s call for the Government to make sure that the UK Film Council is adequately funded to allow it at least to restore its former level of support for training;
8. Accepting that in an industry so dependent on freelance working and informal training, there is an urgent need to clarify the uncertainty around statutory definitions of training and asking the industry regulator to take a long term view.
9. Ofcom proposals to develop co-operation within the regulatory framework for training in TV and recommending Ofcom to publish guidance to clarify the roles of the organisations involved.

Here here!