Initiative for Military Veterans
Military veterans now have the chance to retrain to work in the location and unit management department. This is through a new initiative by ScreenSkills High-end TV Skills Fund.
The ScreenSkills location and unit management training will help ex-Armed Forces personnel identify how skills acquired in the military can be translated into behind-the-camera roles in high-end TV production. The Services Sound and Vision Corporation (SSVC) and Creative Media Skills will deliver the programme, which targets professionals who are within two years of leaving the forces. It will introduce the professionals to careers options in the location and unit management department. Careers in this department make up key skills shortages in the screen industry.
The investment in location management training is a response to the projected recruitment difficulties highlighted by the ScreenSkills Quarterly Barometer. This state-of-sector snapshot published in December 2018 concluded that location managers are high in demand. Vacancies in this area are therefore increasingly difficult to fill.
About the Programme
Interested ex-Armed Forces professionals will learn about the challenges and rewards of working in the screen industry during an initial information held at Pinewood Studios on 21 March. There, they will network with location managers and have access to a number of online modules . This will introduce them further to a range of topic. These include the life-cycle of a high-end TV production and the different roles in the department.
Following this, 12 interested participants will attend a two-day intensive boot camp. This will provide a thorough overview of the knowledge needed to be a valuable member of a location team. Finally, six participants will put the knowledge gained from the course during a six-week paid work placement on a high-end TV show.
Why It Works
Kaye Elliott, ScreenSkills Director of High-end TV, said: “ScreenSkills is dedicated to developing talent and crew across the UK. Helping experienced professionals who are looking for a career change to identify how they can use their existing skillset in the screen industry is one way of achieving that. Locations and unit management departments experiencing skills shortages would really benefit from the skills of ex-Armed Forces professionals. So, we are really pleased to support this scheme.”
Kristen Platt, Client Success Manager of SSVC, said: “Self-motivation, resilience and problem-solving are very much in demand in the high-end TV industry. And especially in the location department. We’re delighted that the industry recognizes this and is investing in people coming out of the armed forces, to help them establish careers.”
Source: screenskills.com
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