ScreenSkills Trainee Finder is a well-established and industry-respected training programme that supports new entrants looking to build a career in film, children's TV and high-end TV. Working with productions that contribute to the Industry Skills Funds, Trainee Finder helps new talent gain hands-on experience, build professional networks and develop their skills in a real production environment.
Alongside placement opportunities, trainees receive tailored training, career development support and guidance from the ScreenSkills team throughout the programme.
All applicants will be assessed against the eligibility criteria to determine their suitability for the programme:
- Be over 18 years old – there is no upper age limit
- Live in the UK
- Have evidence of the right to work full-time in the UK for at least the duration of the programme (1 April 2027 - 31 March 2028)
- Have completed full-time education by 31 March 2027– there are no education requirements to be on Trainee Finder.
- Have less than 12 months of relevant, paid production experience in their chosen department.
- Demonstrate an interest in and commitment to their chosen department
- Be committed to attending training sessions and industry events organised by ScreenSkills throughout the 12 months
ScreenSkills Trainee Finder is looking for trainees who are keen to pursue a career in the following departments:
- Accounts
- Art department
- Assistant director/ floor runner
- Camera
- Costume
- Edit
- Hair and make-up
- Locations
- Production office
- Sound (on location)
- Video assist and DIT
The 11 departments supported through Trainee Finder have been identified through extensive industry research. By focusing on areas with skills shortages, the programme helps develop new talent for roles critical to the future sustainability of the screen industries.
To find out more about these trainee roles and others, please explore the ScreenSkills job profiles and our skills checklists.
The number of trainees accepted onto the Trainee Finder programme varies from year to year. ScreenSkills works closely with industry partners to assess the demand for entry-level talent across each trainee department. As a result, the cohort size is determined by industry need and may fluctuate depending on the volume and types of productions expected to be recruiting trainees in a given year. Typically, Trainee Finder supports around 250+ trainees annually across its 11 trainee departments.
The number of places available within each department will vary and is based on the industry's demand for trainees in that area. This helps ensure that trainees are entering departments where there are genuine opportunities to gain meaningful experience and progress their careers.
No. We welcome passionate and committed applicants of all ages, provided they are 18 or over.
All opportunities offered through Trainee Finder are entry-level trainee roles. While we value transferable skills and experience from other industries, the programme is designed for those starting their careers in the screen industries, regardless of previous professional background.
Yes. You do not need to have previous film or TV industry experience to apply for Trainee Finder. We look for evidence of your passion for, and commitment to, the department you are applying for.
We welcome applicants with transferable skills and experience from other sectors. For example, this could include experience in theatre, music, photography, commercial production, business administration, event management, or, for hair and make-up applicants, experience working in a salon environment.
When assessing applications, we consider both relevant experience and your potential to develop a career within your chosen department.
To be eligible for Trainee Finder, you must have less than 12 months of accumulated paid experience in the department you are applying for on film, children's TV or high-end TV productions.
Your experience is calculated cumulatively, so short contracts or freelance roles are added together. For example, if you worked on productions for a total of three months across a year, you would still be eligible. However, if your paid experience in your chosen department exceeds 12 months in total, you would not be eligible for the programme.
When applying, please ensure your CV clearly shows the dates of your production experience, including the months worked on each role and any work completed as a daily. Providing this information helps us accurately assess your eligibility and level of experience.
There is no formal educational requirement to apply for Trainee Finder. However, applicants who are in full-time education must have completed their studies by 31 March 2027 to be eligible for the programme. If you are still enrolled in full-time education after this date, including if your graduation takes place in June or July 2027, you will not be eligible for this year's intake.
Trainee Finder requires participants to be fully available to commit to the programme. This includes applying for and accepting placement opportunities, which typically involve working five days per week, averages around 10 hours per day, in line with production requirements. As a result, it is not possible to balance full-time education with participation in the programme.
No. A UK driving licence is not a requirement for Trainee Finder. However, many productions film in locations that can be difficult to access by public transport, and some roles may involve early starts, late finishes or travel between locations. In some departments, productions may also expect trainees to undertake tasks that involve driving as part of their day-to-day responsibilities. Because of this, some productions may prefer trainees who can drive and, in some cases, have access to a vehicle.
You can still apply if you do not have a driving licence, but we encourage you to consider how this may affect the range of placement opportunities available to you in your chosen department.
ScreenSkills offers bursaries for driving lessons through our separate bursaries programme. Please read the guidelines here.
Read about a past ScreenSkills bursary recipient who used the funding for driving lessons.
We are looking for talented individuals from across the UK who have less than 12 months of paid experience in their chosen department within the film and TV industry.
Applicants must be able to clearly demonstrate a passion for, and commitment to, their chosen career path by providing evidence of one or more of the following:
- Seeking out or undertaking paid or unpaid work experience.
- Developing department-specific skills through training, education, personal projects, or other relevant experience.
- Gaining transferable skills relevant to their chosen department. This could include experience in other creative industries such as theatre, music, photography, or commercial production, or from roles in other sectors such as business administration, event management, or, for hair and make-up applicants, salon work.
- We welcome applicants from a wide range of backgrounds and are interested in both industry experience and transferable skills that demonstrate potential for a career in the screen industries.
Please refer to the ScreenSkills job profiles and skills checklists.
No. Acceptance onto the Trainee Finder programme is department-specific, and trainees will only be considered for opportunities within the department they successfully applied to.
