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| Author | Zoe Aresti |
A key focus of the UK Cinema Association since the turn of the year has been around skills and professional development.
The cinema industry – like any other – relies on the talent and capabilities of all who work in it. While individual companies within the sector have a strong track record of attracting and retaining talent, there is always of course more that can be done, not least in ensuring greater consistency across the piece.
With this in mind, the Association this year revisited a proposal which it had begun developing as far back as 2011; that of an accredited apprenticeship for frontline cinema staff.
Despite a great deal of hard work and commitment amongst members at the time, that proposal – developed under the then Government’s ‘trailblazer’ initiative, fell at the final hurdle.
But the announcement in the 2015 Budget statement of plans to introduce a new Apprenticeship Levy gave the work a renewed impetus.
The Levy, which will come into force in April next year, will see all ‘large employers’ – those with a payroll of over £3 million - contribute 0.5 per cent of that amount into a ‘pot’ intended to fund the future delivery of all apprenticeships in England. While the Levy will operate in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, those nations are yet to formally announce how they will use it.
In practical terms, that means that the half dozen or so largest UK operators will be between them providing around £1 million towards the fund each year – the existence of an accredited apprenticeship scheme for the sector will allow them (and others in due course) to then access that support.
Working with its members and Lifetime Training – a national training provider for apprenticeships – the Association has developed such a scheme, one which builds on existing government-accredited apprenticeships in one of customer service or hospitality, at entry or supervisor level. But one which also contains a bespoke ‘cinema operative’ pathway incorporating key elements relevant to the level and likely role of an apprentice working in the sector.
These are as follows:
- Cinema and the wider industry – setting cinema operation in the context of the relationship with film distribution and production;
- Accessible cinema – promoting an understanding of the importance of opening up the cinema experience to disabled customers;
- Cinema technology and presentation – providing a basic understanding of current and emerging cinema technology and the importance of maintaining the quality of the ‘big screen’ experience;
- Cinema marketing and sales – setting out the key commercial drivers of cinema operator;
- Audience development – generating an understanding of how to grow and broaden film audiences.
While each cinema company will be free to choose which overarching apprenticeship best suits their own requirements, the overall aim is to establish a coherent cross-sectoral training and development pathway that is fit for purpose and recognises the skills and knowledge that are specifically needed for working in the modern cinema sector.
With significant support and involvement from across the whole sector, the UK Cinema Association and Lifetime Training are currently piloting this new approach and inviting all members to be part of this great opportunity to upskill existing colleagues or to recruit new staff.