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 unscripted TV.
Training for the UK unscripted TV industry is supported by the ScreenSkills Unscripted TV Skills Fund (with contributions from productions companies, broadcasters and SVoDs in the UK).
Investment addresses the skills and development needs of unscripted TV, tackling skill gaps and shortages, and ensuring the robust growth of the sector is secured with a fully skilled and inclusive workforce. All priorities are endorsed by the industry led Unscripted TV Skills Council and Steering Group.
The Unscripted TV Skills Fund is looking for an organisation or individual/s who can manage a seventh iteration of its successful training programme for series producers.
Who can apply?
ScreenSkills welcomes applications from individuals, partnerships or organisations who have a proven track record of delivering successful industry standard training projects, or from those who have the networks and contacts across industry and trainers to replicate the standards of excellence in training, industry masterclasses and networking which the Series Producer programme have come to exemplify.
The successful applicant will need to demonstrate their understanding of unscripted TV 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.
We particularly welcome applications from those based in the UK nations and regions, including partnerships between organisations and/or individuals with expertise in unscripted tv.
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 be able to:
- demonstrate evidence of appropriate, recent engagement with the industry at senior level. Ideally with additional experience in the design and delivery of career development programmes but this is not essential
- 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.
Key requirements
The applicant must market, recruit, manage, and deliver a programme for industry talent working at series producer level in any genre of unscripted TV.
The training needs to be designed to give delegates the knowledge, skills and network to make the move from producer to series producer/series director with confidence and to develop the next generation of showrunners who will become the cornerstones of UK television.
Industry engagement with the programme must be cross broadcaster and indie wide, pan genre.
The programme needs to offer participants:
- unrivalled training delivered by industry experts
- inspirational masterclasses and behind-the-scenes briefing at broadcasters
- speed-dating with commissioners and talent managers
- continuous one-to-one support, career advice and coaching
- bespoke development
- discounted/free entry to selected festivals and industry events
- mentoring by commissioners
Delegates continue to work whilst on the Programme so training must be scheduled with this in mind.
Participant targets
The training should be for 10-15 people based outside of London and the Southeast and should target new or aspiring series producers who have a minimum of three years’ experience at producer/director level in linear and/or digital production.
The following are the minimum diversity targets for this programme:
- 100% beneficiaries based outside London and the Southeast
- 20% from a minority ethnic group (ethnicity aim)
- 50% women (gender aim)
- 12% disability (disability aim)
- 10% LGBT (sexual orientation and gender identity aim)
- 30% social inclusion (based on parental occupation)
Providing access to diverse crew and talent is key to our delivery objectives. All trainers and companies delivering programmes that are funded by the Unscripted TV Skills Fund must meet the identified diversity requirements for participants. If they fail to do so, they must show robust evidence of why a target has not been met.
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. After clicking the button below, training providers will be emailed by the USF team and asked to complete a 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.
How much can you apply for?
We are looking for bids of up to £120,000*
All our funds are treated as grants and therefore are not applicable for VAT.
*Historically there has been a participant fee for this Programme which contributes to the overall budget.
Deadlines
All expressions of interest should be sent directly to the Unscripted TV Skills Fund team via the 'register interest' button by Sunday 27 October.
If you are successful in being shortlisted, you will be required to submit an online application form and a budget by Sunday 24 November. Applicants will be notified of a decision by w/c 16 December.
All subsequent correspondence on your expression of interest will come from USF@screenskills.com We would advise adding this email address to your safe senders list to ensure you do not miss any communication from us.
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 intend to include a charge to the delegates for the training, we will also expect your budget to include a reasonable bursary allocation (in line with the social inclusion target) to ensure no potential applicants are deterred.
Please ensure that, where applicable, costs are shown in your budget inclusive of VAT. This also applies to any delegates fees you may charge.
If you intend to collect applications through your own website (rather than through ScreenSkills), we will expect assurances of your understanding of and compliance with GDPR.
If you would like to discuss any aspect of this tender, or your proposal, before submitting your Expression of Interest, please contact us at USF@screenskills.com.