Creative Alliance have been working tirelessly with industry professionals to train and enable talented young people to get a foot in the door the creative industries through a programme called Film Skills Brum (kindly funded by Creative Skillset).

Eighteen participants completed an intensive four-month training programme with Martin Simms, Dan Wilson and other industry professionals along with support from The Producers’ Forum. They are now well equipped with a range of production, management and technical skills and understand how to behave on professional jobs. You can find out more about the Film Skills Brum project here.

We can support employers to take on apprentices in roles such as Production Assistants, Post-Production Assistants, Digital Marketing Assistants or in General Assistant roles. Not only would you benefit from ongoing support from Creative Alliance you would also be able to access a LIMITED NUMBER of £1,500 wage subsidies towards them working with you.

For more information on how you can get involved as an employer and access the £1,500 wage subsidy please contact: sarah.harding@creativealliance.org.uk

One employer who has benefited from the programme, talent and funding available is Sam Lockyer, Director at Iconic Productions. Sam attended early briefing sessions regarding Film Skills Brum and kept a close eye on the progression of the participants. In March 2017 Sam offered work placements to a number of participants, including Charlotte Smith. Charlotte documented her week’s placement on her own blog which you can see here.

Following on from this, Sam was thrilled to be able to offer Charlotte an apprenticeship in the role of Production Assistant. Not only is this opportunity a fantastic milestone for Sam’s business, seeing it develop further after 10 years of hard work, it’s also the best possible way for Charlotte to get her foot in the door of the film industry.

We asked Sam to tell us a little bit about his thoughts on the experience:

What was the experience of working with Creative Alliance like?

Working with Creative Alliance has been brilliant…They have helped us every step of the way in finding and recruiting our new apprentice as well as opening doors to wage subsidies that have made the apprenticeship route a viable option for us. The excellent ‘Film Skills Brum’ programme and follow-up ‘Talent Match’ event proved to be a great way to meet Charlotte and other job-ready young people passionate about working in our industry. At first taking on an apprentice seemed quite a daunting process but Creative Alliance’s friendly and supportive team immediately put me at ease and answered the vast number of questions I had at each stage! As a new employer, what was of particular help was the assistance with the administration side in regards to creating a bespoke job description and contract of employment for our new starter. Moving forward I also know that I can pick up the phone to them at any point should I need further support during the apprenticeship.

What it means to you in taking on an apprentice?

Taking on an apprentice is a big step for me and my company Iconic Productions. Having founded the company and built the business up after years of hard work, passion and doing something I love, it naturally means a great amount to me. We have some very exciting plans for the next two years including the production of our first feature documentary and the continued growth of our commissioned film work for clients in the public, private and charity sectors. Having Charlotte on board will help us to achieve our goals and in doing so will provide us with a fantastic opportunity of nurturing the next generation of creative talent. 

How is Charlotte settling in and what are your hopes for the next 12 months?

Charlotte is settling in very well (so far!) and has made a positive impact on several of our documentary film projects. Prior to starting her apprenticeship she took part in a week’s work experience with us – which Creative Alliance helped to facilitate – so this has helped to speed the process up. Our hopes for the next 12 months are that she will contribute greatly to the development of Iconic Productions whilst gaining a practical knowledge in all areas of the production process – from research and pre-production through to filming, editing and delivery. In time we are also keen to help Charlotte develop her own ideas in producing documentaries on the ancient world.

We look forward to keeping you updated on Charlotte’s progress.

If you are interested in taking on an apprentice then contact: sarah.harding@creativealliance.org.uk or contact us here.