The Children’s TV Skills Fund, Film Skills Fund and High-end TV Skills Fund came together to deliver a single ScreenSkills Trainee Finder programme, creating access to a range of training opportunities across the UK.
The programme kicked off with a launch webinar, explaining the aim and structure of the programme as well as advising potential candidates on how to build a strong application.
Watch the webinar now or read the transcript below.
About the webinar
This webinar was led by Film Programmes and Placements Lead, Celia Small, and HETV Trainee Finder and Partners Outreach Manager, Dalia Kebire. They were joined by Trainee Finder alumni, Laura Whitley who and Gajan Panchalingam who share their experiences of the programme, line producer, Aimee Whelan, and Film Programmes and Placements Administrator, Ruby Churchill who lead the Q&A.
The webinar covered:
What is Trainee Finder
Who is the programme for?
Eligibility criteria
Top tips for your application and CV writing
Meet past alumni
Audience Q&A
This is a recording of an online event that took place on 7 October 2026 and was funded by the Film, Children's and High-end TV Skills Funds. The event was signed by a BSL interpreter and there are closed captions.
All information presented in this webinar is accurate at the time of recording. The Trainee Finder programme is developed specific to the context of each application year. Applicants are therefore encouraged to rely on current information and official guidance offered by the Trainee Finder team.
Celia Small, Film Programmes and Placements Lead
Hello and welcome to the webinar for the launch of applications for ScreenSkills Trainee Finder 2027-28.
We hope you enjoyed the film showreel, highlighting some of fantastic productions that ScreenSkills have supported over the years. When joined, you may have also seen a selection of images showcasing the wide range of productions that our trainees have worked on, spanning some award winning productions from the likes of Hamnet to Blue Lights.
I'm Celia. I’m a white female. I've got shoulder length brown hair, and today I'm wearing glasses and a grey cardigan, and I'm the Film Programme and Placements Lead here at ScreenSkills.
This session is being interpreted into British Sign Language and Zoom captioning is also available. You can enable captioning yourself using the controls at the bottom of your Zoom toolbar. Now we're doing things a little differently this year. Rather than presenting to you live, this webinar has been pre-recorded to ensure we can share all the key information with you as clearly as possible.
However, as you're watching this, the full Trainee Finder team are available behind the scenes throughout the full session, and we'll be working hard to answer as many of your questions as possible via the live Q&A function. You can submit your question using the Q&A box, which is also at the bottom of your Zoom window. However, before posting a question, we do very much encourage you to give your full attention to at least the first half the first half hour of this session, as many of the most commonly asked questions are covered within the presentation itself.
So just sit back, relax, and absorb the information. This webinar will run for one hour and after the session, the recording will be made available on our website so you can catch up on anything you may have missed at the end of the webinar, we'll also share some links with you via our Padlet, which will contain the resources, the web pages, the referencing throughout this presentation, making it easy for you to access everything in one place. Now I'm going to pass you over to Dalia.
Dalia Kebire, HETV Trainee Finder and Partners Outreach Manager
Hi, I'm Dalia Kebire. I'm a brown-skinned woman wearing a navy shirt, and I'm the Trainee Finder and Partners Outreach Manager in our high-end TV department. ScreenSkills Trainee Finder is a year long programme designed to help launch careers long programme designed to help launch careers in the screen industries by securing paid trainee placements for around 250 participants each year, successful applicants join an industry recognized cohort of trainees who are put forward for paid crew placements across the UK in film, high-end TV and children's TV productions.
Throughout the programme, trainees receive industry-led training and paid on the job placements, helping them to build skills, knowledge and confidence as they begin their careers. Trainees also benefit from dedicated pastoral support from the ScreenSkills Team, ensuring they have the guidance and encouragement needed to make the most out of their experience and progress within the industry.
Over the next hour will guide you through how the Trainee Finder programme works, explain the eligibility criteria, and share practical tips to help you submit a strong application. Throughout this session, you'll hear from a range of guest speakers who will provide valuable insights into the programme and how it can help launch your career. We're delighted to be joined by Laura and Gajan, both former Trainee Finder trainees, who will share their experiences of the programme and the impact it has had on their careers.
