The Unscripted TV Skills Fund invests in a wide suite of training programmes to address industry skill shortages that have been identified as a priority by the Unscripted TV Skills Council and industry working groups.
Discover the training programmes and placements opportunities, and find out what your production can offer and how it works.
Check out the profiles of alumni who have completed training programmes below. On their profiles, you’ll be able to find out more about them including their CVs, contact details, location and other training they have completed.
Placements
The Unscripted TV Skills Fund runs a series of training programmes every year that match delegates with production placements. Check out the current opportunities below and contact USF@screenskills.com.
- Placement dates: between now and July 2024
- Shadow placement length: four weeks
- Subsidy paid directly to the participant so no cost to production company
- 20 placements sought:
- Four weeks in an edit house where an existing series is in the off-line and being edited at a post-production facility or in an in-house edit? One week should be dedicated to observing an online session at a post-production house.
- Access to observe edit suites, watch cuts, and participate in viewings with SPs and execs.
- Placement dates: between now and October 2024
- Placement length: three months
- Subsidy available to the host indie per placement: £2,500
- 40 placements sought:
- Support offered throughout the placement from training provider
- Production companies need to commit to line manage the individual throughout their placement and give them experience completing tasks relevant to the prod assist/prod sec role, on unscripted content
- Placement dates: between now and October 24
- Placement length: Eight-week minimum
- Subsidy available to the host indie per placement: £2,000
- 40 placements sought at post facilities, or production companies with in-house facilities
- Placement dates: between now and May 24
- Placement length: One month
- Subsidy available to the host indie per placement: £1,500
- 60 placements sought
Alumni
Compiled here, for your convenience when on the lookout for the best new talent, are the profiles for alumni of completed training programmes to date.
Delivered by Mission Accomplished, this programme trained a new group of development researcher talent (59 delegates) across the breadth of the UK with the aim of ensuring a pipeline of diverse, skilled and formally trained individuals in the role in unscripted TV.
Delivered by The Pipeline, this programme was designed to build the technical, creative, professional and personal skills needed for the roles of edit assistant and technical operator, among a group of existing postproduction runners, new entrants and transferers to unscripted TV across the UK (37 delegates).
Delivered by Media Career Advice, this programme covered key areas of the role, from setting up shoots and creating call sheets to copyright clearances and managing teams, preparing a group of new entrants and transferers for a career in production management. Individuals on the programme (84 delegates) benefitted from multiple production placements over 12 months in a variety of genres in unscripted TV.
Delivered by Gritty Talent this programme gave those working at AP and PD level (75 delegates) the personal and professional skills and knowledge to take on more challenging projects with confidence.
Delivered by Directors UK and DV Talent, this programme was designed to equip existing researchers across the UK (60 delegates) with the technical, editorial and people skills needed to take the step up to shooting AP.
Delivered by DV Talent, this programme was designed to empower newcomers (54 delegates) to self-shooting to film and direct with confidence, while also building confidence and addressing skills gaps within the existing self-shooting community.
Delivered by The Pipeline, this programme was designed to equip existing edit assistants across the UK (20 delegates) with the technical, creative and professional skills needed to take the step up to junior editor with 6 months of work-based training.
Delivered by DV Talent, this UK-wide programme was designed to equip 30 delegates with the practical skills needed to be a successful production manager, as well as personal skills when managing a team and working harmoniously with executive/series producers, and broadcasters.
Delivered by TRC Media, the sixth year of this flagship programme was focused on those working outside of London and the South East and was designed to give 22 delegates the knowledge, skills and network to make the move from producer to series producer with confidence, and to develop the next generation of showrunners who will become the cornerstones of UK television.
Delivered by Mission Accomplished, this programme was designed to build creative, diverse and fully inclusive development teams (29 delegates) who are better able to deliver successful pitches, create a slate of ideas and win new business.