ScreenSkills invites training providers or industry professionals to tender for new training designed to address skills shortages and gaps and to help build a more inclusive workforce in high-end TV.
Training for the UK high-end TV industry is supported by the ScreenSkills High-end TV Skills Fund (with contributions from production companies, broadcasters and SVoDs in the UK).
The High-end TV Skills Fund is looking for an organisation or individual/s who can design and run a VFX for production team training programme for 10 High-end TV professionals working and/or living in Northern Ireland.
Who can apply?
ScreenSkills welcomes applications from individuals, partnerships or organisations that have a proven track record of delivering successful industry-standard training projects. We particularly welcome applications from providers based in the UK nations and regions, including partnerships between organisations and/or in partnership with freelance VFX producers, artists or supervisors who have worked in HETV.
The successful applicant will need to demonstrate their understanding of HETV training requirements, including the diversity challenges facing the industry and must clearly demonstrate that they have the resources to track the career progression of participants beyond the life of the programme.
If applicants are already delivering similar training and can expand their offer to include the scope outlined below, they are also welcome to apply.
Applicants must:
- demonstrate evidence of appropriate, recent engagement with the industry in the design and delivery of the programme
- meet critical diversity targets as outlined in this tender, including:
- making reasonable adjustments to the training (whether face-to-face, content or online and including during the application process) to make it accessible to a diverse audience – we will ask for evidence of your approach and implementation.
- having an equality policy in place as an employer
- having a monitoring system in place to track the diversity of the delegates, see this guide
- providing diversity and inclusivity training to facilitators – (see free ACAS online training).
- gather long-term destination data from the delegates to prove impact of training utilising the ScreenSkills monitoring questionnaire.
- develop a clear structure for the training, ensuring that it is outcome focused.
- discuss and agree with those taking part in the programme that they will provide feedback on the training if requested which would include providing ScreenSkills with a quote on their experience on the training.
Key requirements
The applicant must design, manage, market, recruit and deliver a VFX for production team training programme for 10 High-end TV professionals working and/or living in Northern Ireland..
The training should target production team talent including production managers, line producers and production co-ordinators.
The purpose of this training is to give HETV production team talent a background knowledge of VFX processes, terminology, techniques, software, costs and scheduling considerations so they can confidently work on HETV productions that use VFX and effectively communicate with other departments on HETV productions about using VFX.
The programme should cover the following:
- introduction to VFX tools, techniques, terminology and software used most often on HETV productions
- duties of VFX team (producers, supervisors, coordinators and artists) and how they interact with Production teams.
- budgeting and scheduling for VFX in HETV
The successful training provider will also:
- market the programme across Northern Ireland to the appropriate audiences and will produce a robust outreach plan.
- ensure participants also complete all relevant free e-learning courses available via the ScreenSkills website: https://www.screenskills.com/online-learning/
The HETV Skills Fund is interested in hearing interpretations of how this programme can be delivered and encourage applicants to recommend further topic areas to enhance this training. The ScreenSkills’ Skills Checklists may be helpful.
Participant aims
The training should be for up to 10 participants based in Northern Ireland and should target production team talent including production managers, line producers and production co-ordinators.
The following are the minimum diversity targets for this programme:
- 100% of beneficiaries living and/or working in Northern Ireland
- 20% minority ethnic (ethnicity aim)
- 50% women (gender aim)
- 10% disability (disability aim)
- 10% LGBT (sexual orientation and gender identity aim)
ScreenSkills aims to go beyond legal diversity requirements and considers additional measures of inclusivity, including:
- employment status
- whether a person is returning to work following leave
- geographical location (including representation of nations and regions)
- socio-economic background.
Providing access to diverse crew and talent is key to our delivery objectives. All trainers and companies delivering programmes that are funded by the High-end TV Skills Fund must meet the identified diversity requirements. If they fail to do so, they must show robust evidence of why a target has not been met. If diversity targets are not met, the project could be at risk of losing funding.
We require all Skills Fund-funded programme participants to set up a ScreenSkills profile via our website and to provide diversity data at this point. Participants must complete their profile and diversity data before the training begins
How to apply
At this stage we are requesting an expression of interest. Please complete this brief document outlining the key aspects of the proposed programme, how the key requirements of the training sessions will be met, information about the company and the provider’s capacity to deliver training.
If you have access requirements and would like an alternative way to submit your application, or would like any support in completing the expression of interest form, please email Mairead.kelly@screenskills.com and we will be happy to help.
How much can you apply for?
We are looking for bids of up to £15,000 for the resource creation, training and management of this programme.
Bids that can demonstrate funding match to maximise the budget will be welcome.
All our funds are treated as grants and therefore are not applicable for VAT.
Deadlines
Please save your completed form with this naming convention: ‘EOI – NI HETV VFX for production team training – [Trainer/Training Company]’.
Then submit the form via the register interest butoon below by Monday 15 July 2024
If you are successful in being shortlisted, you will be required to submit an online application form and a budget.
Other useful information
If you progress to full application, we will expect you to detail your plans for ensuring the programme and application process are accessible including, but not limited to, alternative application formats, marketing and the delivery of training.
As part of accessibility, we expect your budget to include a reasonable bursary allocation for delegates who risk being excluded due to costs including, but not limited to, travel and caring responsibilities.
If you would like to discuss any aspect of this tender, or your proposal, before submitting your Expression of Interest, please contact Mairead.kelly@screenskills.com