We'll also be joined by Aimee Whelan, a line producer working across both film and high-end TV productions. Aimee will offer an employer's perspective on what productions look for when recruiting trainees, and share their experience of working with the Trainee Finder Programme. I'll hand it over to Celia, who will tell you more about the film productions that work with us.
Celia Small
In our film department, we work with film productions from across the UK. So far this year we've supported productions and had trainees working on them that were filming in Scotland, Yorkshire, Northern Ireland and Wales, as well as many of the major studios across London and the South East.
We work with a broad range of productions within film, so that's from independent feature films such as Pillion and Mr Burton to major studio productions including Downton Abbey, The Grand Finale and Fantastic Four: First Steps. The variety gives our trainees the opportunity to gain experience in different working environments, each offering its own unique learning opportunity and insight into the film making process. Now, Dalia is going to talk you through the high-end and children's TV productions that we're really fortunate to work with as well.
Dalia Kebire
So we also work closely with a range of high-end TV and children's productions across the UK that includes Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland to provide them access to our trainees who join them for paid placements on some of the UK's biggest productions.
A High-end TV production is defined as being one with a budget of over million pounds per hour episode, so it covers lots of high budget scripted dramas such as House of the Dragon, Rivals, Blue Lights, Call the Midwife, Gangs of London and Peaky Blinders, all of which our trainees, have worked on, and it also includes shows produced by streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon, Sky and Apple TV. The High-end TV Skills Fund also supports high-end unscripted productions with children's TV productions, there’s many opportunities for placements to. Some examples of children's shows we've worked with are Balamory, Odd Squad and Andy and the Band. It's worth noting that although children's productions are predominantly scripted, there may be the opportunity to work on unscripted productions also within this sector. Now onto Celia, who will be going through the eligibility criteria for the programme.
Celia Small
So to be eligible for Trainee Finder, you must meet all the following criteria. So applicants will be assessed against these requirements. So it's important to ensure that you meet each one before applying.
So the first one is you must be over the age of 18 to apply for Trainee Finder. There is, however, no upper age limit, and many successful candidates and trainees that make it onto programme have actually come from changing careers. However, it is worth noting that Trainee Finder placements are entry level opportunities and as they are designed for people starting their careers in the screen industries, the next eligibility criteria is at the point of applying.
You must be living in the UK and have the right to work full time in the UK for at least the full duration of the programme, so that will be 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2028. Neither ScreenSkills nor the production that we work with can provide visa sponsorship. If you are invited to an interview for Trainee Finder, which usually take place around January, February, time, its at that point that you will be required to provide your evidence of your right to work, and at that point it must cover the entire programme year. We can't take any exception to this requirement, and it's worth noting that each year we do have some really strong applicants that are unable to join the programme purely because they cannot provide us with the necessary documentation. Therefore, we recommend to ensure you have the appropriate evidence of your right to work before applying.
The next eligibility criteria is that you need to demonstrate that you have researched the programme and understand what Trainee Finder can offer you. Your application must clearly explain why the programme is right for you and how it aligns with your career goals. We want to know how it can support you at your current stage of your career. The next eligibility criteria is you need to demonstrate a clear commitment to your chosen department. All the placement and opportunities offered through Trainee Finder will be within the department you apply to, and you can only apply to one department and you won't be able to switch departments during the programme year. It's therefore important that you've researched the role thoroughly, and you're confident in the area in which you want to build your career.
Next eligibility criteria is that you must have completed full time education by 31 March 2027. That's one day before the programme starts. If you're currently a student, you must have graduated before this date. Unfortunately, we can't make any exceptions to this requirement. While there are no specific educational qualifications that you may need for Trainee Finder, applicants cannot be enrolled in full time education while on the programme. This is purely because placements are full time and they require a lot of dedication and commitment, and it requires trainees to have their full availability.
The sixth and final eligibility criteria is that you must have less than 12 months of paid experience in your chosen department, within film and high-end TV production, only paid experience which has been gained in film or high-end TV production counts towards this requirement. So if you have experience on short films, unscripted, that's fantastic, but they don't go towards those 12 months. The 12 month limit applies to your total combined paid experience in the department that you're applying for. So for example, if you have worked in that department, across multiple roles, multiple productions, but your combined experience poses less than 12 months, you are still eligible. Likewise, if you have 12 months of experience in one department, such as production office, but you're applying for a Trainee role in different departments such as art department, you may still qualify. Worth noting also that previous industry experience, is not a requirement for Trainee Finder, and will later go on to talk you through how in your application you can talk about your transferable skills. But now I'm going to pass you back to Dalia who is going to talk you through the cohorts of this coming year, and the departments we’ll be supporting within it.
