The UK’s screen sector is thriving, but its biggest challenge is no longer attracting productions — it’s finding and keeping the skilled people to staff them. With high-end TV, streaming dramas and global franchises all competing for crew, skills shortages have become a critical issue.
That urgency was recognised this summer when the Government formally backed a new five-year industry skills strategy. Delivered through ScreenSkills, the plan focuses on:
- Upskilling mid- and senior-level professionals, so experience isn’t lost from the industry.
- Expanding the Training Passport, giving freelancers a standard way to log and prove skills.
- Delivering a refreshed Discover! Creative Careers programme, backed by £9 million, to open doors for new entrants across the UK.
- Supporting regional growth, with nearly 70% of recent training participants based outside London.
Alongside funding, the sector is also making careers clearer. Industry-approved checklists now map out over 100 job roles, while more than 30 National Occupational Standards have been updated to reflect the real tasks and knowledge needed across film, TV, VFX, post-production, and animation.
Networking: The Invisible Currency
Training alone isn’t enough. In film and television, careers often hinge on who you know as much as what you know. Networking groups, guilds and societies give freelancers visibility, connect them to mentors, and create the peer support that leads to jobs. For women and underrepresented talent especially, these networks can be the difference between breaking in and burning out.
If you’re building your career in UK film and TV, these organisations are leading the way:
- ScreenSkills – Backed by industry and lottery funding, it runs bursaries, free online modules, and the Training Passport. While not yet mandatory everywhere, it’s already being used by major broadcasters like the BBC, ITV and Sky to streamline freelancer onboarding and prove core training.
- NFTS (National Film & Television School) – Known for its small, intensive courses across directing, producing, cinematography, VFX and more. Alumni credits span everything from The Crown to Oscar winners.
- BBC Academy – Offers open-access training resources on production craft, editorial standards, and digital storytelling — widely used across the industry, not just inside the BBC.
- BAFTA Guru / BAFTA Connect – Combines inspirational talks and masterclasses with a membership scheme that gives early-career professionals access to events, panels, and mentoring.
- WFTV (Women in Film & TV UK) – Runs one of the sector’s most respected mentoring schemes, alongside monthly networking events and the annual WFTV Awards.
- Royal Television Society (RTS) – Brings the industry together through national debates, commissioner masterclasses, and regional networking, capped by its high-profile awards season.