ScreenSkills

What ScreenSkills does

ScreenSkills, legally ScreenSkills Limited, is a UK registered charity (England & Wales 1015324; Scotland SC039556) and company limited by guarantee that operates as the industry-led skills body for the UK's screen-based creative industries, spanning film, television, animation, VFX, and games. Founded in 1992 (with the Film Skills Fund established in 1999) and rebranded from Creative Skillset in 2017, the organization is headquartered in London with 51-100 employees and operates as a non-profit rather than a commercial entity.

The organization delivers a portfolio of interconnected products and services centred on workforce development: the ScreenSkills Training Passport (the first pan-industry standardized training record system for production crew), the Trainee Finder placement scheme, a free e-learning library, sector-specific Skills Checklists, bursaries for individuals facing financial barriers, and a Community platform hosting 16,053+ industry professional profiles. Five sector-specific Skills Funds (Animation, Children's TV, Film, High-end TV, and Unscripted TV) channel contributions from production companies into training and development programmes, complemented by employer-facing resources including the HR Toolkit and the TV Access Project (TAP) for Deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent talent.

ScreenSkills' revenue model is unconventional for a PE/VC/M&A audience: it is not a commercial enterprise but a charity funded primarily through mandatory and voluntary industry skills fund contributions from UK productions, supplemented by government partnership income (including the Plan for Change campaign) and limited paid training fees (£360-£420 for select courses). The go-to-market motion is community-led and partnership-driven, reaching new entrants, mid-level professionals, production companies, educators, and government stakeholders through a self-serve website (screenskills.com), direct enterprise relationships for Trainee Finder placements, a network of approved training providers, and flagship partnerships with major broadcasters and streamers (BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Netflix, See-Saw Films, Ubisoft). The go-to-market approach is best characterized as community-led and partnership-driven rather than sales-led.

Name

ScreenSkills

Legal name

ScreenSkills Limited

Website

https://screenskills.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ScreenSkills is the UK government-backed charity and industry skills body for film, TV, animation, VFX, and games, funded through sector-specific Skills Funds, providing training, the Training Passport, Trainee Finder placements, bursaries, and employer resources to industry professionals and production companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Industry Workforce Training

NAICS

Computer Training (611420)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical & Vocational Education & Training (TVET) (BPADAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Leadership & People Skills (Influence, Managing Up, Supervisory Readiness) (EDAAAKAI)

Keywords

• Screen industry training
• Workforce skills development
• Creative industry education
• Film and TV training
• Industry skills funds

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Industry Skills Funds: ScreenSkills receives contributions from productions that pay into sector-specific skills funds (Animation, Children's TV, Film, High-end TV, Unscripted TV). These funds are used to provide training, bursaries, and workforce development programmes.
2. Charitable Status and Government Support: ScreenSkills is a registered charity in England and Wales (1015324) and Scotland (SC039556), indicating reliance on charitable funding and government support rather than commercial revenue.
3. Research and Consulting: ScreenSkills conducts industry research and publishes reports on skills needs, which may inform policy and funding decisions. The organization partnered with Oliver Wyman to create a strategic plan including data collection and funding plans.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ScreenSkills is a UK industry-led skills body that delivers workforce development for the screen-based creative industries. It funds and provides training programmes, e-learning modules, bursaries, trainee placements, and a pan-industry Training Passport record system across film, TV, animation, VFX, and games. Activities are organised around five sector-specific Skills Funds (Animation, Children's TV, Film, High-end TV, and Unscripted TV) financed by production company contributions.