Dalia Kebire
As mentioned, trainees who join the programme will have the opportunity to work on children's TV, high-end TV and films. This is so trainees can build experience across different types of productions and develop broader skills. This year, the programme will look to recruit around 250 trainees in the following 11 crew departments: accounts, art department (which also covers Set Dec, props and graphics), assistant director (also known as floor runner and the terminology is interchangeable within the industry), camera, costume, edit, hair and make-up, locations, sound, production office, video assist and DIT.
These departments have been selected based on research into current skills gaps across the sector. Each year, we work closely with the industry to identify where the greatest demand for trainees exist, so we can proactively address these needs and provide our trainees with the best possible opportunities to secure placements. These are the only departments that Trainee Finder will be supporting as part of next year's programme. We don't support any departments outside of these 11 on screen, we don't have placements within the lighting, grips or script supervisor departments. We also don't support roles in the early development stages of production, such as script editing or writing, and we don't support those looking to get into an acting career. Most of the roles we offer are focused on below the line crew roles during filming itself, with the exception of opportunities in edit.
Within this programme, we don't support animation or unscripted productions. If you're interested in these types of productions or departments outside of Trainee Finder's remit, we encourage you to explore the ScreenSkills website, where you'll find a range of programmes, training opportunities, and industry available support across other sectors.
As mentioned, you can only apply to one department within the programme, so it's important to choose the area that best fits your skills and career goals. To help you decide take a look at our job profiles and skills checklists, which explain the responsibilities and expectations for each role. We'll share links to these resources in the Padlet.
Applications are assessed by industry professionals from each department, who are looking for candidates with a genuine interest in and commitment to that specific career path. If you're unsure which department to apply for, we'd recommend taking the time to research your options rather than applying, simply get into the industry. Trainee Finder is designed to support individuals who have already identified the department they want to work in, and are committed to developing a career within it. Celia is now going to run through a few points to consider before you apply.
Celia Small
Thank you very much. I'm now going to talk to you a few things to get you thinking about navigating a freelance life. Before we move on to the recruiting process and share some top tips for completing your application, we'd like to talk you through a few points that you may wish to consider before applying. And a few questions just to ask yourself. It's worth noting that these things have come up through our experience of working with trainees throughout the year.
The first point we'd like you to consider is where can you work? Remote or home based working opportunities are very limited in the film and TV industry and through that also with Trainee Finder. So your location may have a significant effect on where you're able to take on placements. While we work with productions across the UK. We cannot control where they are based or predict where future opportunities may arise. Placements are often concentrated around major production hubs with fewer opportunities in rural or remote areas. If you're based outside these hubs, you may need to consider temporary relocating for work or a slightly longer commute as a typical day on set can last over ten hours. Travel time can have a significant impact on your working day.
The second point I'd like you to consider is how do you get to work? While driving and having a UK driving license is not a requirement for Trainee Finder It's important to think about how you'll travel to and from a placement. Film and TV productions often take place across a range of locations and work patterns such as early starts, late finishes, or even night shoots can make the location quite difficult to access by public transport. As a result, some productions may prefer trainees who can drive and even in some cases have access to a car. We want to be clear that not being able to drive does not make you ineligible for Trainee Finder. However, before applying, it's worth considering how you would manage traveling to potential placements based on your individual circumstance. If you do not drive because of disability or access requirements, you are absolutely still encouraged to apply as part of Trainee Finder we run a dedicated session in our induction on access and inclusion in the screen industries, within this we cover topics such as access to work, access barriers and other practical support to help you succeed. If you'd like to learn more about applying, we can share in the Padlet. The TV Access Project, which provides guidance and resources for Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people pursuing careers in television and the wider screen industries.
