The British Film Institute (BFI) has awarded £9.6m of National Lottery funding over three years to support skills development and training in the screen industries across the UK.
The BFI said the funding responds directly to recommendations in last year’s BFI Skills Review, in particular to make the sector more accessible and representative, and to build a skilled workforce across the UK.
The funding focusses on establishing localised support for skills development and training, with a focus on creating new opportunities for people from underrepresented backgrounds.
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Six BFI Skills Clusters have been awarded a total of £8.1m over three years and will be led by organisations covering the following areas:
- Screen Yorkshire (North of England): £2.3m
- Film London (London, Hertfordshire, Surrey, and Buckinghamshire): £2.2m
- Creative Scotland (Scotland): £1.1m
- Create Central (West Midlands): £1m
- Northern Ireland Screen (Northern Ireland): £0.9m
- Resource Productions (Berkshire): £0.6m
The BFI expects to make further announcements on Skills Clusters funding in Wales so that there is at least one cluster in each nation of the UK.
In addition £1.5m has been delegated to ScreenSkills for a Skills Bursary Fund, providing direct financial support to help new entrants and those already working ‘behind the camera’ in the screen industry to access new training, skills and professional development opportunities.
To oversee the BFI’s National Lottery supported skills activity, Sara Whybrew has been appointed as head of National Lottery Skills Programmes.
Whybrew joins the BFI from ScreenSkills, where she worked as apprenticeships and policy consultant.
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