Product overview

ScreenSkills operates as a skills development organization for the UK screen industries, offering a platform of interconnected products and services. The core offerings include the ScreenSkills Training Passport (pan-industry training record), Trainee Finder (placement scheme), E-learning modules, and Skills Checklists. These are complemented by five sector-specific Skills Funds (Animation, Children's TV, Film, High-end TV, and Unscripted TV) that fund training and development programmes. Additional services include bursaries for career progression, an HR Toolkit for employers, the TV Access Project for disability inclusion, ScreenSkills Select for endorsed courses, a professional Community platform, and Research Reports documenting industry skills needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ScreenSkills Training Passport The first pan-industry training passport that provides a record of standardised and industry-approved training that production crew can take from one production to the next.
• Trainee Finder Scheme that provides set-ready training to talented individuals who can then apply for placements on UK productions which pay into the ScreenSkills skills funds.
• E-learning Suite of free online training modules covering various aspects of film, TV, animation, and games industries including sustainability, diversity, post production, and professional development.
• Skills Checklists Industry-approved lists of skills and responsibilities required for departments and roles across film and TV, covering Children's TV, Scripted film and TV, and Unscripted TV.
• ScreenSkills Bursaries Cash grants to help individuals get into the screen industries and progress their careers when unable to develop due to financial constraints.
• ScreenSkills Community Online platform for industry professionals to create profiles, showcase their work and skills, and connect with fellow professionals in the screen industries, with over 16,053 profiles of industry professionals.
• Animation Skills Fund Fund supporting the development of animation talent at all levels, bringing new entrants into the industry and advancing career development.
• Children's TV Skills Fund Fund supporting skills development for freelancers and talent working in children's live-action TV at all levels, including new entrant programmes like Dream Big!
• Film Skills Fund Fund supporting skills and training for the UK film industry, with over £19 million invested since 1999. Includes programmes like Film Forward, Make a Move, and Trainee Finder.
• High-end TV Skills Fund Fund supporting training programmes for new entrants and continued professional development of crew and talent in high-end TV, including Trainee Finder and Make a Move programmes.
• Unscripted TV Skills Fund Fund addressing skills gaps and shortages in unscripted television across the UK, supporting training and building a bigger pool of off-screen crew and talent in the nations and regions.
• HR Toolkit Advice and resources for employers and hirers in film and TV on fair and transparent recruitment processes, onboarding, feedback, and offboarding.
• TV Access Project (TAP) Alliance of UK broadcasters and streamers working to create permanent structural shift ensuring access provision for Deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent talent, with resources covering recruitment, on-the-job, and career development.
• ScreenSkills Select Endorsed higher and further education courses approved by ScreenSkills for quality assurance in screen industries training.
• Research Reports Comprehensive research papers on screen industries skills needs, workforce composition, and training provisions including annual assessments and workforce surveys.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 80,000 young people inspired by creative careers through Discover! Creative Careers programme 2023-2026
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Women in Film and TV (UK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Julie Burnell Scholarship programme, awarding places to five female production professionals for a four-month development programme focused on production management, delivered in partnership with ScreenSkills High-end TV Skills Fund.
• ITV Studios, Netflix, BBC Studios, See-Saw FilmsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor production companies providing access to senior figures who mentor scholarship recipients in the Julie Burnell Scholarship programme. These companies represent the high-end TV sector that contributes to the HETV Skills Fund.
• Oliver WymancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership to create a five-year strategy including data collection, stakeholder engagement, and funding plans to support the UK screen industries' future growth.
• CreativeUKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the UK government's Plan for Change campaign to encourage underrepresented youth to pursue careers in creative industries.
• Channel 4, Ubisoft, NetflixminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry supporters for the Plan for Change campaign, providing support to increase awareness and opportunities in the creative sector for underrepresented youth.
• Greater ManchesterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting Northern screen sector development with a new £10.5m production fund to attract more projects to the region and develop local talent.
• BAFTAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAFTA's albert initiative (environmental sustainability for film and TV) is featured in ScreenSkills' resource directory, indicating collaboration on sustainability training.
• Harlow ConsultingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted the 'Powering Production: Identifying Skills Needs in the UK Screen Sector' research report for ScreenSkills.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• American Film Institute (AFI): US nonprofit educational and cultural organization running the AFI Conservatory (MFA film school), AFI Screen Education Center, and workforce initiatives. Direct international peer in providing accredited creative-industries training, though US-focused rather than UK.
• Sundance Institute: US-based nonprofit supporting independent film and storytelling through labs, fellowships, and artist development programmes. Functionally analogous as a creative-industries skills and talent development body with strong brand and industry backing, though focused on indie filmmakers rather than UK production crew.

Regional players

• Film London: London's screen agency supporting production, talent development, and skills (including Equal Access Network and trainee schemes). Provides a city-level parallel to ScreenSkills' national skills fund delivery, focused on the London production cluster.
• Ffilm Cymru Wales: Wales' screen agency funding production, talent development, and skills/training across Welsh screen sectors. Operates a smaller regional equivalent of ScreenSkills' skills funds within Wales; not a direct competitor but a structural parallel.
• Screen Scotland: National body supporting screen production and talent development in Scotland, with skills, training, and development funding. Direct functional peer in skills fund delivery, but limited to Scotland rather than the UK-wide ScreenSkills footprint.
• Screen Australia: Australia's federal screen agency funding film, TV, and online content with a talent development and skills remit (including Skip Ahead, Every Voice, and enterprise programs). Functionally analogous to ScreenSkills in combining production funding with workforce development, but operating in Australia.
• Screen Ireland: Ireland's national screen agency funding film, TV, and animation production, with skills development, training supports, and crew development programmes (including Screen Ireland Skills Development Scheme). The closest international structural equivalent to ScreenSkills — a national body with both funding and skills remits — but operating in Ireland rather than the UK.

Broad incumbents

• Creative UK: UK creative industries membership and policy body (formerly Creative England and Creative Industries Federation), representing film, TV, games, animation, VFX, and publishing. Direct partner on ScreenSkills' Plan for Change campaign and analogous in being a government-recognised creative-industries intermediary, though Creative UK's remit spans policy and investment rather than skills delivery.
• British Film Institute (BFI): The UK's lead organization for film, TV, and the moving image, with Lottery-funded skills, education, and training programmes including BFI Film Academy. Directly comparable as a publicly-backed UK film/TV body that funds workforce development, though BFI's mandate is broader (heritage, cultural policy, festivals) than ScreenSkills' skills-only focus.

Direct peers

• National Film and Television School (NFTS): UK-based postgraduate film and TV school offering MA courses across directing, cinematography, editing, production, and screenwriting. Most direct peer in provision of industry-endorsed creative-industries training, though NFTS focuses on formal postgraduate degrees while ScreenSkills focuses on workforce upskilling and career-entry programmes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ukscreenskills

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ScreenSkills