The third point we'd like you to consider, and it's quite a big one, is freelancing for you. While many people enjoy the variety and the flexibility of working between projects, others prefer stability and permanent employment, and there's no right or wrong with those. Trainee Finder however, is designed to help people starting a freelance career in the screen industries, and it does not provide long term employment or permanent employment. Although placements are not guaranteed on the programme, trainees are expected to be available for the opportunities when they arise, and many trainees balance the programme alongside other work commitments. However, it's important to consider whether those commitments would allow you to attend interviews, respond to opportunities at short notice, and take up placements when they're offered, before applying Think realistically about whether the freelance nature of the industry and the flexibility it requires from you is something that you can commit to. Some past Trainees have found that freelancing wasn't quite a right fit for them, and that's completely okay. It is important to consider all these things before applying. If you'd like to learn more about a freelance career in the screen industries, we'd recommend exploring our ScreenSkills Freelance toolkit, which will also include in the Padlet.
Now, none of these points are intended to put you off applying further from it. However, they are important considerations and we consider you to think about them carefully, and each one before submitting your application.
Ultimately is this the right time for you to apply for Trainee Finder? Are you ready to embrace the freelance nature of the screen industries? and that you understand the flexibility, the resilience and the professionalism needed to succeed? Are you in a position to fully commit to all the opportunities that Trainee Finder offers?
We want everyone who joins the programme to be in the best position possible, to make the most of the opportunities available. It is just a year and it goes very quickly. Remember, Trainee Finder opens its applications every year, so there's no pressure to apply if the timing isn't quite right for you this year. If you feel you need more time to gain experience, or maybe improve your availability and put yourself in the strongest possible position, the programme will still be here for you when you're ready.
We would much rather you apply when you put your best foot forward and fully commit, taking the most of the experience. However, after asking yourself all these questions and you're still desperate to apply, Dalia is now going to talk you through about what you can expect as being a ScreenSkills trainee.
Dalia Kebire
So the next Trainee Finder programme will run from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2028.
We ask that all trainees accepted onto the programme can commit to the full year. This will give them the best chance of making the most of the training, support and placement opportunities available.
If you already know that, you won't be able to commit to the full length of a programme. So, for example, if you have a long job or a holiday booked in, you have other commitments you may need to focus on. It may be worth considering applying in a future year instead when you're in a better position to fully engage with everything the programme has to offer.
So we have an induction weekend, and for trainees who are accepted, we'll ask that you attend these on 13 March, 14 March, 20 March and 21 March. Attendance on all four days is a requirement of the programme. Unfortunately, if you are unable to attend the full induction, you won't be able to continue on to the programme. Each year we have candidates who are successfully progressed through the interview stage but unable to attend one of the induction sessions. Unfortunately, they are then not accepted onto the programme. These induction days are designed to prepare you for working in the industry and making the most of your time on Trainee Finder. Over the course of the induction, you'll take part in a range of workshops and training sessions covering topics such as finance for freelancers, CV writing and Job applications, Finding work in the screen industries, Industry expectations, and Professional development.
Throughout the year, we also aim to offer additional development opportunities in response to current industry needs. These opportunities may vary from year to year and are shaped by the skills, knowledge and training that productions are looking for trainees to develop.
This approach helps ensure that the support we provide remains relevant, up to date and aligned with the needs of the industry, giving trainees the best possible chance of succeeding in their placements and future careers.
So throughout the year, we work closely with productions to identify their trainee requirements. Once we receive details of an opportunity which should be on the next slide, we issue what we refer to as a call out, which is an email sent to all the trainees within the relevant department.
We then pass the interested trainee CVs onto the production. From that point onwards, it is the production, not ScreenSkills, that makes all recruitment decisions, including inviting trainees to interview and offering placements.
If a trainee is successful in securing a placement, they become part of the production team in the same way as any other crew member. The production will be their employer, whilst ScreenSkills will continue to support them throughout the placement and help ensure that they get the most out of the opportunity.
As part of this support, all trainees are asked to complete a progression plan whilst on the placement. This is a valuable tool that helps trainees set goals, reflect on their achievements and track their professional development throughout their time on production. It's also important to understand that although these placements are entry level opportunities designed to help trainees learn and development and not work experience. They are genuine crew positions that productions need to fill. Placements are full time paid roles, typically working five days per week and often averaging around 10 to 12 hours per day.
When it comes to pay, rates can vary between placements and are determined by the individual production based on their budget. However, we require all productions to pay trainees at least the national minimum wage.
