In May 2023, the ScreenSkills Production Co-ordinator Training Programme for Unscripted TV drew to a close. It was a very exciting and ambitious programme that provided successful applicants with training, mentoring and up to 12-months’ worth of placements working in an unscripted TV production company. It had a regional focus with trainees taking part from 7 media hubs across the UK including Cardiff, Bristol, London, Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds & Belfast.

Launching in January 2022, the programme’s aim was to address the skills gaps within production management roles, with a focus on the Production Co-ordinator role. It’s a whole career path that often gets overlooked, with very few people outside of the industry even realising it exists. It’s the job route that I took from day one in the industry (after realising it existed during my first week of work experience), and it’s a career path that is challenging, exciting and incredibly rewarding. Without the production team, programmes just wouldn’t get made. They are responsible for (among many other things), booking crew, arranging shoots and all the logistics involved with these, booking kit, clearing music and archive, sustainability, health & safety, completing contractual paperwork and ensuring everything stays on schedule & on budget. It’s a career path that I’m hugely passionate about, so I was very grateful to be awarded the programme to encourage people to undertake those roles.

To address these skills gaps we looked to recruit trainees who had worked in more junior production roles such as Office Assistants, Production Assistants, Production Secretaries and Production Management Assistants who were ready to step up to Production Co-ordinator. Some of these trainees already worked in-house in a production company, and these production companies fully embraced the programme by sponsoring their employees to take part in the programme. After the training, these companies provided the placements, ensuring their delegates took on more of the PC role and the trainees were assigned their mentors to support them in their new role. We also recruited individuals returning to work after a career break.

To fill the skills gap, we wanted to recruit trainees working in other roles within the industry, who were looking for a career change. This resulted in us taking on trainees from sound and camera departments, editorial roles, scripted covid teams, corporate, post production and animation. We ensured that we recruited trainees from outside of the industry who had transferable skills and would thrive in the PC role. 45% of our graduates were transferers and these trainees came from roles in events, theatre, travel, teaching, retail, hospitality, finance, administration, management and business owners. We even had a Dental Practice Manager, Highways Officer and a Coroner’s Officer.

Find out more about our transferers in our case studies here.

Successful applicants undertook initial week-long training which covered - Albert/sustainability, setting up shoots (location, studio & OB), understanding kit, creating a call sheet, the importance of risk assessments, release forms, GDPR, expenses/petty cash/per diems/POs/credit cards/cost manager basics, clearances/copyright, post production, paperwork deliverables/Silvermouse, managing up and what to do when things go wrong. This was supplemented by a 2-day optional Organising Overseas Filming course that provided trainees with everything they needed to know to set up these overseas shoots.

It was a really exciting programme for me personally, as it meant I could run my first in-person training sessions. As I set my company up during the first Covid lockdown period, and with restrictions taking a while to ease, I’d had to run all of my training sessions online. However, as the training was such a vital part of the programme and it would be great networking opportunities for the trainees, I ensured we could run the training in each of the 7 cities. It was so lovely to get out to each city and meet the trainees in person, although the logistics of getting around everywhere whilst pregnant and running full day sessions was definitely a challenge!

After the training was complete, each of the trainees were provided their first placement with an unscripted production company. 89 production companies were actively involved in the programme, across all 7 cities. These companies included: RDF, Humble Bee Films, Outline Productions, BBC NHU, Silverback Films, OR Media, Twenty Twenty, Wall to Wall, IMG Productions, Rare TV, Spun Gold, ITV Studios, 72 Films, Plimsoll Productions, Twofour, Ricochet, Hat Trick, The Garden, Afanti Media, Studio Lambert, Crackit North, Dragonfly, True North, Raise the Roof Productions, Firecrest Films, STV, IWC Media, ITN Productions, Candour Productions, Expectation, Tern TV, Strident Media and many more.

Trainees worked on all of the different types of unscripted genres including natural history, documentary, factual entertainment, reality tv, news and current affairs, sports, children’s TV, education, religion, history, comedy and music & arts, both on regional and network productions. These genres provided varied experience for our trainees and included setting up location, studio, outside broadcasts and overseas shoots.

