Published: 22 Feb 2019
Screen Scotland, the dedicated partnership for screen in Scotland, has today announced the launch of a new Screen Professional Development Fund to help screen professionals to further their skills in their chosen field.
The £100,000 Fund will support individuals working in film and television to access training, mentoring and other professional development, nationally and internationally.
As film and television production continues to grow across Scotland our workforce must also expand and diversify to meet that production challenge. Alongside our other investments in organisations delivering skills and talent development programmes, this fund will support individual professionals to advance their careers through activities tailored to their individual needs and ambitions.
This fund will enable Scotland’s screen professionals to access training opportunities, where the cost would previously have been prohibitive and proved to be a barrier in career progression.- Isabel Davis, Screen Scotland
Individual awards of between £250 and £5,000 are available for creative or technical skills development, screen-related business skills development, participation in talent labs, mentoring, shadowing, work-based learning and other developmental activities. Priority will be given to professional development in areas of identified skills shortages, and to applicants under-represented in the screen industries.
Applications to the Screen Professional Development Fund are accepted on a rolling basis and there are no deadlines. Funding guidance and application forms are available via www.screen.scot/professionaldevelopment.
Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs said: "The screen sector in Scotland is flourishing, there have been some major productions released in the last year and we should be utilising this momentum to do all we can to further develop the industry. This fund will work to provide much needed additional development support for screen professionals in order to keep skills current and maximise potential. As the screen sector grows, it is important we provide funding to combat any skill shortages and ensure our professionals are at the forefront of new screen technologies and techniques.”
Isabel Davis, Executive Director at Screen Scotland said: “In order for Scotland’s film and TV professionals to generate yet more excellent work, we need a continual cycle of professional development to help individuals grow and develop their craft. This fund will enable Scotland’s screen professionals to access training opportunities, where the cost would previously have been prohibitive and proved to be a barrier in career progression.”
Work that Screen Scotland already supports in professional development includes:
Today’s funding announcement is one of a number of measures being taken by Screen Scotland and its partners to help drive the cultural, social and economic development of all aspects of Scotland’s screen sector, through enhanced funding, services and support. For more information visit www.screen.scot
Screen Scotland is the dedicated partnership for screen in Scotland. With £20 million from Scottish Government and the National Lottery, Screen Scotland is driving the cultural, social and economic development of all aspects of the sector in Scotland, through enhanced funding, services and support. Screen Scotland sits within Creative Scotland and is a partnership with Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland, Scottish Funding Council, working in close collaboration with the sector to ensure its success.
Eilidh Walker, Media Relations and PR Officer- Screen
Tel: 0131 523 0019
Mob: 07545 402 064
Email: Eilidh.Walker@creativescotland.com
Image: John McPhail and Sara Deane on the set of Anna and the Apocalypse
