ScreenSkills (UK)
The UK screen industry's skills body, responsible for developing and maintaining a skilled workforce for film, television, animation, VFX, and games through training programs, career development, and industry certification.
Overview
ScreenSkills is the UK screen industry's skills body, responsible for developing and maintaining a skilled workforce for film, television, animation, VFX, and games. Founded in 1991 (originally as Skillset), ScreenSkills operates training programs, apprenticeships, career development resources, and industry certification schemes that support the development of professional skills across the UK screen workforce at every career stage -- from school-age entry pathways through to continuing professional development for experienced practitioners.
ScreenSkills is funded through a combination of the Film Skills Fund (contributed by productions shooting in the UK as a percentage of certain production expenditure), broadcast levies, government grants, and European funding. This industry-levy funding model creates a direct link between the volume of UK screen production activity and the resources available for workforce development, ensuring that periods of high production activity generate increased investment in the skills infrastructure that sustains the industry.
ScreenSkills Certification and Endorsement
ScreenSkills endorses training courses and educational programs that meet its quality standards, providing learners with assurance that endorsed programs deliver industry-relevant skills recognized by UK employers. This endorsement scheme helps navigate the large number of screen-related training offerings -- ranging from highly effective professional development programs to less rigorous courses that may not develop the skills employers need.
The ScreenSkills Select scheme is the UK's primary professional certification for screen production workers, providing a portable credential that documents professional qualifications for below-the-line crew. ScreenSkills Select certification is increasingly recognized by UK producers and broadcasters as a quality indicator for crew hiring, and it supports the professional development goals of workers seeking to progress within the UK industry.
Training Programs and Funding
ScreenSkills administers a range of funded training programs addressing skills gaps identified across the UK screen workforce. These include short-course training for specific technical skills, longer structured development programs for mid-career practitioners, and diversity-focused initiatives that support entry and progression for practitioners from underrepresented communities.
The High-End TV Skills Fund and the Film Skills Fund each support training specific to their respective production sectors, with the high-end TV fund addressing the specific skills requirements of the large-scale drama productions that have grown substantially in the UK due to streaming platform investment.
Careers in Screen
ScreenSkills operates the UK's primary screen industry careers resource -- a comprehensive online platform that provides information about job roles across all screen industry departments, career pathway information, training recommendations, and entry-level guidance for people considering screen industry careers. This public-facing resource is one of the most visited points of contact between aspiring professionals and the UK screen industry.
The ScreenSkills website provides job role descriptions for dozens of screen production roles, salary guidance, skills requirements, and recommended training routes that help aspiring practitioners understand what is required to enter and progress in specific roles. For directors, producers, and other established professionals who regularly answer questions from people wanting to work in film and television, referring questioners to the ScreenSkills careers resource provides authoritative guidance.
What Filmmakers Should Know
For UK producers, contributing to the Film Skills Fund (a standard requirement for UK-certified production incentive access) supports the workforce development infrastructure that maintains the UK's skilled production workforce. Understanding what ScreenSkills programs are available for crew members working on their productions helps directors and producers support the professional development of their teams.
For international productions hiring UK crew, ScreenSkills certification provides a quality indicator for evaluating candidates, particularly for specialist technical roles where formal qualification is harder to assess from credits alone.
See Also
For the UK crew union operating alongside ScreenSkills, see BECTU in this directory. For the BFI's education programs that complement ScreenSkills' professional development focus, see BFI in this directory.
