Supporting screen sector skills and workforce development
Through our National Lottery funding, we're committed to supporting a UK screen sector workforce that is skilled and reflective of the population. Our National Lottery skills and workforce development funding programmes for 2023 to 2026 have been informed by a range of research including the BFI’s Skills Review, the BFI and ERIC screen careers research, and the PEC’s Good Work Review of the Creative Industries.
To get in touch with the BFI Skills and Workforce development team, email skills.coordinator@bfi.org.uk.
Our funding and support programmes
BFI National Lottery Skills Clusters Fund
BFI National Lottery funding has awarded £9 million to seven Skills Clusters across the UK who'll work with local industry, education and training providers to help people develop their careers in the screen sector.
Find out moreBFI Film Academy: opportunities for young creatives
If you’re 16 to 25 and want to learn about or work in film, BFI Film Academy can help – applications are now open.
Explore BFI Film AcademyGood Work Programme for screen sector support
£1,500,000 million of BFI National Lottery funding will be announced in autumn 2024.
Find out moreScreenSkills bursaries
BFI National Lottery funding has awarded £1.5 million to ScreenSkills to financially support new and existing people within the screen industry.
Find out moreCreative Enterprise
BFI National Lottery funding has awarded £2.16 million to Creative UK to deliver Creative Enterprise, a business development training programme in England.
Find out moreInternational Horizons: Scripted
BFI National Lottery funding has awarded £300,000 to TRC Media to deliver International Horizons: Scripted, a business development training programme in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Find out moreCareers and progression
BFI has awarded £5.95 million to Into Film to run a careers and progression programme for 11 to 18-year-olds.
Find out moreYoung Creatives – Into Film
BFI has awarded £1.5 million to Into Film to deliver part of the Young Creatives Programme, supporting filmmaking activity through film clubs.
Find out moreYoung Creatives – National Saturday Club
BFI National Lottery funding has awarded £1.5 million to deliver part of the Young Creatives programme, enabling 13 to 16-year-olds to engage in filmmaking via their Film and Screen clubs.
Find out moreBFI National Lottery Places Fund: Skills and Training
Develop strategic plans, and pilot projects and partnerships, to address local skills gaps and shortages in screen production.
Find out moreOur broader strategy for research
We’ve committed to invest £440,000 of BFI National Lottery funding in one-off research commissions focused on the screen sector’s skills and workforce development needs.
More details on this research will be added here soon.
Our plans to work with industry
The BFI convened the UK Screen Sectors Skills Task Force in autumn 2022 in response to the BFI Skills Review and to tackle the systematic challenges to skills development in the industry. Managed and chaired by industry, the task force is made up of 28 organisations. Read their first report published in November 2023: A Sustainable Future for Skills.
Other resources
Future Takes
BFI and Film4 Future Takes offers support for higher-budget live action, short-form work from teams of writers, directors and producers based in the UK.
Find out moreScreenSkills
ScreenSkills develops skills and talent and invests in the future of UK screen.
Visit ScreenSkillsBritish Council opportunities
The British Council Film team offer a range of opportunities including, in partnership with BFI NETWORK, helping filmmakers attend international labs and festivals with their short films.
Visit British CouncilFilming in England
Offering comprehensive production support to feature film and high-end TV.
Visit Filming in England