The North's screen development agencies have combined to secure a £2.3m investment aimed at building a skilled workforce across the regions.
North East Screen has joined forces with Screen Yorkshire, Liverpool Film Office and Screen Manchester to form Screen Alliance North, a BFI skills cluster which has collectively been awarded BFI National Lottery Funding to make the sector more accessible and representative.
The BFI has announced an initial roll out of £8.1m to its partners across the UK, to support the screen production workforce through skills clusters, helping organisations to work collaboratively with local industry, education and training providers to develop pathways to long-term employment in film and TV production.
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As Screen Alliance North, the four Northern screen agencies will support each other and leverage additional local funding, to maximise the impact of the £2.3m funding awarded following a BFI skills review. The Alliance is one of six clusters across the UK who have received funding for three years.
Sara Whybrew, Head of National Lottery Skills Programmes at the BFI, said: “The North of England has a world leading cultural offer and a rich history that the screen sector is a vital part of. The unified approach being taken by Screen Alliance North to developing and supporting a greater diversity of local talent to enter the screen workforce speaks to the impressive leadership of the Alliance. The BFI is delighted to be supporting their ambitions with National Lottery funding and I look forward to meeting many of the beneficiaries they’ll support over the coming months and years.”
The investment aims to help organisations to build on existing production infrastructure, while also providing new opportunities and helping to grow local crew bases. The funding focusses on establishing support for skills development and training, aiming to create new opportunities for people from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue careers in the sector.
Alison Gwynn, chief executive at North East Screen said: “We believe in a screen sector where access to opportunity is the norm and outdated preconceptions are banished. Whatever your background or wherever you live, we see a future for those with the ambition of working in the sector.”
Caroline Cooper-Charles, chief executive at Screen Yorkshire said: “Screen Alliance North will build a thriving screen workforce in the North of England that will reflect our diverse, talented and ambitious communities, our dynamic culture and rich heritage and will drive development so that we become a beacon of sustainable screen production.”
Lynn Saunders, chief executive at Liverpool Film Office said: “We are a uniquely northern partnership, grounded in a national context with sights set internationally. As we work closely with the screen industries and regional authorities, we can connect industry knowledge, opportunities and partnerships so that we can help boost regional economy and employment.”
Rob Page, managing director of Screen Manchester, added: “The scale of our footprint across the whole of the North of England will give us the opportunity to identify the skills needed, to reach out to new entrants from a range of backgrounds to support their journeys and steer decision-makers and providers towards sustainable skills provision.
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