During a period of challenges in the sector, the Unscripted TV Skills Fund was committed to supporting the workforce across 2024 through tailored training opportunities and knowledge sharing.
One-to-one coaching sessions were developed that aimed to help people navigate their career during a turbulent period and keep them working in the industry. It proved a hugely popular initiative with 114 candidates receiving one-hour standalone coaching and a further 28 embarking on a six-month coaching programme.
The Fund’s short courses – developed to provide free and accessible training across skills learning, workplace behaviours and practices, and business practices – again adapted to the needs of both freelancers and employers to offer flexible training, with the addition of 13 new sessions this year.
More opportunities were created through a collaboration with the High-end TV Skills Fund and the creation of the new HETV unscripted working group. With unscripted having an increasing presence within high-end productions, the Funds worked together to co-fund training for archive researchers and VFX management.
As part of job specific training programmes developed by the Fund in areas such as development researcher, junior editor and production assistant, 125 part-funded work-based placements were offered this year, a huge increase on the combined number from the previous two years (133 placements).
A successful new initiative was the series producer gallery training and shadowing programme, a programme designed to help experienced series producers diversify their careers during this period of downturn in the industry by gaining exposure to an area of TV they have not previously worked in – namely gallery/studio-based productions. This has been delivered through a combination of masterclasses from Dan Twist followed by two-week shadowing placements for each delegate on productions including Big Brother: Late & Live, The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, and Morning Live.
Elsewhere, Connect & Inspire sessions were held throughout the year and provided a variety of knowledge-sharing opportunities that responded to industry needs and trends and helped create new skills and connections among the workforce. These included a focus on the Whole Picture Toolkit, in partnership with the Film and TV charity, Diversification to future-proof your career, understanding rights in streaming and multi-platform, branded content, podcasts, co-production funding models, and new and future tech in partnership with ITV Studios.
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