Skills scoping study for the digital content production sectors

The BFI’s Research and Statistics Fund has published a new in-depth report, Skills scoping study for the UK’s digital content production sectors, which identifies key skills gaps and shortages across the UK’s growing digital content production sectors.

UK animation, post-production, video games, VFX and emerging tech all contribute to the creative and industrial success of the whole screen sector, enabling cross-sector innovation, and offer real opportunities for job creation UK-wide. With digital and innovation at their core, these sectors are also integral components identified by the government in the wider UK Creative Industries Sector Vision (published in June 2023) as having the potential to generate an additional £50 billion in GVA (gross value added) a year by 2030.

The study was undertaken by specialist consultants Olsberg SPI and commissioned to understand more fully the range of pressures faced by the sectors. These include:

  • existing skills provision
  • identifying which skills and roles are likely to be in high demand in the future
  • the skills flow between the different digital content production sectors
  • the suitability of current training for these skills
  • the opportunities and challenges around retaining skills

Each studied sector requires core technical skills which can be sector-specific, transferrable or overlapping with other sectors. A full breakdown of each sector’s needs are set out within the study.