If you’ve ever dreamed of working in TV or film, now might be the perfect time to consider an apprenticeship.
A recent pilot programme by ScreenSkills has shown that apprenticeships in the screen industries are not only possible, but highly effective. In fact, 76% of apprentices who took part in the programme landed jobs in the industry by the end of their training.
The Flexi-Job Apprenticeship Agency (FJAA) pilot, which ran from 2022 to 2024, involved big names like Prime Video, Sky, Banijay, Lime Pictures, and Fremantle. The apprentices gained hands-on experience across multiple productions, from dramas like Hollyoaks to current affairs programmes like Jeremy Vine on 5. The pilot also saw high success rates in assessments, with 85% of apprentices passing their final evaluations, including 16 earning distinctions.
According to ScreenSkills, apprenticeships can help make the industry more diverse and open to everyone, no matter your background. In this pilot, 26% of the apprentices were from working-class backgrounds – higher than the UK workforce average – and many came from different sectors altogether.
Laura Mansfield, CEO of ScreenSkills, said, “This pilot shows apprenticeships can be a genuine career path, especially for candidates from diverse backgrounds. We now need to build on this success and make sure the apprenticeship model is sustainable for both apprentices and employers.”
Feedback from apprentices has been glowing, with 90% saying the programme improved their communication skills and three-quarters recommending an apprenticeship in the screen industries.
Apprenticeships in the creative industries can be expensive for the employer, and there aren’t enough placements across all the different productions and sectors to accommodate everyone who’s interested in a creative apprenticeship. ScreenSkills hopes the government’s upcoming Growth and Skills Levy will help make these opportunities even more widely available.
So, if you’re passionate about TV and film, apprenticeships might soon be the best way to break into the industry. Watch this space!
