Skillset invests in future of TV industry with £300,000 management and leadership bursary scheme

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Skillset is tackling one of the television industry's most pressing training needs head-on with the launch of its £300,000 management and leadership bursary scheme.

Skillset research has found that the television industry pinpointed management and leadership as one of the areas where training is most needed (13 per cent identified this area as a
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The scheme is a part of Skillset's broader commitment to improving management and leadership skills throughout the Creative Media Industries. This is in direct response to our findings that management and leadership is one of the most cited training needs throughout the sector.

Over the remainder of the financial year, Skillset will be administering a similar bursary scheme for film professionals, as well as funding a series of mentoring schemes and masterclasses for people in both the film and television industries. Skillset is also in the process of developing an online diagnostic tool that will help creative media professionals identify their training needs and steer them towards relevant courses.

The bursary scheme is available to anyone working in the television industry. Grants of up to £1,000 are available for freelancers and £625 for company employees.

The bursaries can be used to access a growing range of courses from specialist training providers that have been approved by Skillset, the Sector Skills Council for the Creative Media Industries.

Skillset will continue to take submissions for eligibility from training providers throughout the life of the scheme, so the list of available courses will keep growing.

Peter Dale, TV Skills Council Chair and founder of independent production company, Rare Day, said: "The TV industry is navigating its way through a series of unprecedented economic and technological challenges. This scheme will groom a new generation of leaders who will help our television industry maintain its place as a world leader."

In response to Skillset's research that shows proportionately fewer women remain in the television industry beyond the age of 35 than men, Skillset aims to award more than 50 per cent of these bursaries to women.

The Management and Leadership Bursary Scheme is being funded the TV Freelance Fund (TVFF), which is the result of an agreement between UK broadcasters and the Indie Training Fund (ITF) to invest in training for the freelance television workforce. The contributors are: BBC, Channel 4, Five, ITF via contributions from member companies and Sky and cable and satellite companies.

To find out what courses are available, and to apply for a bursary, please visit the management and leadership section.

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