In October 2024, ScreenSkills launched its five-year strategy, developed in consultation with more than 1,600 industry stakeholders and beneficiaries.
ScreenSkills, led by and representative of industry, will be the strategic lead for an aligned skills strategy, using data to define skills priorities and representing the screen sector to Governments. A renewed approach to partnerships across the sector will improve impact, access to opportunities and make training simpler. ScreenSkills will expand its research capability to provide comprehensive, regular data on skills gaps and shortages.
The priority is to gather workforce data to better understand skills trends, facilitate high-quality training, and simplify the landscape of skills provision to provide clarity and direction for the workforce and employers across the screen industries. ScreenSkills will do this by focusing on two key objectives:
- Identifying and communicating skills needs by providing insight into current and future skills demands in the sector, and;
- Enabling access to high-quality, consistent and inclusive training for the workforce to meet industry needs effectively.
Powering skills: A five-year strategy for ScreenSkills
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Powering skills: A five-year strategy (text only)
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ScreenSkills will power the skills needed to build a world-leading, inclusive and agile workforce for the UK screen industries now and for the future.
For the screen industries this will deliver:
- Quality: the sector will have a highly skilled and well-trained workforce
- Skills: gaps and shortages will be quickly identified and addressed
- Inclusivity: the UK screen workforce will be more diverse and inclusive, better reflecting the diversity of the UK
- Future-looking: the workforce will be agile and responsive to emerging and future technologies and working practices
- Collaborative: UK skills provision will be pan-sector and collegiate
For the screen workforce, this means there will be UK-wide training, quality skills and career resources, future-aligned learning, and strategic input to support career decisions and progression.
Contributors to the five Skills Funds (Animation, Children’s TV, Film, High-end TV and Unscripted TV) will benefit from simpler access to UK-wide training, quality skills and career resources, future-aligned learning, and strategic
input to support career decisions and progression. The wider sector will also benefit from improved workforce planning, more consistent data, skills forecasting, and strategic advocacy.
Lisa Opie, ScreenSkills Chair said: “Ensuring the success of the UK screen industries requires a world-leading, inclusive and adaptable workforce. As the sector faces rapid change driven by technology, market shifts and evolving audience expectations, ScreenSkills’ role is more crucial than ever.”
Laura Mansfield, ScreenSkills Chief Executive, said: “Our UK-wide approach ensures that talent development extends to every corner of the country and by working with local partners, we will tailor initiatives to support regional production ecosystems. We also recognise the valuable work of the Skills Funds and will increase collaboration between them to further strengthen skills development and recognise career pathways across the sector.”
The five-year strategy covers key areas explained in more detail below.
ScreenSkills will seek to strengthen its multiple, existing relationships with key sector and trade organisations as well as building new partnerships to achieve its objective of a more collaborative approach to skills across the sector.
While ScreenSkills will continue to commission programmes to mitigate skills gaps and shortages, it will redefine how it builds and sustains partnerships in the future.
This collaborative approach to skills includes working closely with screen agencies and the BFI Skills Clusters to better utilise resources and funding, avoid duplicating training provision, and share expertise. Additionally, clearer signposting via its hub and other platforms of training and development opportunities will simplify the skills landscape for companies as well as the workforce.
This approach will provide greater flexibility to respond to regional needs and will play a crucial role in strengthening local production and workforce resilience.
Examples of partnerships are:
The BBC, Create Central and ScreenSkills Partnership
The BBC, Create Central and ScreenSkills are partnering to support the West Midlands Skills Accelerator cluster programme, now in its second year. An industry-led body established to turbo-charge the creative content sector in the region, Create Central has identified the need for a more granular mapping of skills gaps across the region to support the development of the next phase of training activity. Working in partnership with the BBC, ScreenSkills will provide the specialist research and data resource to enable the West Midlands to identify current and future sector skills needs.
ScreenSkills will coordinate and pilot other collaborations aimed at addressing skills gaps by bringing together broadcasters, Skills Clusters and local organisations, producers, and training bodies. These initiatives will be strategically coordinated yet locally focused, developing practical, production-ready skills that promote sustainability and growth, recognising the devolved nature of skills.
