Skillset/UK Film Council Feature Film Production Workforce Survey 2008

7.2 Film industry training

Table 7.2.1shows the pattern of training and learning undertaken by respondents remains largely unchanged from that reported in the 2005 survey. Very few of those surveyed had experienced any kind of formal, organised film industry training in the past year.  15% had attended a taught course, designed to help them develop skills for use in the film industry (up from 13% found in the 2005 Film Production Workforce Survey); 6% had been on a training attachment or work placement within the industry (double the proportion found in the first survey); and 14% had received some other supervised on-the-job training.

As reported in the 2005 survey, more common was self-tuition, with a third of the sample (33%) having taught themselves some industry-relevant skills in the past year.

Table 7.2.1 Film industry training or learning in the past 12 months

Note: multiple responses mean that the percentages in this table do not add up to 100%.

If we combine these four types of film 'training', 45% of respondents had done some kind of industry learning, including teaching themselves skills.

It is difficult to make a precise comparison with the 2005 Survey of the Audio Visual Industries’ Workforce as the training questions were asked in a different way.  While the film survey addressed each of the four forms of learning in turn, the 2005 audio visual survey respondents were asked how many days they had spent receiving training during the previous year, including structured self-tuition.They were then asked about method of delivery of this training (using slightly different delivery categories to those used in the film survey).

However, a comparison of overall levels of training between the two surveys suggests that the film workforce received less training than the audio visual workforce as a whole, although perhaps a similar level to their freelance counterparts. 64% of the audio visual workforce survey respondents had received some training in the preceding twelve months (Table 7.2.2).  Given the predominantly freelance nature of the film workforce, it is more useful to compare the film survey respondents with the freelancers from the audio visual workforce survey, 46% of whom had received some kind of training in the previous year.

Table 7.2.2 2005 Survey of the Audio Visual Industries’ Workforce: training received in previous twelve months

Note: multiple responses mean that the percentages in this table do not add up to 100%.

7.2.1 Attendance at taught training courses

15% of the film survey respondents had attended a taught course in the past year, designed to help them develop skills for use in the film industry. The majority attended only one such course (Table 7.2.3). 

There were some variations by occupational group. Those working in locations and the make-up and hairdressing department were more likely than their counterparts in other departments to have attended such a training course in the past year.

As was the case in the 2005 survey report:

• Younger respondents were more likely than their older counterparts to have attended a recent training course.  While over one third (34%) of 16-24 year olds had attended a course, this dropped to 22% of those aged 25 - 34, 11% of those aged 35 - 49, and 7% of those aged 50 or older.
• Women were slightly more likely than men to have attended a training course. 
• There was no statistically significant difference between white and ethnic minority workers.

Figure 7.2.1 How many taught courses did you attend in the past 12 months?

Base = 1,141.

Table 7.2.3 Did you attend any training courses in the past 12 months? (by occupational group)

Table 7.2.4 Did you attend any training courses in the past 12 months? (by age)

Table 7.2.5 Did you attend any training courses in the past 12 months? (by gender)

Table 7.2.6 Did you attend any training courses in the past 12 months? (by ethnic group)

Of the respondents who had attended a taught course, 34% had attended courses involving a day of tuition, 18% had attended 2-day courses and 15% had attended substantial courses that involved 10 or more days of tuition. This means there were proportionally fewer attendances at one-day courses than in the 2005 survey report, but more attendances at courses running for five days or more.

Table 7.2.7 Number of days teaching, instruction, tuition or supervised study

Note: the categories in this table are not mutually exclusive; therefore the percentages may add up to more than 100%.

Of those who had attended training courses in the past year, 16% had attended courses provided by their employers, fewer than the 31% found in the 2005 survey report. Nearly one in five (19%) had attended courses run by a university or college, up from 10% in the 2005 survey report, and just under a third had attended a course run by another specialist organisation.

Table 7.2.8 Training providers

Note: the categories in this table are not mutually exclusive; therefore the percentages may add up to more than 100%.

Half of those who had attended training courses (50%) had paid the fees themselves (up from 45% found in the 2005 Film Production Workforce Survey Report); and a quarter (25%) had attended courses that had been paid for by their employer (Table 7.2.10).  About one in eight of the course attendees said that there had been no fees to pay.

Comparisons with the 2005 audio visual workforce survey suggest that the film industry workers are more likely to have self-funded their attendance at training courses. Again, there are some problems with making a precise comparison because the questions were asked in different formats. However, of those 2005 Survey of the Audio Visual Industries’ Workforce respondents who had received some kind of training (which included formal courses), only 5% reported paying the fees themselves (this rose to 15% of audio visual freelancers).

