Written by Kianna Best on Apr 19, 2023. Posted in Awards and Festivals

Film London to boost film and television skills with GBP 2.2 million award

The British Film Institute has awarded Film London with GBP 2.2 million by way of National Lottery Funding. This investment will contribute to the Metro London Skills Cluster in partnership with the National Film and Television School (NFTS) covering London and three Gateway counties. The programme will focus on three broad thematic areas including employability, Workforce Retention and Progression for New Entrants and Curriculum Development/Pilots.

Contributing to an industry which has seen billions of pounds generated for the economy and subsequent jobs created due to such, the screen industry in the UK is on an exponential rise that shows no signs of stopping. To meet the demand for skilled talent in the industry, the recent investment into the new skills cluster is ensuring the development of the workforce.

Image courtesy of Kal Visuals by Unsplash

Adrian Wootton OBE, Chief Executive for Film London, said: “Global demand for screen content is at an all-time high, creating opportunities at every level. So it’s vital that we continue to develop our talented, diverse workforce here in London, to capitalise on the demand and fill thousands of new jobs being created,” commented Adrian Wootton OBE, chief executive for Film London.“The studio space across London and the South East continues to expand in response to this production boom, but the high volume of production means that the skills shortage - which is impacting all areas of the screen sector - is even more acute. The Metro London Skills Cluster region has some of the biggest opportunities for growth and our thanks go to the BFI for awarding the funds to deliver this work. It is a pleasure to partner with NFTS and to provide an even wider level of access to opportunities across London and the South East.”

Image courtesy of Chris Murray by Unsplash

Film London and NFTS are set to work with Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney, Netflix and Amazon, with the studios being used as a base for physical production. In addition to the two leading partners, three other partners joining the Metro London Skills Cluster are the Association of Colleges (AoC) and London Higher, the Capital City College Group (CCCG) and Middlesex University. Championing the industry, the Mayor of London’s Creative Skills Academy which launched in 2022 will become part of the Skills Cluster.

Dr Jon Wardle, director of National Film and Television School, said: “The NFTS is proud to be working with Film London on the Metro London Skills Cluster, and with the other BFI Skills Clusters across the country, to deliver lasting change to the industry. We are fully committed to ensuring the demand for highly trained creative workers is met by the nurturing of diverse future talent in our region and the delivery of world class courses, as well as opportunities to ‘get a foot in the door’.”