ScreenSkills Training Passport
The ScreenSkills Training Passport, currently in its pilot phase with partners BBC Studios, Sky, ITV Studios and Pact, aims to simplify career pathways and standardise skills provision across the screen industries. Designed to be a portable record of an individual’s essential training achievements, the passport provides a streamlined way for professionals (particularly freelancers) to demonstrate their expertise to employers.
It supports employers by making it easier to verify a worker’s credentials and identify training needs. Central to both simplifying career progression and standardising skills provision, we will develop the Training Passport with partners across the industry with the aim that it becomes an essential tool in the industry's efforts to address skills gaps, enhance workforce mobility and ensure consistent standards across the sector.
ScreenSkills proudly champions inclusion as a core goal and integrates diversity into all its strategic objectives. The aim is to build a workforce that reflects the UK’s diversity and create an inclusive environment that drives innovation and ensures equal opportunities for all.
Starting with its own organisation and governance, ScreenSkills will promote greater inclusion across the screen industries, supporting skills development and career progression.
ScreenSkills will strengthen partnerships with the Creative Diversity Network, The TV Access Project and other organisations to promote equity and access, and work together to translate data into effective skills development. Collaborations with new partners, such as The Adobe Foundation, will further enhance and develop programmes to improve EDI across the sector.
Working with the British Screen Forum and The Sutton Trust
Development of a partnership with the British Screen Forum and the Sutton Trust aiming to address socio-economic diversity through targeted skills and career initiatives.
Creative Diversity Network strategic partnership
A new partnership with Creative Diversity Network (CDN) will enable both organisations to work together to ensure fairer and more equal career opportunities by leveraging CDN's Diamond diversity data to identify and address training needs, and by enabling both organisations to leverage resources and share expertise.
ScreenSkills is a national organisation, based in London and with staff based in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and the English regions.
Collaboration underscores ScreenSkills’ commitment to the Nations and regions. Working with over 200 training providers, as well as production companies and industry partners, ScreenSkills offers workforce training, placements, workshops and networking, and develops occupational standards that underpin qualifications. These initiatives help strengthen the sector’s national infrastructure and connect professionals across the UK.
The High-end TV (HETV) Skills Fund has established industry-led working groups in each Nation to commission training, convening production companies and other industry organisations to commission training that meets the specific workforce needs in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Since its creation, the Unscripted TV Skills Fund has committed to invest at least 50% in the Nations and regions every year. It has consistently exceeded this target annually, actively supporting local talent, production companies and training providers.
ScreenSkills’ five-year strategy will further leverage this unique pan-UK reach, fostering closer collaboration with broadcasters, streamers, national screen agencies, BFI Skills Clusters, production companies and academic institutions, and supporting talent development throughout the UK by developing pathfinder pilots to model new ways of collaborating and contribute to a sustainable production ecosystem across the UK.
ScreenSkills will play a key role in providing data on current and future skills needs and is committed to sharing insights to guide workforce planning. It aims to forecast requirements, track training provision and measure the effectiveness of interventions, then share these in an accessible, digestible way.
To become the leading hub for skills research in the screen industries, ScreenSkills will offer data on strategic skills gaps, labour market trends and impact evaluation. To achieve this, it plans to invest in its data and research capabilities and digital platform, while exploring research partnerships to secure additional funding and expertise to maximise reach. 94 per cent of industry stakeholders identified the need for a single hub and convening body.
An initial step includes a new industry sizing study to better estimate the number of workers and gather demographic details, providing a baseline for future research. Additionally, ScreenSkills is collaborating through the Creative Industries Council’s working group to conduct skills audits across the creative industries. These foundational research studies will underpin future research programmes.
ScreenSkills will also support awareness and clarity of skills development through sharing skills checklists and developing National Occupational Standards.
Ampere research in partnership with 4Skills
ScreenSkills and 4Skills are partnering on a pilot to research the size and profile of the screen industries' workforce and have commissioned Ampere Analysis to conduct the study.
This study will provide a detailed breakdown of the film and television production and post production workforce by region, department, role, seniority and demographics. The methodology includes creating a taxonomy of roles and departments, workforce modelling, surveys of workers and interviews with employers, and will estimate production activity and workforce capacity, highlighting areas of shortage or oversupply.
The research, funded by Channel 4’s training and development programme 4Skills, aims to give a clearer understanding of workforce scale, size and labour market trends. It will provide more accurate data for future studies and help organisations measure the impact of their training programmes.
