New Animation Trainee Finder Cohort announced

Thirty 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.

The group have taken part in a recent industry induction bootcamp and the ScreenSkills team are now seeking paid placements for them on animation productions across the UK, with the cohort made up of animators (2D, 3D, stop motion), storyboard artists, production trainees and art department trainees.

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.

The trainees represent the programme’s second cohort after its launch in 2021. Laura Jeffcote was one of the 20 candidates, she said: “It was phenomenal. I worked with animation professionals who were so knowledgeable. I learned loads, absolutely loads about designing for animation. My confidence increased as an animation designer and, most significantly, once you have worked on an animation pipeline, you understand how it all works. The knowledge and practical experience of a pipeline is invaluable.”

One of those looking forward to their time on the new programme is Kat Haddow, she said: "I am absolutely thrilled to be accepted into this year’s ScreenSkills Animation Trainee Finder programme. Since graduating I have been working to develop transferable skills and take on opportunities for myself in order to progress towards working in animation production, so I am really looking forward to taking this first step fully into the industry and towards my career goals."

Fellow candidate Hrsitina Iankova agrees, saying: “I feel very honoured to have been chosen as an Animation Trainee as I believe this programme is an incredible opportunity for anyone looking to find their way into the Animation Industry. I am excited to see what this future year brings and I am eager to meet the other Trainees and form connections and friendships."

The successful applicants are:

Peyton Dixon, Sunny Asadi, Khalidah McLarty, Kat Haddow, Finnley Tatarowicz, Cherlindrea Fuster, Ivana Savova, Max Sherwood, Gopika Rakesh, Joy Rachel Burston, Kimberley Davis, Olivia Korsah, Hristina Iankova, Molli Reynolds, Mahnoor Khan, Rebecca Oddy, Tessa Moult-Milewska, Amy Fitzpatrick, Matthew Hendry, Paris Childs, Giulia Chen, Giorgos Konstantinou, Martyna Sikonczyk, DeJarna Plummer Green, Jamie Chua, Donovan Lenten, Sueli Ruiz-Gomez Ferreira, Rahab McQueen, Marth Moreton-Smith, Cheryl Blake

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.