Military veterans will be given the chance to retrain to work as location managers in the television industry in a new ScreenSkills initiative…
The training is designed to help ex-Armed Forces personnel, who are within two years of leaving the services, identify how skills acquired in the military can be translated into behind-the-camera roles in the screen industry. Many roles in the military – such as medics, drivers and cooks – have a direct equivalent in the screen industry and others involve skills that could easily be transferred.
The new ScreenSkills location manager scheme introduces veterans specifically to jobs which fall in the location and unit management department. People working in this department find places to shoot productions, which not only look right but are safe, accessible and cost-effective.
The investment in location management training is a response to the projected recruitment difficulties highlighted by the ScreenSkills Quarterly Barometer, a state-of-the-sector snapshot of skills needs published in December 2018. It found that location managers are in high demand and vacancies are increasingly difficult to fill.
The initiative is funded by the ScreenSkills High-end TV Skills Fund and will be delivered by the Services Sound and Vision Corporation (SSVC) and Creative Media Skills.
During an initial information evening held at Pinewood Studios on 21st March, veterans will be able to learn about the challenges and rewards of working in the screen industry. They will have the chance to network with industry experts and will be given access to a number of online modules that will introduce them further to a range of topics, including the life-cycle of a high-end TV production and the different roles in the location and unit management department.
Following this, 12 interested participants will be selected by a panel of industry experts to attend a two-day intensive boot camp that is designed to give a thorough overview of the knowledge needed to be a valuable member of a location team. Finally, six participants will be given the opportunity to put the knowledge gained from the course into practice during a six-week paid work placement on a high-end TV show.
Kaye Elliott, ScreenSkills Director of High-end TV, said: “ScreenSkills is dedicated to developing talent and crew across the UK. Helping experienced professionals who are looking for a career change to identify how they can use their existing skillset in the screen industry is one way of achieving that. Locations and unit management departments, which are experiencing skills shortages, would really benefit from the skills of ex-Armed Forces professionals so we are really pleased to support this scheme.”
Kristen Platt, Client Success Manager of SSVC, said: “The self-motivation, people skills, resilience and problem solving that are a part of everyday forces life are very much in demand in the high-end TV industry, especially in the location department. We’re delighted that the industry recognises this and is investing in people coming out of the armed forces, to help them establish careers.”
ScreenSkills is being supported in their recruitment for these programmes by a number of veterans organisations such as Help for Heroes, Walking with The Wounded, The Poppy Factory and Services Into Film.
Learn more about the scheme here.
