The UK’s second Centre of Screen Excellence will be launched in Borehamwood, marking another milestone in the drive to offer opportunities and training to young people who are looking for careers in film and television
The industry-led skills body ScreenSkills, Elstree Screen Arts Academy, Elstree Film Studios and the National Film and Television School have joined forces to create the Centre of Screen Excellence: Elstree and offer new craft and tech traineeships for 18 and 19-year-olds in areas of skills need.
The initiative is supported by ScreenSkills with National Lottery funds awarded by the BFI (British Film Institute) as part of the BFI’s Future Film Skills strategy which highlighted the need for 10,000 new recruits into the industry by 2022.
Those behind the project say Elstree and Borehamwood is an "excellent place" to develop the initiative due to the town already being home to a number of large studio spaces and production companies including Elstree Film Studios, Universal Production Services, BBC Elstree, BBC Studioworks and Sky Studios Elstree - opening in 2022.
CGI of Sky Studios Elstree, currently under construction
The Centre of Screen Excellence: Elstree will capitalise on courses in costume, grip, hair and make-up, lighting and production assistant developed with industry practitioners for - and lessons learned from - the pilot Centre of Screen Excellence in Yorkshire. Elstree Screen Arts has also developed its own course in art direction to meet local demand.
Up to 60 places will be available from this September in these six key skills shortage areas and candidates who successfully complete the course will receive a Centre of Screen Excellence UK Craft Skills Certificate.
The courses will provide applied training from Elstree Screen Arts Academy (formerly Elstree University Technical College). They will receive specialist technical tuition from partner professionals within the film and TV industry and on-set production placements at world-class studios.
Students from Elstree Screen Arts Academy recently partnered with Sky Studios. They are pictured at the construction site off Rowley Lane
Students will also attend two ‘bootcamps’ with the National Film and Television School designed to make them work-ready by preparing them for the specific requirements of working in productions and for freelance life.
Chris Mitchell, principal at Elstree Screen Arts Academy, said: "We are so proud to be designated as a UK Centre of Screen Excellence, delivering traineeships at ESA in these in-demand jobs in the screen industry.
"It’s exactly what we are all about; providing motivated and talented young people from all walks of life with the specialist technical and creative training to break into the film and TV industries. We look forward to some alumni Baftas in the coming years."
Roger Morris, chairman and founder of the academy and managing director of Elstree Studios added: "I'm delighted to be able to join with ESA and ScreenSkills and the NFTS to provide vocational education and training for the creative industries and to provide young people with industry placements to ensure that they get the hands on training to be employable across our industry."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here