SIF FAQ's
What exactly is the Skills Investment Fund (SIF) and what does it mean for me? Here are some answers to frequently asked questions to tell you more about the SIF.
What is the Skills Investment Fund (SIF)?
How is the SIF contribution calculated?
Who can I talk to about the SIF?
What type of training does the SIF support?
Why is the SIF becoming mandatory?
What is a Film Industry Training Board(FITB)?
How will the mandatory levy rates be set?
Will all films have to pay the levy?
When will the mandatory levy be introduced?
How can I find out more about the mandatory levy?
What is the Skills Investment Fund (SIF)?
A voluntary levy (payment) made by film productions shooting in the UK or those in receipt of UK public funding.
The contributions are used to directly support the training and development of the film industry's production workforce.
The fund has been operating since September 1999, in partnership with PACT, the Motion Picture Association (MPA), BECTU, the UK Film Council, and administered by Skillset.
All films shooting partly or wholly in the UK are asked to make a SIF contribution. For films that receive production funding from a UK public funder (BBC Films, Regional and National Screen Agencies, the UK Film Council) the SIF is a mandatory (compulsory) payment.
How is the SIF contribution calculated?
The SIF is calculated as a 0.5% contribution of the production budget up to a maximum contribution of £39,500.
Who can I talk to about the SIF?
Contact Kristen Platt, the SIF Coordinator at Skillset on - kristenp@skillset.org or 0207 713 9862.
What type of training does the SIF support?
SIF contributions are used to fund training in areas that have been defined as priorities, based on consultation with industry, trade associations, unions and guilds. SIF funding is invested through the Film Skills Fund as part of A Bigger Future, the UK film skills strategy.
In its first four years A Bigger Future has funded over 10,000 places on training initiatives including: new entrants schemes for, amongst others, Grips, Production Accountants and Wardrobe Assistants; short courses for camera including shooting on HD; schemes to promote diversity such as the Skillset Graduate Fellowship Programme and Health & Safety training for all grades.
In addition, over 1,000 individuals working in the industry have received bursaries to go on training courses to keep pace with changing industry practices.
Why is the SIF becoming mandatory?
The UK film industry has a world beating production workforce and is the only film industry in the world with a national skills training plan. The SIF contributes to the funding of this plan, along with National Lottery money via the UK Film Council.
When the training plan was written in 2003, the industry responded positively to a consultation on moving the SIF from voluntary to mandatory. The levy will only be mandatory in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland will continue to have a voluntary levy.
The SIF will be run by an Industry Training Board, which will be chaired by well known producer Iain Smith OBE. This Board will oversee the collection and spending of money collected via the new SIF.
What is a Film Industry Training Board (FITB)?
The Film ITB will be the body responsible for operating the mandatory levy. It is a Non–departmental Government Body (NDPB), and will be led by a Board made up of individuals from the industry's production sector and from the industry's representative skills bodies, employer organisation, and trade union. It will work in partnership with Skillset to support training in priority areas identified by industry.
How will the mandatory levy rates be set?
As soon as the full Board of the Film ITB are appointed (anticipated to be end of September 2008), they will consult with industry to determine the appropriate levy rates.
Will all films have to pay the levy?
It is expected that the Board will set an exclusion threshold as other ITBs have done in other industries, whereby productions below a certain budget level will not be required to pay. It is for the ITB to decide on the level in consultation with industry.
When will the mandatory levy be introduced?
It is anticipated that it will come into effect early 2009.
How can I find out more about the mandatory levy?
Contact Luke Savage, Skillset's Film Manager, in the first instance – lukes@skillset.org
