A range of training opportunities has been announced at various locations across the UK, providing courses and facilities to support career development for the next generation of media and entertainment entrants.
BFI Film Academy Hubs
The BFI has announced 12 BFI Film Academy Hubs. With funding and support from the DCMS, ongoing BFI National Lottery Good Cause funding, Northern Ireland Screen, Screen Scotland and the Welsh Government via Creative Wales, the hubs aim to provide access to local training for underrepresented people between the ages of 16-25.
Engaging with schools, colleges and wider community groups, the hubs will deliver year-round activities providing access to technical skills training, advice, networking opportunities and more. Introductory courses will focus on below the line production roles, distribution, screen heritage and exhibition. Each hub will have an alumni manager aiming to build strong peer to peer networks, supporting new entrants to the industry and encouraging retention.
The 12 hubs will be led by the following organisations:
- BFI Film Academy East of England – delivered by 104 Projects CIC
- BFI Film Academy East Midlands – delivered by Broadway Nottingham
- BFI Film Academy London – delivered by CTVC
- BFI Film Academy North East – delivered by Tyneside Cinema
- BFI Film Academy North West – delivered by HOME Manchester
- BFI Film Academy South East – delivered by Screen South
- BFI Film Academy South West – delivered by Watershed Bristol
- BFI Film Academy West Midlands – delivered by Rural Media Charity
- BFI Film Academy Yorkshire and The Humber – delivered by Showroom Cinema (Sheffield Media and Exhibition Centre)
- BFI Film Academy Northern Ireland – delivered by Nerve Centre
- BFI Film Academy Scotland – delivered by Screen Education Edinburgh
- BFI Film Academy Wales – delivered by Screen Alliance Wales
The DCMS investment is part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan to support screen sector skills and provide a talent pipeline for the workforce.
Zakiya Bale, head of BFI Film Academy Programmes, commented, “BFI Film Academy is excited to work with thousands more talented young people across the UK and build meaningful collaborations with industry leaders over the next three years, helping to shape the future of the UK’s screen sector. This new iteration of the BFI’s flagship programme has been developed to reflect the needs of an ever-changing and fast-paced screen industry. BFI Film Academy Hubs will enable young people from across the UK to explore career pathways and develop the skills most in demand across the sector, whatever their background and wherever they’re from.”
Supported by industry partners to be announced in the coming months, the hubs will offer hands on technical training in specific areas such as post production. Residential training courses and a new professional development programme will aim to continue the progression pipeline.
More information is available here: https://www.bfi.org.uk/bfi-film-academy
Action! Next Take
Liverpool City Council’s Film Office has announced applications are open for a new training programme delivered in partnership with Lime Pictures’ L16 Studios Media Academy and Channel 4’s 4Skills.
The scheme, Action! Next Take, will offer placements in post production, design and accountancy, enabling participants to develop practical skills, build knowledge and gain insights into careers in the sector,
Open to individuals in the Liverpool City Region, 48 fully funded places across 6 courses and 3 disciplines will provide access to the following three day courses:
- Introduction to post production
- Introduction to the art department
- Introduction to production accountancy
Following the recent launch of Foot in the Door Liverpool with the Andy Taylor Foundation, 12 young people will be offered a fully paid training and work placement programme aiming to kickstart their careers in film, TV and digital media. The initiative is keen to hear from deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent (DDN) young people, with funding available to support individuals’ access requirements, said the organisation.
Cllr Harry Doyle, cabinet member for health, wellbeing and culture, said, “This partnership with Lime Pictures and Channel 4 shows the strength of Liverpool’s screen sector and the value of our long-standing relationships with major broadcasters and producers. Liverpool is a cultural hub with a national and international reputation in film and television, and this programme reinforces our leadership in the sector. By focusing on high-quality training and paid placements, it will create real pathways into the industry and support the next generation of creative talent in the city.”
David Williams, director of L16 Studios said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be delivering courses that will offer real-world insight and experience into working in areas of television production. The teams across L16 Studios and Lime Pictures work across a huge range of programming and have a vast amount of knowledge in their respective fields. L16 Studios’ Media Academy has been established to impart as much of this knowledge as we can, to the next generation of media professionals.”
Action! Next Take is supported by funding from Screen Alliance North with the support of the BFI, awarding National Lottery Funding. Support also comes from the LFC Foundation.
Full details and an application form can be found at: ttps://www.l16studios.com/media-academ
Gorilla editing
Gorilla Academy has launched a UK-wide training programme to help freelance editors adapt content for digital platforms.
Following its successful ScreenSkills tender to deliver the programme, Cutting Content in the Digital Age, the Academy is providing fully-funded, in-person training to expand the skills of freelancers working in unscripted television.
Aiming to meet the needs of production companies to manage their social media and digital output, the course will provide an insight into the nuances of cutting content for social media, podcasts, vodcasts and more, also exploring how the processes differ from a traditional broadcast edit.
Practical sessions will feature Adobe Premiere Pro, covering platform-specific storytelling, pacing, duration and aspect ratios, alongside captions, sound and picture considerations, technical specifications, workflows and master delivery requirements. Additionally, the course will focus on the demands of audio-only and visual audiences, as well as the growing role of AI.
Courses will take place in Bristol, London, Glasgow, Manchester and Cardiff between October 2026 and March 2027.
Details are available here.