We work with productions across the UK, and trainees are welcome to apply for opportunities both locally and if they are able and willing anywhere else in the country. There is no expectation or obligation to relocate, but being open to working at different locations may increase the number of opportunities available to you.
Finally, it's important to note that whilst Trainee Finder aims to connect trainees with placement opportunities, placements cannot be guaranteed. The demand for trainees is driven entirely by productions, and it can be difficult to predict when and where opportunities will arise.
Trainee Finder is not a year long full time job and we are not an employment agency, nor is it a full time training course. Throughout your time on the programme, we encourage you to continue seeking your own work, build your professional network, and actively manage your career development. The most successful trainees are often those who are proactive, motivated, and willing to advocate for themselves.
So in terms of pastoral support, both on placement and between placements, the Trainee Finder team provides ongoing support throughout the programme. We also carry out regular check ins with trainees during their placements to see how they're progressing. Address any questions or concerns and help ensure they're getting the most out of the opportunity.
Our aim is to make sure that as you begin your career in the industry, you feel supported every step of the way and never feel like you're navigating it on your own.
So Trainee Finder is a well-established and highly regarded programme within the screen industry’s. Productions actively choose to work with us and recruit ScreenSkills trainees because they know that everyone in the programme has successfully navigated a competitive and rigorous application process. As a result, productions have confidence that our trainees are committed, passionate, and serious about building a career in their chosen department. So once you complete the programme in March 2028, you'll become part of the ScreenSkills Trainee Finder Alumni Network. We aim to maintain our relationship with alumni by sharing industry updates and ScreenSkills training, and professional development programmes that can support your continued career progression. Celia is now going to go through the recruitment process and share some key dates with you.
Celia Small
So if helpful to know for next year's Trainee Finder programme, we'll be working towards the following recruitment process and timeline. So the first one is, today, 7 October, and you're all watching the webinar. So you can tick that off.
Today applications will go live and we'll share a link for these as soon as the webinar is over. It will also be very obvious on our website how to apply. The next point is applications will need to be submitted by 2pm on Wednesday 28 October. Unfortunately, applications received after this deadline cannot be considered and no exception can be made about this. We do occasionally receive inquiries for applicants who believe they submitted their application before the deadline. However, from our end, all submissions are timestamped.
Any application submitted after the 2pm deadline on 28 October on our system will be deemed ineligible. And to be fair to all applications, these will not be reviewed and processed. We therefore cannot more strongly encourage applicants to submit their application well in advance of that deadline to avoid any last minute issues. We do get them every year. It's a three week window that you'll have to apply. So although we do want you to do your research and don't rush your application, do you make sure it's in well before that deadline. The next after this. So the next point is after applications have closed, all applications will then be assessed by up to three industry professionals within the department that you applied for. From this, the ScreenSkills team will then review and collect the scores and feedback from all assessors. The next date to think about from that point.
So the next point, all applicants will receive an update on their application by the 8 January 2027 at the latest. At that point, shortlist candidates will be invited to attend an online interview, which happens in January and February, and this again will be with industry professionals. This is where you'll be asked a series of questions about their interest in the department and their commitment to the the career in the industry. The final thing to think about, and the final point is, successful candidates from those interviews will then be onboarded onto the programme, and this will be in the process of attending our mandatory induction sessions that Dalia's already mentioned, that take place in March, before the programme officially begins on 1 April 2027. Dalia is now going to talk you through some top tips of when you'll be applying.
Dalia Kebire
Well, first tip is do your research. We want to understand why you've chosen to apply for your specific department and what interests you about that career path. Demonstrating and understanding of the role, including the types of tasks and responsibilities involved will help strengthen your application. Show your passion and commitment. We want to see that your genuinely dedicated to pursuing a career in your chosen department in the film and TV industry. Tell us about the steps you've already taken to break into the industry, whether that's working on short films, developing personal projects, attending networking events, or building your skills independently. Demonstrating initiative and commitment will help strengthen your application.
Number 2, talk about your transferable skills. We're interested in how your existing experience and skills relate to the trainee role your applying for. We understand that you are at the beginning of your career, and opportunities to gain hands on production experience can sometimes be difficult to find. Therefore, industry experience is not a requirement for Trainee Finder. However, use our job profiles and skills checklists to identify the key skills required for your chosen training role and highlight examples from your work, your education, volunteering, or personal interests that demonstrate those abilities. Making these connections clear will help strengthen your application.
