Advanced Television

Channel 4, NFTS agree new partnership

February 9, 2023

Channel 4 and the National Film and Television School (NFTS) have announced a new three-year partnership to provide practical training and development for the independent production sector across the Nations and Regions.

Over the next three years, this partnership will develop and deliver a range of free face-to-face and online training sessions targeting specific industry skills gaps. Produced and co-ordinated by the NFTS and Channel 4’s Leeds-based 4Skills team, the sessions will offer training for people looking to kickstart or enhance their careers. Starting in February, the new partnership kicks off with three specialist programmes led by NFTS Scotland, NFTS Cymru Wales and NFTS Leeds:

  • a five-day factual editing training course led by NFTS Scotland helping edit assistants develop their skills through practice.
  • a six-day practical self-shooting training programme for female producers, led by NFTS Leeds and NFTS Cymru Wales, ran in partnership with the BBC.
  • a series of online masterclasses to be held at the end of February, focused on business leadership and management in TV production.

As the partnership continues, further training priorities will be identified and announced. In addition, the NFTS and 4Skills will provide opportunities for those looking to kickstart their careers in the sector through a programme of careers events and scholarships.

Sinéad Rocks, Managing Director Nations and Regions at Channel 4 said: “It’s great to be building on our long-standing relationship with the NFTS to support the independent production sector by growing the industry’s skills base and nurturing new talent. Since 4Skills launched in October 2021, the NFTS has been one of our most valued partners in our aim to support the creative industries by generating opportunities for thousands of people regardless of their background, and tackle skills gaps across the whole of the UK.”

Jon Wardle, National Film and Television School Director, added: “We are incredibly proud of our on-going relationship with 4Skills and our joint commitment to developing talent at all levels within the industry. Plugging the gaps in skills provision and sustaining the ever-increasing requirements of production companies across the UK remains vital. This joined up partnership has already achieved so much and we look forward to another three years of working together to provide world class training and even more inspiring opportunities for the creative industries.”

In 2022, NFTS and 4Skills delivered two weeks of free online training sessions and masterclasses featuring insights from industry professionals. They also delivered two separate face-to-face courses on self-shooting and drama writing, as well as providing a series of UK wider taster days and bursary opportunities. The NFTS also managed industry placements for ten Leeds-based trainees with no previous broadcast experience, alongside Channel 4 drama commission Dance School from Duck Soup Films as part of a 4Skills training scheme.

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