Table 7.2.9 Course fees

Note: the categories in this table are not mutually exclusive; therefore the percentages may add up to more than 100%.

Respondents who had attended a taught course were asked to describe its subject area. As was the case in the 2005 survey report, the most common subject area was first aid/health and safety, mentioned by 17% of the course attendees.  12% had attended courses in art/design and in camera and construction skills. 10% of attendees had undertaken a course in finance/ business/ marketing/ management.

Table 7.2.10 Subject area covered by taught course

Note:base excludes those who did not state the subject covered by the course.

By and large the training courses undertaken by respondents were well received: over two thirds of respondents (67%) described the most recent course they had taken as very useful, and a further 28% found it quite useful. These satisfaction scores increased for less recent courses.

Table 7.2.11 How useful did you find the course?

7.2.2 Training attachments or work placements

6% of those surveyed had been on a training attachment or work placement within the film industry in the past year, double the proportion found in the 2005 survey report.  This proportion did not vary significantly by occupational group but those workers with no written contract were more likely to have been on a placement than those with a contract.

The proportion did decrease with age, as reported in the 2005 survey: 23% of the 16-24 year olds had been on a recent training attachment or work placement, compared with 9% of 25-34 year olds and 2% of respondents aged 35 or older.

Men were no more or less likely than women to have been on a training attachment or work placement.  And there was no statistically significant difference between white and ethnic minority workers in this regard.

Figure 7.2.2 In the past year, have you been on any training attachments or work placements?

Base = 1,140.

Table 7.2.12 In the past year, have you been on any training attachments or work placements? (by contract type)

Table 7.2.13 In the past year, have you been on any training attachments or work placements? (by age)

Table 7.2.14 In the past year, have you been on any training attachments or work placements? (by gender)

Table 7.2.15 In the past year, have you been on any training attachments or work placements? (by ethnic group)

7.2.3 Supervised on-the-job training

14% of survey respondents had received supervised on-the-job training during the past year.  Again, this proportion did not vary significantly by occupational group.However, there was a slight difference by contract type, with those on a daily contract being slightly more likely to have received this kind of on-the-job training.

While half of those under 25 years old (50%) had received supervised on-the-job training, this dropped to 21% of those aged between 25 and 34 and 6% of those aged 35 or older.

Men were slightly more likely to have received on-the-job training than women but there was no difference between white and ethnic minority workers.

Figure 7.2.3 In the past year, have you received any other supervised job training, while you were actually doing a job?

Base = 1,131.

Table 7.2.16 In the past year, have you received any other supervised job training, while you were actually doing a job? (by contract type)

Table 7.2.17 In the past year, have you received any other supervised job training, while you were actually doing a job?(by age)

Table 7.2.18 In the past year, have you received any other supervised job training, while you were actually doing a job?(by gender)

Table 7.2.19 In the past year, have you received any other supervised job training, while you were actually doing a job? (by ethnic group)

The most common types of skills learned through supervised on-the-job training were in art and design (14% of respondents receiving on-the-job training), business and finance (13%) and camera operation (11%).

Table 7.2.20 Subject area covered by supervised on-the-job training

Note: base excludes those who did not state the subject covered by the course.

7.2.4 Self-taught skills

A third of respondents had taught themselves skills in the past year without formal tuition- the same proportion as reported in the 2005 survey.

This did not vary by contract type, and there was very little significant difference by occupational group.  However, construction workers were less likely than others to have taught themselves industry-relevant skills in the past year, whereas those in the camera department and editing/post production/ VFX were the most likely to have done so.

While just under half the 16-34 year olds had taught themselves some skills in the past year, this dropped to under a third of workers aged between 35 and 49, and 15% of those aged 50 or older.

There were no differences by gender or between white and ethnic minority workers.

Figure 7.2.4 In the past year, have you taught yourself any skills relevant to the film industry?

Base (n)= 1,117.

Table 7.2.21 In the past year, have you taught yourself any skills relevant to the film industry? (by occupational group)

Table 7.2.22 In the past year, have you taught yourself any skills relevant to the film industry? (by age)

Table 7.2.23 In the past year, have you taught yourself any skills relevant to the film industry?(by gender)

Table 7.2.24 In the past year, have you taught yourself any skills relevant to the film industry?(by ethnic group)

The most common types of self-taught skills were in general computing and administration (17% of self-taught respondents), camera operation (16%), art and design (15%), finance / business / marketing / management (13%) and post production/ editing / visual effects (11%).

Table 7.2.25 Self-taught skills

Note: base excludes those who did not state the skill learned.