25 candidates have been welcomed onto ScreenSkills’ Animation Trainee Finder programme, the flagship initiative for new entrants with less than a year’s paid experience in animation.
Developed using contributions to the Animation Skills Fund, the two-year long programme provides guided training and vital on-the-job learning opportunities through paid placements across a range of production.
Emma Turner, Head of Film, Animation and Future Skills, ScreenSkills, said: “A big welcome and huge congratulations to the new Animation Trainee Finder candidates. It’s a programme that we’re really proud of and I know how excited each member of the cohort is to get started and take that vital next step in their careers. We developed Trainee Finder to provide that critical pathway that connects people with opportunity, and it’s a programme that has already had a huge impact on its previous members so I look forward to following the journeys of the new trainees for the next two years and beyond.”
The new cohort met and took part in an industry induction session alongside members of the ScreenSkills team. The new trainees will now be available for placements on animation productions across the UK, working as 2D, 3D and stop motion animation, storyboard artists, production assistants and in the art and edit departments.
New cohort member Rowan Tupper said: "I can't wait to get involved with the ScreenSkills Animation Trainee Finder Programme. This is an incredible opportunity to learn firsthand from professionals and take the next step in my career as an animator."
Fellow trainee Susannah Bolton, is eager to learn new skills, commenting: “This opportunity will allow me to keep learning, develop new skills and make connections in the world of animation production coordination.”
Stop motion animator Annabel Howe is excited to get an opportunity within the industry. She said: “As someone who has tried to enter the animation industry for the past two years, finding opportunities and getting a foot in the door has been really difficult, and I believe that ScreenSkills is the perfect chance for me."
Alongside the paid placements, the cohort will also receive industry guidance and networking experience, granting them a range of valuable animation experience over the course of the programme.
Faye Craig is looking forward to receiving a rounded training experience: “I’m really grateful that the beginning of my journey into the animation industry can be one that is supportive and learning driven. I hope to not only immerse myself in new environments, but embrace challenges in order to grow as an animator”
The successful applicants are:
Hope Hewart, Leticia Liggett, Rowan Tupper, Nicholas Buckley, Amy Annakin, Susannah Bolton, Verity Broad, Donubari Kobani, Ellen Paynter, Ashley Lim, Cameron Sorsky, Lucy Keegan, Angelica Hirabe, Lucy Easthop, Sam Graham, Jasmine Claydon, Niamh McArdle, Annabel Howe, Carrie Anderson, Maye Liu, Katie Rosenberg, Nour Khamis, Siri Mutty, Faye Craig, Andrea Villaester.
The initiative extends the highly respected trainee finder programmes across film and high-end tv that have helped develop the careers of crew members looking to work in the screen industry. Each of the placements are subsidised by the Animation Skills Fund for the participating production company. Productions interested in taking trainees should contact Matt Brothers, ScreenSkills’ film and animation coordinator.