Additionally, the findings will guide resource allocation, identify skills gaps and shortages, assist in better setting targets and improve understanding of the industry's demographics, focusing on equity, diversity and inclusion.
ScreenSkills will support the predominantly freelance UK workforce by partnering with the industry to offer lifelong learning, helping people navigate, build and sustain successful careers that adapt to the evolving screen industry.
Recognising the significant number of initiatives in the sector offering existing support for pre-entry and early career stages, ScreenSkills will focus more of its own training investment on mid and senior-level workers, emphasising retention and career development where possible to keep valuable experience within the sector.
ScreenSkills will define clear career pathways, helping individuals understand the required skills, knowledge and behaviours as well as emerging progression routes, which will enable more informed career choices and support talent development across the sector.
By collecting data and offering high-quality, relevant training, ScreenSkills will enable individuals to build fulfilling and sustainable careers.
Action for Freelancers
ScreenSkills will work in close partnership with the new Action for Freelancers initiative alongside the Film and TV Charity, organisations such as Bectu and Pact and broadcasters including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Paramount, Sky and UKTV to better support freelancers. As well as continuing to develop the Freelance Charter and a Freelance Hub, where resources can be accessed, Action for Freelancers will look into areas such as working conditions, recruitment, skills and training, mental health and wellbeing and communication.
Career pathways in scripted television
A pilot initiative to create a visual depiction of traditional linear career pathways in the screen industries. Using existing scripted skills checklists as a foundation, the pilot seeks to provide the workforce with more structured career paths. These checklists, organised from junior to senior roles, were developed based on National Occupational Standards, with feedback from industry professionals, guilds, unions and associations.
The benefits include a clearer understanding of career progression, more standardised expectations and training for role transitions, and a consistent reference for crew, training bodies and employers. It will also streamline industry information, reduce duplication and simplify the mapping of departments, job roles and required skills, and skill gaps, offering valuable insights for workforce development. The intention is to extend career pathways beyond the scripted pilot to cover all areas of the screen industries.
Industry stakeholders and beneficiaries emphasised the importance of on-the-job training during the strategy consultation, aligning with the Skills Task Force report. This practical training allows people to apply new skills directly in their work environment, making learning more relevant and effective. ScreenSkills will continue to prioritise placements in its training support and will also guide other organisations in offering structured, practical learning opportunities.
Apprenticeship Standards
ScreenSkills will build on its previous work to play a key further part in shaping apprenticeship policy for the screen industries and continue its recognised role in convening industry to define Apprenticeship Standards to ensure they remain relevant and representative, always acknowledging the devolved nature of skills.
Between 2020 and 2024, ScreenSkills ran two apprenticeship pilots with industry partners. First with Netflix, Warner Bros Discovery and subsequently with Prime Video, Banijay, Fremantle, Lime Pictures and Sky with APX Content Ventures. The pilot programmes were co-funded respectively by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the Department for Education.
The overall success of the pilots showed that apprenticeships can be a viable pathway, especially for those from diverse backgrounds, with 76% of apprentices securing further employment and 26% from working-class backgrounds. However, they also highlighted the need for reforms to improve their effectiveness and value for money.
ScreenSkills will build on its expertise in the screen sector, working with industry to advocate for greater flexibility in the use of the Apprenticeship Levy. It will aim to demystify and simplify the system, support employers in running successful apprenticeship programmes, make pathways clearer and create more opportunities across the UK.
ScreenSkills Trainee Finder
ScreenSkills Trainee Finder, supported by the Children’s TV, Film and High-end TV Skills Funds pairs training opportunities with hands-on production experience to provide vital pathways to those embarking on their screen careers.
The new cross-Fund partnership will create more access to training opportunities across the UK, reflecting how the needs of production and the workforce are evolving, and meet the need to encourage people at an early stage in their career to think more broadly about ways to develop skills and build experience across more than one genre.
ScreenSkills will guide the screen sectors in developing future-ready skills to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving global market. The strategy focuses on two key areas: collaborating with national and regional partners to communicate what will be needed to enhance technological skills through the CreaTech agenda and building the professional capabilities for a dynamic workforce.
With the convergence of industries like gaming and screen, driven by advances in interactive technologies, ScreenSkills aims to address the evolving skills requirements of both sectors.
