What Part Does Training Play in Transforming the Industry?

In an industry where few roles require formal qualifications, training is essential to create a consistent foundation across productions. It promotes shared understanding, accountability, and a safer, more inclusive working environment. 

Many broadcasters and production companies already mandate training in areas like Health & Safety, HR, diversity, leadership, and sustainability. Encouraging all HETV crew to refresh this annually would help reinforce those values.

To support consistency, ScreenSkills in partnership with BBC Public Service, BBC Studios, ITV Studios, and Sky has created the ScreenSkills Training Passport. This portable record of industry-approved training modules allows crew to carry proof of completed training between productions.

Beyond the Passport, there’s potential to collaborate with unions, production advisors, and Health & Safety experts to identify recommended training across all roles. Individual productions can also promote optional training, helping crew grow their skills and contribute more fully.

If additional training is required by a production (beyond broadcaster-mandated content), it should be funded by the production and delivered during the crew member’s contracted period.

To ensure this is manageable, one suggested approach is to carry out all required training in an employee's first week. This enables heads of department (HODs) to plan team attendance. For crew joining late, consider paying for a half or full day of training, or reallocating time from their prep – if agreed at engagement and communicated to HODs.

Department-specific sessions have proven especially effective, offering both practical value and team-building benefits. 'Catch-all' sessions in the final weeks of prep help include those who missed earlier dates. Dedicated sessions for trainees are also beneficial, helping build confidence and peer support networks early on. 

Ultimately, aligning everyone around the same training standards creates a more cohesive, confident team and opens the door for crew to raise concerns, share ideas and help shape better working practices across HETV.