A selection of programmes our trainees worked on included: Dynasties II, Countryfile, DIY SOS, Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star, World’s Strongest Man, Love Island, The Assassination of JFK, Challenge Anneka, The Wheel, Drain the Oceans, The BBC Proms, The Repair Shop, 24hrs in A&E, Alexander Armstrong in South Korea, Songs of Praise, Naked Attraction, Morning Live, Operation Ouch!, Bargain Loving Brits in the Sun, BBC Bitesize, Meet the Richardsons, Points of View, Food Unwrapped, Love it or List it, Extraordinary Escapes with Sandi Toksvig, Homes Under the Hammer, The Great House Giveaway, Mastermind, and one trainee even had the opportunity to cover the Queen’s funeral and the King’s Coronation as part of ITN Productions output.

In addition to the trainees’ placements, they were also assigned an industry mentor who provided 6 hours of support across the programme. These mentoring sessions covered work-related skills, CV improvement and interview skills, negotiating pay and contract terms. Alongside soft skills like communication at work, building confidence, time management, organisational skills, advice around hierarchies and protocol, managing expectations, and managing relationships and conflict and personal welfare, particularly work-life balance. We had a total of 67 industry mentors from all across the UK who volunteered their time to support the trainees. They worked in roles from PCs, JPMs, PMs, LPs, PEs & even HOPs. They undertook training which was provided by our Mentoring Co-ordinator in order to make the most out of the mentoring relationship. The mentoring was a vital part of the programme to ensure that trainees felt fully supported and confident taking on their new roles.

Find out more about the benefits of the mentoring relationships in our case studies here.

Trainees spent the 12-months on the programme putting into practice everything they had learnt during their training while working in their placements companies. We’d like to take the opportunity on behalf of ScreenSkills and Media Career Advice to thank those companies that took on our trainees and our industry mentors who supported the trainees in learning more about the Production Co-ordinator role. Without them, this programme wouldn’t have been as successful as it has been. They’ve really shown their commitment in addressing the PC skills shortages and with their support, we’ve been able to provide fully rounded PCs who are dedicated to a career in production management for many years to come.

Of course, those who took part in the programme deserve a massive round of applause. They all worked so hard during the 12-months. They took on a lot of information during the training and put it all into practice during their placements. They established mentoring partnerships and committed their time to undertake these mentoring sessions. As a result of the programme, they’ve established themselves in the industry, with incredibly bright futures ahead of them working in production management. If our trainees are reading this, I hope you reflect back on the challenging but exciting year you’ve had and acknowledge just how far you’ve come in the space of 12-months. You should all be so incredibly proud of yourselves!

We had a really passionate and committed team who worked on the programme who I’d also like to give my personal thanks to, as without them the programme wouldn’t have been anywhere near as successful as it has been.

Ayrton McGurgan was our Admin Assistant. He expertly managed many documents including applications, right to work checks, bursary requests and kept us all sane whilst using Google Drive. He completed impossible tasks of sourcing amazing venues that had the IT requirements we needed and found hotels in each location. He created fantastic course adverts and persuaded organisations to promote our programme. He also kept on top of all correspondence and course confirmations with our trainees and purchased everything we needed for the training days. Nothing was too much for him and he was always one step ahead of all of us with a constant welcoming and reassuring smile.

Inge Samuels was our Placement Co-ordinator. She had the daunting task of finding placements for our trainees in all 7 cities across the UK. This involved establishing contact with companies local to those areas to see what productions they had coming up and whether they could take on one or multiple trainees to work on their productions. She worked really closely with the companies and trainees to find the perfect match based on the trainees preferred genres/desired work experience and the company’s requirements for their available production roles. Overall, she was responsible for our 77 graduates working on over 200 productions across all unscripted genres and was even described as “the guardian angel of production staff” by one of the employers.

Anna Roberts was our Mentoring Co-ordinator. She provided training to both our industry mentors and our trainees to prepare both parties for the mentoring partnership. She expertly matched our 67 mentors with our 77 mentees, with some mentors taking on more than one mentee. She ran regular mentor and mentee online catch-up sessions and ensured that all partnerships were running smoothly. This was all whilst simultaneously running another mentoring programme for Cult Cymru which was part funded by ScreenSkills. She did a fantastic job of supporting all of our mentors and mentees throughout their partnerships.

