The BFI Skills Cluster comprises Liverpool Film Office, North East Screen, Screen Manchester and Screen Yorkshire

Screen Alliance North has benefitted more than 6,000 people across the north of England during its second year of funding, according to its latest figures.

The Skills Cluster, supported by the BFI awarding National Lottery funding, has supported trainees from a range of marginalised backgrounds – 48% of trainees have a disability, 28% of trainees identify as LGBTQ+ and 24% of trainees are from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Screen Alliance North is a partnership comprising Liverpool Film Office, North East Screen, Screen Manchester and Screen Yorkshire, and was formed in April 2023.

It has delivered through each agency nearly 400 activities this year, from bootcamps to bespoke training sessions, shadowing placements to on the job training.

The BFI’s Skills Clusters were established to help identify skills gaps and develop clearer pathways to employment for anyone in their area, thus building local skills pipelines and nurturing more people across the UK to work in the screen industry, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds

Alison Gwynn, chief executive of North East Screen, said on behalf of the executive team: “We’re committed to ensuring that opportunity is not determined by postcode or class, and that the north is not just a place where productions are made, but where careers are built and sustained.

“This year we’ve built strong new connections and developed existing relationships, working with stakeholders and collaborating with employers, to create 100’s of meaningful opportunities for people across the North and are proud of what we have achieved.”

Penny Hall, Skills Cluster lead, added: “This review outlines the impact of our second year. We have delivered targeted training in high-demand areas, shaped by direct engagement with productions and crew. We’ve piloted new approaches to inclusive leadership and worked with a range of partners on access, sustainability and good working practice, because we believe real change must start at the top and be embedded into everyday working practices.”

Image: Screen Alliance North exec team – Lynn Saunders, Alison Gwynn, Caroline Cooper Charles and Rob Page