Prime Video is launching free virtual and in-person training through an expansion to the Prime Video Pathway initiative.
The new programmes, developed in partnership with the national Film and Television School (NFTS), are a result of extensive research led by the freelance community and tailored to address the challenges faced by those working in the UKs creative industries.
A suite of online short courses will cover emerging areas such as digital production, podcasting, social media, AI, Virtual Production and project management
The TV Freelancers Reskill and Upskill Programme is a comprehensive free virtual training initiative that will offer over 60 one-day online courses reaching up to 1,000 freelancers nationwide, while an intensive three-month in-person programme will provide dedicated support for 100 freelancers who have been out of work for more than four months across the UK.
The programmes are a result of an increased investment in the Prime Video Pathway initiative, launched in 2022 to support talent development and open up routes into the screen industry in the UK.
In addition, the new investment will support further opportunities in senior talent development, mid-career pipelines and skills gaps and new entrant talent.
Freelancers looking to take part can find application information at the National Film and Television School website. The programmes require a minimum of three professional credits for the short courses and minimum of three years in the industry for the three-month face to face courses, and are open to all freelancers regardless of genre, department, grade, and geography.
Discover the programmes and apply to take part
Free online training sessions: Monday 20 - Friday 21 November
The next round of applications open for the online training on Tuesday 28th October at 10am and the final release is on Monday 3rd November at 11am.
Both the online and in-person training will run again in January & February.
Free in-person courses starting November 2025
- podcasting
- digital storytelling
- AI
- filming with a smartphone
complemented with 1-2-1 coaching by CoCreative Future
New Prime Video Pathway Initiatives for 2025
Beyond the flagship freelancer programmes, the additional £2.2M investment will support:
1. Senior Talent Development:
- Year-long step-up opportunities for six under-represented executive producers in unscripted content with leading production companies including Workerbee, Story Films, Studio Lambert, Optomen, Fremantle UK and Initial
- Sponsorship of the nationwide Wonder Women 2026 Mentoring Programme for 31 mid-career women and its Wonder Women Live event held in Manchester during International Women’s Week in March 2026.
2. Mid-Career Pipelines and Skills Gaps:
- A practical "Afro Hair – On Set" course in Scotland with the world-renowned Kevin Fortune Hair Styling Academy and the NFTS Scotland’s Sean Connery Talent Lab. Eight hair stylists attended the practical one-week course in September 2025.
- Support for BIFA's Springboard for 30 second-time feature filmmakers (writers, directors and producers)
3. New Entrant Talent:
- Major funding for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland including support for Europe's only 3-year vocational training course for Deaf actors and care leaving bursaries for students on other courses, plus support for outreach in schools and bursaries for final year students to enable them to take up work experience opportunities.
Continued Programmes:
- NFTS Production Coordinator apprentices in the North and London (8 apprentices)
- NFTS Prime Video Scripted Directors Workshop (6 emerging directors)
- The Grierson DocLab Archive Producers training programme (8 archive producers)
- Financial support for the London Screen Academy - the UK's only free sixth form academy dedicated to screen industries
- Sheffield DocFest Film-Maker Challenge (6 unscripted directors)
- The TV Collective Breakthrough Leaders programme, which collectively aims to develop diverse talent across different sectors of the industry (50 senior black and global majority talent) (supports alongside other partners)
- The NFTS Unscripted Development Diploma year-long weekly night school to learn all the basics of development from brainstorm through deck and sizzle to pitch (16 emerging talent)
- NFTS Scotland’s Sean Connery Talent Lab (24 producers, directors, writers, hair and makeup artists) (supports alongside other partners).