Number 3. Why Trainee Finder? Explain why Trainee Finder would benefit you specifically and how it could help achieve your career goals. This can include any barriers you're currently facing when trying to enter the industry, build experience, and how the programme's training and support would help you overcome.
Use examples. Don't just list your skills. Explain how you've developed and use them within a working environment. One of the most common mistakes we see is applicants making general statements without providing evidence. Specific examples help assessors understand your experience and strengthen your application.
Finally, keep your answers clear, concise, and relevant. Each question we ask in the application form has a suggestion word count, don't feel like you need to go over this. Remember that assessors will be reviewing a large number of applications, so focusing on your strongest examples and making your points quickly and clearly will help your application stand out.
Through the application form, you'll be able to submit your answers either in written form or by uploading a video response. And do let the team know if you require any support when completing the application. At ScreenSkills, we recognize that tools such as ChatGPT can be useful when preparing an application. However, they should be used to support your application and to write it on your behalf. We want to hear about your experiences, motivations, and career goals in your own words. Authenticity is a key part of the assessment process, and it is often very clear when an applicant has relied too heavily on AI generated content. The strongest applications are those that reflect your individual voice, experiences and aspirations. As we also ask you to upload your CV, Celia is going to talk to you through some key things to include within your CV.
Celia Small
So yes, so within your application form there is a section where we will ask you to upload your updated CV. Therefore, we thought it'd be useful to briefly run through some top tips for CV writing. Please keep in mind that the advice I’m about to give is specific for the Trainee Finder application and what we want to see, and not for applying for industry jobs in general. But there is little bit of crossover.
So the first point is keep it to one page, one page of A4. This is quite industry standard for those in entry level and getting into the industry. If you're if your CV goes over one page, you're more likely including information that the reader doesn't need to see, or your structure isn't quite right. So think about it being on one page and you'll need to convert it to a PDF format for the application process. On screen now you can see an example of the CV, on one page, and how it has broken down to the different themes and subjects that we'd like you to cover. So the first one in the top section is your key details. So this is your name, the one you're happy to be referred to.
Then you want to include your job role and for the purpose of Trainee Finder, You want to make this relevant to the role that you're applying for. Which trainee position. Don't just write in there filmmaker or student or director your entry level, and you need your CV to reflect that.
You want to include your contact details so your phone number and your email address, the ones that you use on a regular basis. You also want to include your locations and also your bases.
Your location is where you currently live and you reside, but you can also include bases or places that you would be happy to relocate to. Whether that's for a family member or a friend that you could potentially stay with and you'd be happy to do so.
Within the Trainee Finder application, you do not need to upload or submit a showreel or portfolio of your work. However, if you do want the assessor to see these, you can include a hyperlink on your CV. Just make sure that the hyperlink works and test it beforehand. Again, we do not require this to be on your application, but if you do want to show it, that's the place to put it within the top section. You also want to add if you've got a valid UK driving license, again, as you know to be eligible for Trainee Finder, this is not eligibility criteria, but it's useful information for us to know.
On your CV you can include a short personal statement or summary, but really keep this short and concise and no more than three lines. The next bit is a quite important bit. It's your work history, so if you do have production experience again you don't need to have this for Trainee Finder. But if you do, you want to list your work history in reverse order. So your most recent job first and then working your way back, with production experience, you want to make it really clear what has been paid and unpaid, and if it's useful you can put that in brackets next to the jobs.
As you know, for Trainee Finder, it's less than 12 months of paid experience, we will only be counting your paid work. On your CV we do use this as an indicator of how long you've worked on jobs. You do really want to be really clear about the time length of when you've done production work. I'm not saying people lie on their CV’s, but we may elaborate slightly, and if you've done some daily works in May, for example, you could put just May in there. However, when we're counting this up, that will be one month of work. So next to jobs where you done daily’s, you can put in brackets daily work, one week, a couple of days, that kind of thing, and we do use your CV’s to count the accumulation of your jobs. If your listing work outside of the screen industries, great! Make sure to include transferable skills from these jobs that reflect the trainee role that you want to do.
