Screen Skills Ireland, formally Screen Training Ireland, today announced its new name at the inaugural Screen Industry Education Forum. The agency is also providing a new service which proactively maps career paths within the industry, with the launch of a brand new ‘Careers in Screen’ portal.
Screen Skills Ireland is hosting the inaugural Screen Industry Education Forum, which aims to bring together screen industry stakeholders, education/training providers and policy influencers to focus on the skills development challenges and opportunities of the screen sectors in Ireland, including Film, TV, Animation, VFX, Games and AR/VR.
Discussion panels covering international best practice; the skills needs of the Irish screen industry; and the Irish education landscape, will explore ways in which education and industry can collaborate more effectively in future to address the skills needs of the sector. Chaired by Andrew Barnes, Associate Director at Olsberg SPI, the sessions will culminate in round table discussions for the participants, focusing on 4 key questions:
- What are the key skills gaps in the Irish screen sectors currently?
- How can industry stakeholders and education/training providers engage in a better way in the future to address current and future skills gaps?
- What collaborative industry/education models work best for both industry and education?
- How should industry/education collaborations be funded?
Speaking about the event, Gareth Lee, Manager at Screen Skills Ireland (and Animation Skillnet) , said, “The establishment of an annual Screen Industry Education Forum was a key recommendation of the Crowe Horwath report on a Strategy for the Development of Skills for the Audiovisual Industry in Ireland 2017. Screen Skills Ireland are delighted to play a leadership role in convening the first forum and acting as a nexus between industry stakeholders and education/training providers. We hope today will see the start of positive conversations, leading to fruitful collaborations that start to address some of the skills needs of the screen industries in Ireland that will support the sector to continue to grow and thrive over the coming years”.
Screen Skills Ireland will also launch a new careers portal, http://www.careersinscreen.ie, a comprehensive online resource for new entrants and industry professionals, that will provide an overview of the screen industries and a breakdown of departments and the key skills required for all roles across Film, TV (drama and non-fiction), VFX and Animation.
Commenting on the Careers in Screen portal, Gareth Lee, Manager at Screen Skills Ireland, said, “As part of Screen Skills Ireland’s commitment to mapping out career paths in the screen industries, this is a continuous, ongoing project that will allow new entrants and industry professionals in Ireland to see at a glance the large range of roles available in the screen industries, as well as map out career paths and progression opportunities. It is the first of its kind in Ireland and we envisage that it will be an excellent resource for the sector. It will be managed and updated by Screen Skills Ireland, aiming to provide a snapshot of the industry as it currently stands, providing new entrants and professionals with guidance on where and how to best address their career objectives”.
The name-change to Screen Skills Ireland better reflects the remit and range of activity of Screen Skills Ireland while aligning the organisation more closely with education policy in Ireland, and with its sister agency, Screen Ireland.
The Careers in Screen portal can be accessed by visiting http://www.careersinscreen.ie