Amazon Prime Video UK helps fund post production apprenticeships

13 new apprentices start training as post-production technical operators as part of a UK Screen Alliance apprentices programme made possible with the support of Amazon Prime Video UK.

Over the next 12 months they will receive 9 weeks of off-the-job training at London South Bank University (LSBU), as well as on-the-job experience with post production employers, including Company 3, Directors Cut Films, Dock10, Timeline Television, Splice Post, Clear Cut Pictures, Molinare, Roundtable Post, The Look, and Wild Brain.

Through a deal brokered by UK Screen Alliance, six of the apprentices are being financed by Amazon Prime Video, who is donating over £50,000 of their own UK apprenticeship levy to cover the training and assessment costs. The companies hosting the apprentices are doing so through a combination of 100% funding and apprenticeship levy transfer.

Georgia Brown, head of European originals, Amazon Studios said: “We’re delighted to be supporting this apprenticeships scheme. It’s essential that we all protect and preserve the pipeline of talent within our industry to ensure we continue to make best-in-class television in the UK. We’re excited to work with the UK Screen Alliance and others to fund more apprenticeship opportunities across the screen sector in the coming months. We wish all apprentices the best of luck for their training and hope to see them working on an Amazon Original Series in the not-too-distant future.”

The Post Production Technical Operator apprenticeship was created by a group of leading employers, led by Rowan Bray, MD of Clear Cut and Neil Hatton, CEO of UK Screen Alliance. It is fully accredited by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education and leads to a level 4 qualification, equivalent to an HNC.

Rowan Bray, managing director, Clear Cut Pictures said: “The Apprenticeship delivers much-needed technical training tailored to the post production community. Employers are driving this scheme, to meet a known skills shortage, with tangible benefits for the whole sector. Amazon’s farsighted investment in developing these skills will benefit the wider production community.”

Whilst most companies are using this apprenticeship to upskill runners into technical roles, those taking on new recruits as apprentices currently qualify for an additional £3,000 government incentive payment.

Thomas Urbye, MD of The Look said: “We were delighted to hear about and support this specialised apprenticeship course, which allowed us to fast-track a new employee to join our technical team. The combination of on-the-job training and coursework with LSBU is mutually beneficial to the company and the apprentice.”

This is the second cohort of post production apprentices moving through this programme. The original cohort of 9 apprentices, who started on the programme 12 months ago, are soon to go through their end-point assessment. The pandemic caused a change of plan in the way the training was delivered, but industry stalwart trainer Pat Horridge and LSBU course leader Ben Mallaby converted the course materials and lectures to be delivered online. This remote delivery has opened up the opportunity for regional post houses to send apprentices on the new course.