Purpose

BCC Film Services is supported by the West of
England Combined Authority’s (WECA) Mayoral Priority Skills
Programme to deliver a film and TV industry-specific Workforce
Development Programme until 31st March 2025 (£299,818 from
November 2023 to March 2025).
The programme is designed to improve access routes into industry
employment, equip trainees with the knowledge and skills to succeed
in entry-level employment roles, and support production employers
to build a more diverse and representative workforce for the
region.
Since the project began in January 2024, careers talks and tours
have engaged over 200 people from across the region, with
approximately 300 people attending an online webinar to find out
more about the industry. 60 people have attended an industry
induction at the studios with 30 going on to take part in the
5-week training course. Participants have been from a range of
backgrounds currently underrepresented in the industry and
approximately 20 have gone on to work experience or employment
opportunities in the Film/TV Industry.
Discontinuation of activity would have a highly detrimental effect
on the growth of the sector and securing of local jobs. WECA
Mayoral Priority Skills Funding for the programme will end in March
2025 and WECA have been unable to confirm continuation of funding
or identify another funding stream available to apply for that will
allow us to continue developing the project. To date, the project
has seen real impact and has been highly successful in achieving
specified outputs and outcomes. Major industry players like Netflix
have shown strong support for the project – holding it up as
an example of best practice within the organisation and offering to
endorse the project for a BFI Places bid.
In line with BFI’s National Lottery Strategy and the Funding
Plan 2023-2026, the BFI currently funds Skills Clusters in seven
production hubs across the UK. These partnerships, between
industry, education and training providers, and other skills
organisations, develop clearer pathways to employment for screen
production in their area. The BFI recognises that there are growing
screen production industries outside of these seven regions. This
Fund will invest in areas of the UK that do not already have a BFI
funded Skills Cluster, where there is evidence of a growing screen
production industry and skills gaps and/or shortages in the local
workforce.
With clear alignment to project aims and achieved outcomes to date,
BFI National Lottery Places Funding would allow us to further
develop and enhance the programme, retaining valuable staff
resource and knowledge, supporting more underrepresented people
into training, building work placements into key deliverables for
tangible employment support, and enabling important strategic and
skills mapping activity to be realised.
The grant will support delivery of specific Council priorities set
out in the Corporate Strategy 2022-2027, namely:
-ES1: Regeneration - Enable the growth, development and
regeneration of the city in an inclusive, sustainable, healthy and
resilient way.
-ES2: Access to Employment - Lead partners in developing skills and
routes into employment that tackle structural inequality.
-ES3: Good Growth - Help create inclusive, sustainable, and
resilient economic growth, positively influencing wider economic
systems.

Content

Agreement for officers to submit the
application for BFI National Lottery Places funding. If awarded,
funding will enable development of the West of England Workforce
Development Programme, including extension of two full-time
fixed-term staff contracts to resource delivery of the work. Any
grant funding received will be subject to confirmed cash match
funding from WECA and in-kind support by Bristol City Council by
way of allocation of necessary resource to manage the programme
internally. Specifically, this will include oversight by the
Bristol UNESCO City of Film Manager and Head of Film and support
from the Film Office Manager.

Alternative options considered

Option 1 - Alternative funding options have
been explored prior to consideration of this funding application.
The project has been piloted in 2024 through support from WECA
Mayoral Priority Skills funding. However, this is not a rolling
fund and no alternative sources of WECA funding are currently
available to support future development and delivery.