ScreenSkills Animation Skills Council Launches Animation Trainee Finder

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ScreenSkills Animation Skills Council is launching ScreenSkills Animation Trainee Finder, an entry-level paid placement program. Open to candidates ages 18+ that have had up to 12 months’ paid experience in animation, the program will provide 20 trainees with up to three placements on 2D, 3D and stop-motion productions across the UK to gain a variety of experience over the course of a year.
Tom Box, Animation Skills Council Chair and Co-founder and Managing Director of Blue Zoo Animation Studio, commented, “Trainee Finder will give successful candidates who have already embarked on their animation career the opportunity to gain further experience with different companies on a ScreenSkills program that has already built a strong reputation with other parts of the industry. It is one of a range of ways in which the animation sector is working to open up the sector to a greater diversity of talent and address skills shortages.”
Additional information on eligibility, application process and job roles is available here. The deadline to apply is September 27, 2021.
Black, Asian or minority ethnic candidates are encouraged to apply because these groups are currently under-represented in the animation workforce.
Trainees will also receive an industry mentor, networking opportunities and insight into the industry through an intensive weekend bootcamp. There will be a focus on roles identified as shortage areas – animator, storyboard artist, rigger, and production coordinator – aimed at ensuring a continued supply of talent capable of making world-class creative animated content.
Source: ScreenSkills

• Animation production assistant trainee Rebecca Hardess participated in last year’s pilot program.
• Animator Ryan Jones has built a career in animation since working for Fettle Animation on the previous iteration of the Animation Trainee Finder program under Creative Skillset.

This initiative will extend the Trainee Finder program to animation. The Trainee Finder program has run successfully in high-end and children’s television and film for several years. A previous version of Trainee Finder was delivered by Creative Skillset, the skills body that preceded ScreenSkills. All Animation Trainee Finder placements are subsidized by the Animation Skills Fund for the participating production company. 
A new junior animator apprenticeship standard, coordinated by ScreenSkills with support from the BFI, awarding National Lottery funds, will begin recruitment in October for candidates with no relevant experience or qualifications in animation. Apprenticeships would start in the new year.