Mentoring

Mentoring can help individuals and their career development. ScreenSkills supports:

  • Mentees
  • Mentors
  • Organisations that wish to participate in mentoring

Whether you are a mentee or a mentor, there are benefits for both. ScreenSkills runs an in-house mentoring programme as well as supports other organisations that wish to offer mentoring. Please click below for more information on these options:

Find out about registering as a mentor

Find out about registering as a mentee

E-Learning modules

ScreenSkills e-learning modules supporting mentoring partnerships - Mentoring for mentors and Mentoring for mentees - are free to access and provide an introduction to the concept of mentoring for either the mentor or mentee. This online training is supported by the BFI, awarding National Lottery funds as part of its Future Film Skills strategy. The e-learning modules can be found in the ScreenSkills training course directory or can be accessed via the links below:

Benefits of mentoring

Benefits of mentoring for both parties include:

  • Seeing things from another’s perspective
  • Increasing your network
  • Giving and receiving feedback
  • Developing communication skills
  • Learning from the ideas and experiences of someone who is different to you
  • Using your creativity
  • Boosting your job satisfaction
  • A deeper appreciation of diversity and inclusivity

Download mentoring resources

Below is some information for mentors and mentees. More information and guidance for organisations is available through emailing mentoring@screenskills.com.

You will find a longer guide and a shorter briefing about what mentoring is all about, what to expect and what is expected of you. The ‘sessions flow’ document illustrates how you can structure the mentoring conversations. Use the session log template to record what was discussed and agreed in the session. Use the action plan template to formalise the actions the mentee will do between sessions.  If as a mentor you ever feel you are not able to help your mentee you may find the information in ‘great mentors do not need all the answers’ useful.

Our mentoring community

Join our mentoring community

Can your organisation give back to the industry whilst developing its own staff? Do you and your colleagues want to share your industry experience and boost your careers?

To assist organisations in setting up mentoring programmes, ScreenSkills can provide:

  • Free information and support
  • Free training and consultancy
  • Advice on sourcing suitable mentees from within your organisation, external to your organisation or from the ScreenSkills Mentoring Programme
  • In some cases, financial support  

Follow these three steps to become of ScreenSkills’ mentoring partner organisations:

  1. Contact us to find out more about mentoring benefits and activities at mentoring@screenskills.com
  2. We will provide free information and support to make sure your organisation has everything needed to start mentoring. This can include training, consultancy or funding to run your own mentoring programme.
  3. Recruit mentors in your organisation to help professionals across the UK develop and progress in their careers.

The ScreenSkills Mentoring Network is supported by the BFI with funds from the National Lottery under the BFI’s Future Film Skills Strategy. The Mentoring Network runs across all sectors of the screen industry and across the UK.  It is aimed at:

  • New entrants
  • Those who want to progress within or across the industry
  • Those who want to return after a break 

Meet our mentoring community

Here you can find information and links to organisations and charities within the wider screen industry across the UK who offer mentoring schemes or mentoring support as part of a wider initiative or as part of our Mentoring Network. Together we are providing a mentoring community of best practice. If you are an organisation charity or a productdion company interested in finding out more about joining the community of best practice, please contact mentoring@screenskills.com.

ACCESS: VFX

ACCESS: VFX is a global, industry-led, non-profit comprised of 40 leading companies, industry bodies and educational establishments in the VFX, animation and games industries. It focuses on actively pursuing and encouraging inclusion, diversity, awareness and opportunity under its four pillars of inspiration, education, mentoring and recruitment. ACCESS: VFX has united over 100 passionate people around the common goal of addressing the lack of diversity in the VFX industry. Together they have run more than 50 events and reached thousands of potential future employees of primary school age and above across the UK, US and Canada - working with organisations including We Are Stripes, Into Film, This Ability and The Foundry. 

BEATS

B E A T S is a not-for-profit organisation founded by British East Asians working in Theatre and across the Screen industry.

B E A T S are proud to be launching at mentoring scheme targeting British East Asian writers and directors working in the screen industry in 2020.

Directors UK

Directors UK is pleased to announce the continuation of Inspire, the year-round mentoring programme Directors UK members, which aims to encourage directors across all genres to seek structured support to enhance their career opportunities. Applicants should email a named mentor or mentee, an outline of key objectives of the mentoring experience (no more than two pages) and a CV to training@directors.uk.com. Applicants must be Full or Associate members of Directors UK. The third and final deadline of the 2018/2019 application cycle is Friday 5th April.

Edinburgh TV Festival

The Network is a free entry-level scheme for anyone aged 18+ who wants to start a career in television which takes place every August alongside the Edinburgh TV Festival. 60 delegates get four days of masterclasses, workshops and practical TV-making experience led by industry professionals, as well as a year of mentoring and access to exclusive paid jobs.

Ones to Watch gives television’s best and brightest access to four days of inspiring sessions, creative debate and unrivalled networking opportunities at Edinburgh in August, as well as support and mentoring throughout the year. A place on Ones to Watch is a life-changing, money-can’t-buy opportunity.

Resource Productions

If you are a freelancer within the creative industries and need help finding your next film job, please contact us on projects@resource-productions.co.uk  to join our #CreativeCollective. Our aim is to connect freelancers, from make-up artists and production accountants to camera operators and editors, with new contacts, networks, job opportunities and training. We can offer one-to-one sessions, help with travel expenses, subsistence, childcare and accommodation costs and we can offer small training and support bursaries tailored around you. 

The Royal Television Society

The Royal Television Society (RTS) runs two bursary schemes – one for undergraduate students studying television production, journalism or a related course at level 5 or above, the other (a technology bursary) for students studying a degree in computer science, engineering, physics or maths. All students are from lower income households. RTS arrange mentoring from industry professionals for bursary students, as well as providing  masterclasses, invaluable networking opportunities, support into work and a summer tour of the Industry for technology bursary students. More information is available on the RTS website.

Sara Putt Associates

The Sara Putt Associates Trainee Scheme offers new entrants working in craft and technical roles a range of training, mentoring and professional support to help them successfully manage a freelance career. Over the course of ten months, trainees receive training in CV writing, networking, finance for freelancers, negotiation and resilience, as well as two 1-2-1 mentoring sessions with an agent and access to the diary service and production lists. 

Talking Point

Talking Point is a film and television industry training provider, running a wide range of courses and programmes for those wanting to work in the industry and those who are already established in their department. Their Mentoring Network programme focuses on providing the film industry with the talent it needs in identified physical production roles.

Women in Film & Television

Women in Film & TV (UK) is the leading membership organisation for women working in creative media in the UK, and part of an international network of over 10,000 women worldwide. Members of our organisation come from a broad range of professions spanning the entire creative media industry.

We host a variety of events throughout the year, present a glamorous awards ceremony every December, and run a mentoring programme for women in the industry. We also host networking evenings, collaborate with industry bodies on research projects and lobby for women’s interests.

The Screen Community

The Screen Film Community has been running Film & Television training and Games Design courses aimed at a young and diverse audience, and its USP is that it brings in diverse industry professionals to teach. The mentoring scheme will comprise of 2 strands in that it will involve mentoring 30 mentees to include:

  • Young, BAME and female beneficiaries, guiding them into roles such as running, production assistant / production management and also assistant directing. 
  • Providing mentoring for more experienced BAME + female members, with the aim of pushing their career further in producing and directing.