You also want to include your education, your qualification, training and skills, and you want to add a GDPR statement at the bottom which allows your CV to be shared. a few top tips for your CV.
So once again make it one page and make it into PDF format. The PDF is a requirement for the application form. If you upload it as a Word document or in Pages, it may mean the assessor is not able to access this and read it. So that would mean a big chunk of your application is not able to be read. So PDF please. You want to make sure that your CV is easy to read. We appreciate that this is a creative industry, but the purpose of your CV is that it can be read. So make sure that you've got a clear format a clear font, not too many swirls. You don't want to have too much color or patterns across the CV, that detracts from any of the key information that you want a reader to take in. We recommend that you can use things like online spell checkers like Grammarly, which has a free function just to check for any mistakes, and you want to get someone that you trust to read your CV and give you some advice on it as well.
When saving your CV, you want to save it just in your name and the trainee department you're applying to, and that's just a really helpful admin thing from our side, we can be downloading up to 4000 CV’s, and if they're all saved as CV 1 or CV 2016, things get very confusing on our end. Just make that admin process just that little bit easier for us. Save as your name and trainee department. Now I’m going to pass you over to Dalia, who's going to introduce you to our first guest.
Dalia Kebire
So firstly, I'd like to welcome Laura, who was on the programme Locations department in our 2025-26 cohort done a few different productions whilst on the programme. So thanks Laura for joining us. The first question is what advice would you give to someone considering the locations department, but who isn't sure it's right for them?
Laura Whitley
The locations departments is honestly I think the best department. We are one of the few, if not the only, department who gets to experience working with not only crew, but with the communities that we film in, and that in itself is just so enriching, and I think it's so overlooked. People look at departments and think that, yeah, we're just managing lock-offs, but that's just not the case at all. We get to speak to such a wide variety of people, and that's just so valuable.
Dalia Kebire
What does a typical day look like for a locations trainee?
Laura Whitley
You're more than likely going to start your day off at unit base. You're going to be making sure that everyone there crew wise is happy. You're going to be getting breakfast for all of your crew, all of your security, all of your traffic management. You're more than likely going to stay there until you're in a car, which you will then turn up to set, make sure everyone's fed and happy, and you'll be probably then setting up video village, green rooms if your location systems hasn’t had a chance to do that, and then from there on out you're just there as a helping hand, making sure that the shoot actually goes smoothly.
Dalia Kebire
Driving often comes up as a topic for prospective applicants. How important has having a driving license been in your experience as a locations trainee?
Laura Whitley
Having a driver's license is basically make or break for locations. In two of my three trainee jobs, had to drive a locations van that production hired for me. I wouldn't have been able to do those jobs without that van, and even on the job that I didn't have a van, I still needed my own vehicle to get to locations. It's where, as a location trainee, obviously, we're filming out on location, so you're going to need to be able to get to multiple places within one day, and yes, it is minibuses, but a lot of locations is getting there before the rest of the crew and then leaving after the rest of the crew. So most of the time you might be the only person at that location and you need to be able to get there.
Dalia Kebire
So for our last question, after you said that you felt more comfortable on set and approaching people, can you tell us a little bit about what you've gone on to do since finishing Trainee Finder?
Laura Whitley
So since Trainee Finder I've been very fortunate. I've now stepped up to location assistant. I'm about to start on my fourth production as an LA, which is just genuinely insane. Like when I look back on where I was when I started Trainee Finder to now. I'm just so proud of myself and I'm so thankful to Trainee Finder because I might have been able to step up to location assistance eventually, but I wouldn't have been able to do it, one I think as soon and two with the teams that I'm now doing it with.
Dalia Kebire
Thanks so much, Laura. It's so great to hear your experience and how much you've grown being on the programme. the programme. Next, Celia is going to be inviting on Gajan to talk about his experience.
Celia Small
Hello Gajan, lovely to see you. Thank you so much for joining us today. So you and I have chatted quite a lot already about your experience on Trainee Finder, and there's some lovely bits that I'd love to pick out about it. So the first question I have for you is why did you apply for Trainee Finder those many moons ago, and what experience did you have before joining the programme?