Alongside my team, I worked as the Programme Leader and Trainer. I oversaw the programme as a whole to ensure employers, mentors and of course our trainees were all getting the most out of the programme. I promoted and marketed the programme and vetted applications. I adapted and developed the course from the 2-day more intensive Production Co-ordinator course we run and ran these longer versions in person in each of the cities, along with a supplementary online course for additional trainees.

I also want to mention the fantastic ScreenSkills unscripted team who are an absolute pleasure to deal with and supported us throughout the programme. I feel so honoured that I get to work closely with ScreenSkills to deliver both short courses and longer programmes. They are truly committed to filling the skills gaps in the industry and I love that they recognise and promote the production management roles as an exciting and rewarding career to both new entrants and established freelancers.

Out of 221 applications, we trained 93 individuals from all 7 media hubs across the UK. 77 of the trainees graduated the 12-month programme. 89 companies provided placements, with trainees working on over 200 productions across the 12-months. 67 industry mentors volunteered their time from across all of the UK. The programme was positively received by trainees, mentors and employers.

Employer feedback

“This was a fantastic scheme. Something that our industry really needed. I mentored a Prod Co-ord who worked in Glasgow and she has a bright future ahead of her, which is down to the scheme (and her own mentality). It's given many people the step up and knowledge they need.”

“Hugely beneficial!! There is a shortage of PM staff all across the UK. I think this intro into TV & the invaluable knowledge & networking opportunities is huge and helps people get their foot into the door and kickstarts their career.”

“The PCUTV programme has been the most successful training process for PC's that I have taken part in.”

“Thank you for the opportunity of having a member of this scheme on our production. It felt like a win-win for all parties and I’d definitely recommend any other PM investigate the placement benefits it could bring.”

Mentor Feedback

“This is the first time I've done a mentoring programme in this setting and is something I have wanted to do for a while. In my job I am regularly training up new starters and provide support to entry level production management staff, however it has been enjoyable doing it in this way from an outside looking in perspective not working directly with [my mentee] myself as I have been able to provide advice and guidance from a different angle and has taught me I do have a lot of knowledge and experience to share.”

“I’ve enjoyed this process immensely. It has helped me understand the importance of welfare and wellbeing of my own teams, and how personal and professional development are interlinked.”

“This experience and training has increased my skill base as a Line Manager within my current role. It has provided me with the tools to mentor more effectively and over a lengthy period of time.”

“[It] improved my listening skills and thinking about how my experience and knowledge might be able to help someone new to the industry. It’s a great exercise in patience, but also gives a really rewarding feeling that you're helping someone find their passion.”

Trainees

“Thank you so much for all your support of the past year. I was very unhappy in my previous job in the hospitality sector, and this scheme/new career path has literally saved my mental health and given me a new outlook on my future career prospects! I can't thank you enough.”

“It exceeded my expectations, I can't thank Hannah, Inge and Anna enough, it was reassuring to know that the team were there to support me and help me with finding employment, which took the pressure off me.”

“The course has enabled me to start my career in Unscripted TV smoothly and while being well supported. As someone crossing over from events I don't think I would of had such a good transition without this course.”

“Screenskills helped to restore confidence in myself and helped me to establish a career in freelance production.”

Take a look at our case studies to see what a positive impact the scheme has had on our trainees here.

The Production Coordinator Training Programme for Unscripted TV was funded by ScreenSkills' Unscripted TV Skills Fund (with contributions from production companies, broadcasters and SVoDs in the UK) and was delivered by Media Career Advice.

Programme Lead and Trainer: Hannah Gosney, Media Career Advice

Placement Coordinator: Inge Samuels

Mentoring Coordinator: Anna Roberts

Find out about the new programme we are running for ScreenSkills between 2023 - 2024, the Production Assistant Training Programme for Unscripted TV

Production Co-ordinator Training Programme for Unscripted TV

2023 Round Up

Become a better manager with coaching and mentoring skills