“Working on Adolescence was nothing short of one of the best experiences of my life.”
When Sam Thornton was welcomed on the groundbreaking show, it quickly became the career-changing opportunity he was looking for. The location trainee had secured a placement on the Yorkshire production through ScreenSkills Trainee Finder programme, a flagship new entrant initiative providing paid production placements alongside tailored training for those at the start of their screen careers.
He wasn’t alone. Through a range of ScreenSkills High-end TV Skills Fund supported programmes, 14 crew members received placements on the biggest TV show of the year.
These placements are a crucial part of the programmes developed by ScreenSkills to provide vital on-the-job training for those at every stage of their screen careers. The Animation, Children’s TV, Film, High-end TV and Unscripted TV Skills Funds all work closely with industry across the UK to deliver training, resources, and opportunities to crew in the nations and regions.
As part of our Spotlight series, we’re taking a closer look at some of the investments made in the regions and the training put in place to help develop the area’s workforce. This month we’re focusing on ScreenSkills support and industry-funded activity in Yorkshire.
Industry insight and research informs investment
Investments made by each of the Skills Funds are shaped by the collaborative relationship they share with industry, enabling them to develop tailored training to meet the demands of the sector. Guidance from these conversations is paired with industry-wide research to further inform decision-making.
As part of the commitment underlined in the five-year strategy launched in 2024, ScreenSkills, in partnership with 4Skills and Ampere, carried out a comprehensive research study of the UK screen workforce, to further understand its make-up and tailor opportunities to where their impact will be most keenly felt. Through this, it was established that 8,200 members of those working across production roles are based in Yorkshire.
Since April 2024, 1,501 people from the region have taken part in 341 training activities, events and programmes delivered by ScreenSkills. From online courses to month-long programmes and placements, those at each stage of their screen career have enjoyed training designed to meet the needs of the area and the industry.
These opportunities are developed by the Skills Funds and delivered in partnership with local organisations and training providers.
Discover! Creative Careers in Yorkshire
ScreenSkills runs the Discover! Creative Careers programme which inspires 11–18-year-olds to explore creative industry careers. The flagship event Discover! Creative Careers Month took place throughout November allowing creative industry hosts to showcase their company, team, roles and sector pathways for young people with a number of free events in Yorkshire for schools and colleges to take up across the creative industries.
Leeds City Museum has been taking part for the past two years. Carl Newbould from the museum is also the chair of the access panel for Discover! Creative Careers; he speaks here about how essential the Discover! Creative Careers programme is to allow young people to see from an early age the sorts of creative industries they can get involved with.
HEY Creative in Hull were another organisation who took part – they spearheaded activity in Hull & East Yorkshire for Discover! Creative Careers Week 2024. This was the first time the region as a whole had engaged in the programme. As well as an awareness campaign, HEY Creative hosted 11 showcase events covering a range of artistic disciplines and creative careers that were connected to particular school priorities.
Bursaries
ScreenSkills bursaries are cash grants designed to remove financial obstacles from career progression within the screen industries. They are open to anyone and can be used to pay for a range of career-related fees, from training fees and equipment, to accommodation and driving lessons.
Since April 2024, 44 people from Yorkshire have successfully received a ScreenSkills bursary, receiving a collective total of £32,000.
High-end TV
Yorkshire remains a popular hub for productions, with a wide range of high-end television (HETV) shows basing themselves in the county for the duration of their shoot. Since April 2023, there have been seven productions based in Yorkshire that have contributed to the High-end TV Skills Fund; A Woman of Substance, Adolescence, All Creatures Great and Small S5, Dance School, Reunion, Riot Women and Virdee.
Breakout critical and commercial hit, Adolescence, based at the Production Park near Wakefield, West Yorkshire, became a beacon of how the Fund works with local industry and talent to support those looking to start or progress within a career in screen.
The Warp Films production welcomed 14 candidates from HETV funded programmes onto set, providing vital on-the-job training opportunities for those at different stages of their screen careers.
The Fund’s pre-new entrant programme, First break, was developed to demystify entry into the TV industry for individuals who otherwise would most likely never consider the sector as a career path. It invited those living close to the production base with no prior experience of working in TV to take part in an Open Doors TV taster event, a ‘need to know’ training day, paid work shadowing and one-to-one career development support.
More than 70 local people attended the taster event, leading to nine individuals being offered the opportunity of paid work experience on the production through the programme.
The production team also demonstrated their commitment to supporting new talent by taking on three trainees in costume, locations and production office through the ScreenSkills new entrant programme, Trainee Finder. Two further crew members were supported in the locations and art departments by the Make a Move programme, designed to help mid-level professionals step up to more senior roles. In addition, more than 20 crew working as a head of department or supervisory level attended Leadership and Management training.
For new entrant Sam Thornton, the placement proved to be a memorable one: “I have so many highlights of working on Adolescence I couldn’t possibly write them all down!”. The Leeds local joined production as location trainee through the Fund’s flagship Trainee Finder programme, a new entrant initiative that provides paid placements alongside bespoke training to those looking to start their career within the industry.
The seamless one-shot nature of the show highlighted the collaborative nature of production. Sam explained: “For the one take to work, we had to shut roads, have control over roads, control the public, and keep the public and crew safe, and so much more. It really did require the best work from every single member of the crew and without the whole crew working together as a collective it would not have been possible. It was a unique and special job and one I am super proud to have worked on.”
It wasn’t just new entrants who were offered placements on the production either. Those looking to progress in their career by stepping up to more senior positions were given vital on-set experience through the Fund’s Make a Move initiative.
