The British Film Institute (BFI) has awarded £600,000 over three years to a Berkshire-based ‘Skills Cluster’ to make the industry more accessible and help train and develop new and emerging film and TV production crew.
Slough-based Resource Productions CIC, Shinfield Studios and the University of Reading have recently partnered to create the cluster, which led to the successful bid for funding.
The funding is part of a wider industry initiative to support skills training and development across the UK as the film and TV production industry faces an acute skills shortage. The scheme aims to create new opportunities for new entrants to the workforce, those from underrepresented backgrounds, individuals upskilling and over 50s jobseekers returning to work.
It comes as the Berkshire region continues to grow in significance for the film and TV production sector. Recent developments include the ongoing construction of Shinfield Studios. On completion, this brand-new, state-of-the-art production facility is set to become the fourth largest of its kind in the UK. With part of the site already open, it has started to attract some of the world’s most famous film and TV productions.
The Berkshire cluster will be led by social enterprise Resource Productions CIC, with all groups involved working closely together to help identify skills shortages and coordinate training opportunities for production crew in the local area. The aim is to build a larger local skills base and help people find viable routes into the screen industry, while also providing effective career development support.
Find out more about the project here.
