Educators hear from industry experts at ScreenSkills Select Congress 2021

Award-winning experts from the UK and international screen industries gathered to share expertise and current intelligence with more than 150 educators at the inaugural ScreenSkills Select Congress 2021.

The Congress brought educators and industry memebers together to discuss the big skills challenges and opportunities facing the UK’s screen sector with the aim of supporting educators in their vital role preparing their students for the fast-evolving world of work. In creating the programme there was a real emphasis on showcasing practical examples, including two case studies from industry-leading scripted and unscripted productions.

Educators also heard about the current technical, production and employability changes in TV, film, games, animation and VFX. This included the changes driven by the pandemic and views on what changes will be longer lasting in a post-pandemic world.

Among the key speakers included were Alex Hope, ScreenSkills’ Vice-Chair, and, co-founder and former managing director of DNEG, Charanprite Dhami, assistant director, and Tom Currie, executive producer, Dragonfly. The event was hosted by national TV presenter, Ria Hebden.

The Congress was also an opportunity for educators to engage with fellow practitioners from the screen industry’s education community as well as those working directly in the industry. The event was made available to all educators in colleges and universities with no charge for educators from ScreenSkills Select endorsed courses as this forms a key part of the benefits of the endorsement process.

Tim Weiss, director of vocational skills, ScreenSkills, said: “At the heart of the Congress is a spirit of collaboration and partnership between industry and education to ensure students have the latest knowledge, expertise and intelligence in the teaching they receive. This will ensure they are as best prepared as they can be to begin their careers. This is why we have paid particular attention to creating a programme where industry-leading experts give practical examples of what their cutting edge work involves, so educators can enrich the quality of their curriculum.

“Given the fast-moving nature of the screen industries, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic, it is also vital that educators also have opportunities to keep abreast of all the latest developments and trends for their own professional development and networking. [The] Congress gives them this great opportunity too.”