Welsh TV industry gets skills for digital future
16 November 2009
Welsh TV professionals will be equipped with the skills they need to respond to the rapidly changing demands of the television industry thanks to £160,000 in industry-specific training grants awarded by the Skillset Cymru Training Taskforce.
A grant has been awarded to Kirkbright Ltd for an integrated development programme tailored to the owners and ‘rising star' managers of Welsh creative production companies. Kirkbright's programme will equip senior media professionals with the breadth of management, commercial and entrepreneurial skills necessary for a leadership role in an increasingly competitive multimedia landscape.
DV Talent has been awarded a grant for an Editing for Non-Editors training programme across Wales, giving content producers the skills they need to distribute and showcase their work across different platforms.
A Professional Editors Fund has also been established, offering bursaries to professional editors with over five years' demonstrable experience to attend high level editing courses across the UK.
Training provider Cyfle has also been awarded a grant to develop a high level scriptwriting mentoring scheme, which will support the development of experienced scriptwriters in Wales wanting to take the next step in their careers.
Cyfle will also develop and deliver a Symposium for the sector, raising awareness of the ways that independent production companies can take advantage of multiplatform opportunities that are relevant to the changing face of broadcasting and how consumers access content.
Gwawr Hughes, Director of Skillset Cymru, said: "These skills areas have been identified as high priority by the Creative Media Industry in Wales. As these programmes are devised by industry to be very flexible and responsive to the rapidly changing economic climate, getting a place will give professionals a real competitive edge."
Delyth Wynne Griffiths, S4C's Director of Business Affairs, who is a member of the Skillset Cymru Training Taskforce, added: "High level skills are vital for the development of the independent production sector in Wales. The Taskforce plays an important role in promoting skills development and using industry research to ensure that investment in training is demand-led."
For more information contact:
Nick Sheridan
Press and PR Officer
t: 0207 713 854
e: nicks@skillset.org
Notes to Editors:
The Skillset Cymru Training Taskforce, which forms part of the wider Skillset Cymru Training Framework, was set up to analyse Wales Specific Labour Market Intelligence (LMI) and decide funding priorities for the sector based on that analysis. The Taskforce is primarily led by S4C and TAC, who together invest annually in the skills development of the sector. Funding decisions made by the Training Taskforce are informed by Skillset, the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for Creative Media which comprises TV, film, radio, interactive media, animation, computer games, facilities, photo imaging and publishing.
S4C is a public service broadcaster that provides a range of high quality Welsh language programmes on many platforms, including broadband. S4C
TAC is a trade association company which works on behalf of independent producers who produce content for television, film and multiplatform. TAC (Welsh Independent Producers)
Kirkbright specialises in developing, marketing and delivering high-quality management development programmes for creative media business. Kirkbright
DV Talent runs courses that are a breakthrough in training. Run by production people for production people, courses provide the technical and editorial skills required to work effectively, creatively and responsibly. DV Talent
Cyfle, meaning opportunity in Welsh, is the only Skillset Approved Training Company for the Creative Media Industries in Wales. It has established a reputation for delivering a variety of structured training schemes. These are purposely designed to meet the demands of a rapidly changing industry. Cyfle