By partnering with trade bodies, companies, screen agencies, educational institutions and Skills Clusters, ScreenSkills aims to commission cross-sector training that meets the changing needs of these industries, particularly as the convergence of gaming and screen industries reshapes their future.
To future-proof the workforce, ScreenSkills will share insights on emerging technologies like Generative AI and virtual production, building on existing initiatives. This approach will identify current and future skills gaps, guiding targeted training investments.
Consultation feedback highlighted the need for ScreenSkills to balance immediate skills gaps with future needs. Respondents wanted greater emphasis on building workforce resilience, as opposed to focusing solely on technical abilities and proficiency in relation to future skills.
Increasingly, the screen industries are seeing the importance of convergent skills that allow professionals to work fluidly across sectors like gaming, digital media, television and film. Skills such as problem-solving, creative thinking, and collaboration are critical, enabling career mobility and innovation across genres. This convergence fosters a workforce that is not only equipped with technical skills but also capable of thriving in diverse, evolving industries and facing the future for the global market.
As an independent convenor, ScreenSkills will unite industry stakeholders to address skills challenges, fostering an adaptable, well-equipped workforce while promoting crucial, cross-cutting professional skills such as collaboration, communication, creative thinking, information literacy, planning, and problem-solving - skills that will be critical by 2030.
Building on initiatives like the Unscripted TV Skills Fund’s Short Courses, Work-Ready Skills and the sustainability e-learning module co-developed with BAFTA albert, ScreenSkills will foster resilience, agility and versatility, while promoting skills in revenue diversification and sustainable production.
ScreenSkills and games
ScreenSkills and UK Interactive Entertainment (Ukie), the trade body for the UK games and interactive entertainment industry, will explore opportunities to collaborate in championing skills development for the games sector to build a sustainable talent base across the UK for the long-term future of the UK games industry. The collaboration will have a particular focus on the growing crossover and convergence of skills between different genres and sub-sectors within the screen industries.
ScreenSkills, VFX and post production
ScreenSkills and UK Screen Alliance, the trade body for VFX and post production, will explore possibilities for collaboration in skills development, and research into skills gaps, recognising that this part of the industry has a higher proportion of PAYE and long-term employment, and therefore the potential solutions will be different to those aimed at freelancers working in physical production. There is also significant scope to collaborate across the digital content creation disciplines of VFX, animation and games, to ensure a coherent supply of talent with transferrable skills.
To ensure the screen industries have access to HE and FE graduates with relevant skills, ScreenSkills will assume a more strategic role, aligning training with industry needs and sharing information rather than providing direct training and events for students which can be provided more locally.
This will involve regularly convening a strategic education partnership with BFI Skills Clusters and education representatives, building on the work begun by the Skills Task Force. The group will focus on priority initiatives, including curriculum content and developing industry-ready skills, while sharing best practices.
As part of this group, ScreenSkills will take a leading role in working with UK-wide educational organisations. Acting on behalf of the screen industries and the strategic partnership group, ScreenSkills will help ensure a coordinated effort to improve and enhance the outcomes for students leaving full-time education.
An independently-chaired review of ScreenSkills Select
Created in 2019, ScreenSkills Select is a national accreditation programme for HE and FE with 100 accredited courses in animation, film, games, TV and VFX. At this five-year point in the programme, ScreenSkills will carry out an independently-chaired review of Select that will focus on ensuring that industry needs are understood and assess the value and potential impact of consistent standards for screen industry endorsement in education.
ScreenSkills will engage with the Government on education policy, collaborating with Skills England, the Department for Education, Department of Culture, Media and Sport and national screen agencies to connect with devolved governments. It will act as the industry's voice on cross-sector skills policy, focusing on apprenticeship policy, the Growth and Skills Levy and skills development in the UK’s industrial strategy. This includes organising pan-sector forums to share insights and directly advocating to Governments and Parliament on key issues.
As a Board member of the Federation of Skills Bodies, ScreenSkills will collaborate with industry-led sector organisations like Cogent, Lantra, Tech UK, ECITB, and UKFT to develop shared policy positions across sectors where relevant to the screen sector and support workforce development.
ScreenSkills supports Skills England's unified approach to national skills and looks forward to collaborating to address industry needs, ensuring both national and regional systems meet these requirements and involving employers in policy development.
Powering skills: A five-year strategy for ScreenSkills
Read the full strategy document