New BFI Places Fund supports emerging production centres across the UK

The BFI today announces recipients of the new BFI Places Fund: Skills and Training, which seeks to help develop new and emerging production centres across the UK. Created to support targeted regional growth, it is funding organisations in Bristol, Cornwall and Swindon, which will enable them to develop longer-term strategic plans for the local area and pilot new skills and training activity.  

The BFI Places Fund, awarding National Lottery funding, is making targeted interventions in three areas which are also on the Government Priority Places list. Capitalising on where there is an emerging and/or new concentration of production, the fund aims to support organisations with knowledge and expertise of the area, to bring together the necessary partners to create an offer that will benefit both the local community and local industry. They will also undertake mapping exercises to build up more comprehensive knowledge of local skills gaps and shortages, local industry needs and employment opportunities. 

Sara Whybrew, Director of Skills and Workforce Development at the BFI, said: 

“Here we are providing modest but very targeted funding in select areas where we can see there is real potential for growth in addition to places where we already have BFI Skills Clusters. We believe this funding can provide a vital building block in a region to help it become a viable production centre. By supporting organisations to forge partnerships which reach across local government, education, industry, local communities and beyond, we hope they can create capacity for growth, and ultimately long term benefits for these local areas, not least the realisation of a screen workforce that is representative of the local population.” 

£164,047 awarded to Create Studios Digital Media CIC 

Create Studios works to engage and grow the next generation of Black and Global Majority creative professionals. This funding will see them launch Create Traction to contribute to Swindon’s screen production workforce. As a local industry that generates approx £36m per annum, with new studios within an hour’s distance, Swindon needs a skilled local workforce, but currently many trainees, or potential trainees, are leaving the area.   

Create Traction will forge partnerships with Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnerships and Growth Hub, Wiltshire College, New College Swindon and Cirencester College, to pilot a training programme that addresses local skills shortages across specific occupations. If the proof of concept has positive results, the programme could be scaled up after the funding period to help enable and support growing industry needs in the region. 

£245,425 awarded to Bristol City Council 

Building on two years of research and testing of bespoke training skills activity, Bristol City Council will set up All Set West. A new, accessible, entry-level support package, All Set West will provide those currently underrepresented in the region’s film and television industry with training, networks and work opportunities to support them into employment in scripted roles.  

Through its Film Services, Bristol City Council will build on its partnership with the West of England Combined Authority to ensure that the regional production sector workforce is highly skilled and reflective of the population.   

£126,969 awarded to Screen Cornwall Ltd 

Screen Cornwall, Falmouth University and Screen Devon, will partner to deliver Production Ready Pathways, offering training and support for entry and early-stage crew across Cornwall. Building on its successful First Break programme, Production Ready Pathways will be a more structured long-term programme around placements, which will help many more people start and develop careers. Production Ready Pathways will also provide focused development for a smaller cohort transferring in from other sectors.  

The vision for Production Ready Pathways is to support more connected and collaborative strategic sector skills support across the wider South West region, recognising shared skills gaps and accessibility challenges, as well as the ongoing movement of regionally based crew across the wider region.