Sharon Wood was one of the participants, using her time on Adolescence to step up to location manager (LM). She said: “Adolescence was the perfect production in which to take the step up to LM. I feel the placement has been really successful and I was able to take on more responsibility, mainly around the departmental budget which is a key area I wanted to be across as part of this journey.”
The range of programmes supported by the Fund enabled Warp Films to provide those in the region with practical learning needed to help further their screen journey. Leo Martin, Head of Production, Warp Films, said: “We understand the importance of the training and development of freelancers and new entrants - working with ScreenSkills on Adolescence helped us support some of the incredible talent we have locally for the benefit of the industry as a whole.”
Other candidates on the Make a Move programme found their careers boosted by placements on further Yorkshire-based productions.
Chanel Akinwande had experience in working in unscripted TV and was eager to use her skills within HETV. Through Make a Move she received a shadow placement as production manager on the upcoming Sally Wainwright drama, Riot Women, set in Hebden Bridge.
She said: “I was able to experience exactly what a production manager does on set. I observed how a large team communicates and collaborates with the PM, and I saw firsthand how the PM solves issues that arise during production. The placement boosted my confidence in my current skills. I have experience in docudramas, and I’ve found that dramas operate on a much larger scale, offering new challenges and opportunities for growth.”
Fellow Skills Fund contributor, Virdee, the Bradford based BBC thriller, was another production that became a home to those on a range of placements via Fund-supported programmes. The production quickly became an example of how ScreenSkills collaborates with industry partners and organisations to support regional workforce.
Through the running of the Fund’s First Break programme, ScreenSkills worked with Screen Yorkshire to deliver a ‘need to know’ training day – providing potential new entrants with vital information around the making of a TV production. Madiha Ansari from Bradford Screen Academy was the programme’s local project manager and helped lead an Open Doors ‘Want to work in TV’ event held at Bradford’s Thornbury Centre that saw members of the production team speak to locals about career pathways and skills needed for working in television.
There have been four productions based in Yorkshire that have contributed to the Film Skills Fund since April 2025. Tinsel Town and Good Boy shot exclusively in the county while both Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale and Wuthering Heights featured significant production in the region, with each also offering placements during production to members of the Trainee Finder programme. The programme provides pathways to entry for those looking to join the screen industries and balances tailored training with paid production placements across a range of departments.
“Screen Skills supplied a dream production assistant who’s been with us ever since and we are now progressing through their Make a Move scheme. Thank you ScreenSkills!”
During production of Wuthering Heights, five candidates from the programme received placements in the art, production, costume and sound departments. A member of the Lucky Chap production team demonstrated the impact that early career training programmes can have, commenting: “Screen Skills supplied a dream production assistant who’s been with us ever since and we are now progressing through their Make a Move scheme. Thank you ScreenSkills!”
Film Forward is another mid-career progression programme developed by the Fund. Launched in 2021, the programme is designed to create change in the industry by improving pathways to leadership across film production roles for under-represented groups. This year, the programme partnered with The Adobe Foundation to support deaf, disabled and neurodivergent mid-level film professionals working in post-production departments.
York-based technical artist Graham Oliver joined this year’s Film Forward cohort, receiving a placement with BILD Studios as an Unreal Engine operator as part of the programme. On joining, he said: “Programmes like Film Forward are game-changers for our industry. It’s tackling the real problem of who gets to climb the ladder into senior roles, especially in cutting-edge areas like virtual production. Getting hands-on experience with companies like Bild Studios through paid placements is exactly what's needed to help talented people make that crucial jump from mid-level to leadership positions.”
Unscripted TV
In 2016 the TV Skills Fund developed the series producer programme, designed to develop the next generation of showrunners by providing them with the knowledge, skills and network to progress into a leadership role with confidence. Now run by the Unscripted TV Skills Fund, the programme is open to those outside of London and the South East and underlined the Fund’s commitment to creating opportunities for progression across the Nations and regions.
Holly Cocker is a producer who took part in the programme in 2023/24. She said: “It was absolutely life changing! My career goals are reachable, I’ve made an amazing set of friends for life and I feel like I’ve emerged as a confident, experienced, knowledgeable SP.”
A development researcher programme supported by the Fund focused on the essential skills needed to work in development including idea creation, editing and software, and communication skills. Candidates were offered placements with the development team of an unscripted production company to allow them to consolidate their skills, put their knowledge into practice and make vital industry connections.
Adam Barber, Production Executive at Air TV, offered placements from the programme to his Yorkshire based company. He said: “Air TV was delighted to participate in the Unscripted TV Development Researcher Training Programme. Supporting fresh talent is vital for the future of the industry, and this initiative gives researchers the skills, confidence and creativity to thrive in the Development Researcher role. It’s a brilliant way to strengthen the pipeline of diverse ideas and people that keep unscripted TV original and exciting"
Animation and Children’s TV
This year’s Children’s Media Conference was held in Sheffield and saw members of the screen industry specialising in content for the under 18s arrive in the Yorkshire city for three days of creative discussions, connection forming and idea development.
Members of the ScreenSkills team were in attendance at the conference where the Animation Skills Fund sponsored the Shake It Off! A Pre-CMC Gathering event. It offered attendees the chance to join small groups of industry peers and discuss topics within an ever-evolving industry. Guests were invited to join groups to hear advice, professional insight, ask questions or just join in the discussion. Five dedicated groups focused on writing, composing, voice over, producing and animation, the latter welcoming ScreenSkills’ Kieran Argo to the panel of experts.
The Children’s TV Skills Fund created a digital suggestion box for the conference, allowing those from across all levels of the industry to have their say on what support they would like to see made available and share their experiences of the industry.
Responders were invited to highlight particular training needs, industry trends or challenges they would like to be explored. Their answers will help inform how the Skills Fund supports the workforce in this sector progress their careers.