ScreenSkills pilots training passport

ScreenSkills, in partnership with BBC Studios, ITV Studios and Sky, is piloting a pan-industry training passport. The ScreenSkills Training passport will provide a record of standardised and industry-approved training that production staff and freelancers can take from one production to the next. As part of developing the pilot, ScreenSkills also consulted with Pact. The pilot will launch later this month (May 2024) and run for six months.

“To ensure people can move between production jobs as easily as possible, ScreenSkills has worked in partnership with BBC Studios, ITV Studios and Sky to develop and pilot a training passport. This will offer both production staff and freelancers, industry-approved and standardised training that can also support their ongoing training needs and help develop their careers further,” commented Laura Mansfield, CEO, ScreenSkills. “The passport will also enable our partners to streamline their own onboarding processes, making the process simpler and more efficient for employer and employee alike.”

The ScreenSkills Training Passport will offer numerous benefits for employers as well as production staff and freelancers. For broadcasters, studios and production companies, the passport ensures that there is a high quality standard of training built into productions from the start. This will enable employers to hire future crew with confidence and move more quickly into production.

Production staff and freelancers will be able to complete all the necessary training via the ScreenSkills website, and they will receive a completion certificate to use when applying for production roles. To complete the training passport, freelancers will need to register for a ScreenSkills account.

Martyn Freeman, Chief Operating Officer, BBC Studios, says: “We’re very pleased to have initiated this work with ScreenSkills and our production partners to trial what we hope will make important industry training less complicated for our freelance colleagues and more efficient for us as employers when recruiting. The modules chosen represent areas of particular importance to BBC Studios from a cultural and behavioural point of view. Our business and industry thrives on freelance engagement, so the introduction of the ScreenSkills Training Passport, enabling smoother transition from company to company, should be welcomed all round.”

David Osborn, Chief People Officer, ITV, said: "We are delighted to be involved in this pioneering initiative and look forward to rolling the pilot out. Along with our partners, we are passionate about equipping our freelancers with the resources they need to develop their careers and we hope that the ScreenSkills Training Passport will be a welcome addition."

Caroline Cooper, Chief Operating Officer, Sky Studios said: “This initiative will allow us to further support and develop UK talent, ensuring there is standardised, recognisable training across the industry and allowing the freelance community to work across projects with ease. We’re delighted to be working with ScreenSkills, other broadcasters and production partners to make this a reality and we’re excited to kick-start it on some of our upcoming Sky Originals.”

As part of the training passport, production staff and freelancers for BBC Studios, ITV Studios and Sky will need to complete two ScreenSkills e-learning modules. Both were produced with industry and subject specialists and are free The modules are:

• Tackling harassment and bullying at work - Based on the principles of zero tolerance guidelines developed with organisations across the film, television and games industries by BFI and BAFTA, the module is design to help recognise and address harassment and bullying behaviours in the work place.
• Safeguarding for all - An introduction to safeguarding for all people working in the screen industries including keeping people safe on productions and the workplace, identifying signs of harm or abuse and how to report it.

Production staff on Sky Originals will also be required to complete ScreenSkills’ Work Well e-learning on Addressing Unconscious Bias and Introduction to Mental Health.

Additionally, production staff and freelancers employed or engaged by either BBC Studios or ITV Studios will be required to complete additional specific training that will also be hosted on the ScreenSkills website.

The first productions that will be using the training include BBC Studios’ The One Show, Casualty and the next series of entertainment hit Strictly Come Dancing; ITV Studios will begin its rollout of the pilot with MultiStory Media’s current affairs shows Tonight and The Martin Lewis Money Show Live Summer Special; and it will be rolled out across a number of Sky Original productions this summer.

As ScreenSkills account holders, people will be reminded when they need to update their training. They will also receive recommendations for further training that could be beneficial for their career development. The pilot will also provide the opportunity for ScreenSkills and its partners to identify new and emerging areas of essential onboarding training for future development.