By Nick Sheridan

The Television Freelance Fund (TVFF) has committed £50,000 for Craft & Technical bursaries for people working in the TV industry.

The £50,000 Health & Safety bursary scheme has been created by the TVFF and the Film Skills Fund (FSF) and bursaries are available to people working in either the TV or film industries.

Individual bursaries of up to £800 for freelancers or £500 for company employees will be available through each scheme to cover the cost of a broad range of courses that have been approved by Skillset.

All of the courses approved for the Health & Safety bursary scheme fall under the priority areas defined in the Health and Safety Framework that has been developed by Skillset in conjunction with representatives from throughout the TV and film industries. This framework is the result of industry-wide agreement on what are the priority occupations and skill areas for health and safety training. The Health and Safety Framework encompasses the Production Safety Passport programme, revised National Occupation Standards, and relevant Qualifications and Apprenticeships.

Five of the Health & Safety courses eligible for bursaries are recognised under Skillset’s groundbreaking Production Safety Passport programme. The health and safety skills learned on these courses will be recognised throughout the industry, eliminating the need for people to repeat training as they move from role to role. The details of completed training will be entered into the Production Safety Passport Portal, which will then allow employers to verify the level of health and safety training that an individual has achieved when they start in a new role.

Skillset’s chief executive, Dinah Caine said: “These bursary schemes are a forward-thinking response to our industry’s training needs. Our bursaries are designed to give film and TV professional simple and flexible access to our funding, so that they get the most relevant training at a time that suits them.”

Angela Roberts, managing editor of the BBC's College of Production and member of Skillset’s TV Skills Council, said: “The Production Safety Passport is a really important innovation for our industry; it will save companies and individuals time and money, whilst still making sure that we are operating in safe and effective workplaces."

In response to Skillset’s research that shows that just 42 per cent of the Creative Media workforce is female, compared to 46 per cent in the UK economy, Skillset aims to award more than 50 per cent of these bursaries to women.

For more information about the Craft & Technical bursary scheme please visit: www.skillset.org/ctbursaries. And for information on the Health & Safety bursary scheme, visit: www.skillset.org/hsbursaries.

About the author Nick Sheridan is Press and PR officer at Skillset (nicks@skillset.org).

About Skillset

Skillset is the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for Creative Media, with responsibility for 60 per cent of the UK Creative Industries. This comprises TV, film, radio, interactive media, animation, computer games, facilities, photo imaging, publishing, advertising and fashion and textiles. SSCs are licensed by the UK Government and by Ministers in the devolved administrations to tackle the skills and productivity challenges by sector. They are independent, UK-wide organisations, are employer-led, and actively involve trade unions, professional bodies and other stakeholders in the industry.

The TV Freelance Fund (TVFF) 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.