For example, if you secure a place on the programme as a camera trainee, you will only be able to access and apply for camera trainee placement opportunities. You would not be eligible to apply for opportunities in other departments through Trainee Finder.
Before applying, we recommend taking the time to research the department that best matches your skills, interests, and career goals. Our job profiles are a great place to learn more about the different departments and the roles available within them.
Once accepted onto ScreenSkills Trainee Finder, trainees are expected to fully engage with all aspects of the programme and take an active role in developing their careers. To make the most of their year on the programme, trainees should proactively apply for suitable placement opportunities, respond promptly to enquiries from the ScreenSkills team, keep their CV and ScreenSkills profile information up to date, and attend all relevant training, events and programme activities.
When a trainee secures a placement on a production, they become part of the crew and gain valuable hands-on experience, develop their skills in a professional environment, and build industry connections. As with all crew members, trainees are expected to act professionally throughout their placement by being punctual, completing tasks to a high standard, maintaining a positive attitude, and making the most of learning opportunities.
Yes. All trainees who secure a placement through Trainee Finder will be paid at least the National Minimum Wage. The exact pay is determined by the production, with daily rates varying depending on the overall budget of each project.
Once you have secured a placement, the production company will become your employer for the duration of that role. They will therefore be responsible for managing your contract, pay, and other employment-related arrangements. Payment arrangements will vary depending on the production and are typically made on either a weekly or monthly basis.
While we work hard to secure placement opportunities for all trainees, we unfortunately cannot guarantee a placement.
We will support you throughout the programme, share relevant opportunities, and put you forward for placements that you express an interest in. However, the final hiring decision always rests with the individual production companies.
For this reason, trainees are expected to continue looking for work independently alongside their participation in Trainee Finder. The programme is designed to support your entry into the industry, but securing employment will depend on a range of factors, including production needs, location and availability.
Placement lengths vary depending on the production and opportunity available. Trainee Finder supports placements that run for a minimum of four weeks, with the exact duration determined by the production's needs, schedule and budget.
All placements are full-time roles within a production. Working patterns typically follow industry standards, with placements running five days per week and averaging around 10 hours per day. Depending on the production schedule, evening, night and weekend work may be required, and there may occasionally be a sixth working day.
Yes. We encourage trainees to actively look for work, build their networks, and pursue opportunities outside of the programme while on Trainee Finder.
If you secure work independently, please keep your CV and ScreenSkills profile up to date and let the Trainee Finder team know about any changes to your availability. This helps us ensure the opportunities we share remain relevant to you.
Trainee Finder is designed to support your career development, and taking a proactive approach to finding work will help you make the most of the programme.
Yes. Trainees are expected to continue seeking work opportunities both through and outside of Trainee Finder while on the programme.
We do our best to provide as much notice as possible when placements become available. However, due to the fast-paced nature of the film and TV industry, opportunities can arise at short notice and start dates may change.
Before applying, consider whether this way of working suits your circumstances. For example, if you are currently in full-time employment, you should think about whether you could respond to opportunities and potentially start a placement with limited notice.
Flexibility can be a significant advantage, and we encourage trainees to take a proactive approach to finding work and making the most of industry opportunities.
For more information about freelance careers in the screen industries, see ScreenSkills' Freelancer Toolkit.
ScreenSkills is committed to promoting diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity across all areas of our work.
We work closely with productions to help identify and implement reasonable adjustments where possible, ensuring trainees can fully participate in their placements.
We also recommend exploring support available through Access to Work, a government-funded scheme that can provide practical and financial support for people with a disability, physical or mental health condition, or neurodivergence in the workplace.
Trainee Finder works with productions across the UK. However, we cannot predict where productions will be filming or which departments will be recruiting trainees at any given time.
Trainees do not have to take placements away from home and relocate. Opportunities are shared with trainees, who can then decide whether they would like to be considered based on location and other factors.
We do encourage trainees to be as flexible as possible and apply for a broad range of opportunities, as this can increase the chances of securing a placement through the programme.
We recruit for Animation Trainee Finder every two years. We recommend you sign up for our newsletters to find out more about the next recruitment round.
By the end of the programme, we hope our trainees will have developed new skills, gained valuable industry experience, expanded your professional network, and built the confidence to continue progressing your career within the screen industries.
Once you have completed the programme, you will move forward in your career on your own merit, using the skills, knowledge and experience gained through the programme. Depending on your career stage and goals, there may also be other ScreenSkills programmes that could support your continued professional development.
You'll also become part of the ScreenSkills Trainee Finder Alumni community, giving you access to a growing network of former trainees and ongoing opportunities to stay connected with ScreenSkills and fellow industry professionals.
If you are unsuccessful in securing a place on the programme this year, please don't be discouraged. Trainee Finder receives an exceptionally high number of applications each year, with some rounds attracting as many as 4,000 applicants for around 250 places.
Many successful trainees were not accepted the first time they applied. Some return a year or two later with stronger applications, additional experience and a clearer understanding of their chosen department, and are then successful. Others go on to build careers in the industry without Trainee Finder by gaining valuable production experience, making the most of networking opportunities, and demonstrating the persistence and resilience needed to break into the screen industries.
If you are truly passionate about building a career in the screen industries, we encourage you to focus on gaining practical on-set experience, attending industry networking events, and engaging with training opportunities relevant to your department and career level.