Gajan Panchalingam
I always wanted to work in film and animation since I was nine, and I did a degree in interior architecture and design, worked in 3D designer on conferences and trade shows, but I always felt it was a bit too corporate for me. And I trained myself into graphic design in the same industry, and yeah, I just didn't really vibe with the corporate life. So I started doing some work with film students at Met Film School. Just little short films here and there for about a year and a half or two years, Applying to ScreenSkills meant that if I got in that I would have those opportunities. I don't really have any connections in the industry, my family are very much like not into or culturally, you know, you kind of have to do everything yourself if you want to work in the creative scene. So I just really wanted to bring my skills into the film work, film industry because of the narratives and the kind of fictional thing that really gets me going, so and obviously ScreenSkills is huge in what it does. So just really want to be a part of that.
Celia Small
We mentioned to the audience already, that Trainee Finder is focused on the freelance life. How did you find coming into this world? I know you were working, your a freelancer and you mentioned in events and corporate beforehand, but how did you find coming into the freelance life within the screen industries?
Gajan Panchalingam
Yeah, I was a bit overconfident when I came in. I was like, oh, I used to be a freelancer and whatever, but then in the corporate world, you know, you have recruiters for freelance work and they'll just constantly reaching out to you saying, are you free this day for this, blah, blah. So I just thought it'd be the same thing film. And I came in and I realized actually no it's all very much self started. You don't really make, you can't really get the jobs without knowing people in there. So, knowing like making friends with people not just for the sake of getting jobs, but just being kind and being just a good person to work with because you can be really good at your job, but if you're kind of not really fun and really negative and whatever, people just kind of spread that around, because no one wants to work with someone like that, so you've got to be really authentic. You've got to be, you know. So with freelancing, it was kind of like, because my job only finished middle of August, so I managed to get the last production on the last day of ScreenSkills, and it's I haven't applied anywhere yet. But yeah, it’s a very quiet industry at the moment. So I think if I had started again, I would basically just save 10% of my weekly salary, which I keep saying, but I never do. But it's kind of it really is really important to just have that kind of safety net.
Celia Small
The last question I've got for you is what's the biggest piece of advice you would give someone thinking about applying for Trainee Finder?
Gajan Panchalingam
I would say. Go for, I don't know, just kind of take the opportunities that you can, that you're obviously eligible for, you know, don't just go for random jobs that, you know, are not in your department, you can't do that anyway. But I think just it's such a highly competitive thing to get into as well, and you have this one year with a small amount people in your department throughout the whole country. I don't drive, and I managed to luckily get these productions, but it did kind of hold me back from being able to go on set and even on the last job. Because I couldn't, because it was difficult for me to like before other people to pick me up and bring me to the studio, to the set every morning at 6 a.m., you know, they kind of threw off their schedule as well. So then they kind of got me to stay at the office, and it kind of just only when I needed to go over. So definitely get your driver's license or at least get lessons during as well. So when I was working at Ebenezer, they allowed me to get my lessons and theory get ongoing. So, during the weeks and where they didn't mind. Yeah, I'd say go for the opportunities that you can and work your way into the department, into the Set Dec or whatever if you want to be in that. But don't worry if it's just an art department role, because you can always move into that with the right connections, and get your driver's license or lessons at least.
Celia Small
That is amazing. Thank you so much for your time today, your insight and your experience, you've had such a great time with Trainee Finder so it's really appreciated. So thank you so much and we'll hopefully see you soon. Thank you. Now I'd like to invite Dalia back, who's going to have a few questions for Aimee.
Dalia Kebire
Thank you to both trainees. That was really really helpful. I'm now excited to welcome Aimee Whelan, who is a line producer. Aimee's worked on such productions as Everyone's Talking About Jamie, Time, Sherwood. The Trainee Finder team has worked with Aimee to secure Trainee Finder placements on productions, and she's a fantastic person to give some insight into what makes a great trainee. So for our first question from a production perspective, what are the benefits of hiring a ScreenSkills trainee?
Aimee Whelan
One of the main benefits of hiring a ScreenSkills trainee is that productions are required to contribute to the training fund as part of the commission requirement. So we then are able to claim a percentage back and one of the best programmes to do that through is the trainee scheme, because you have the foundation there, done the weekend training, you know that you've got these trainees that are really eager and it's across all departments and the process is really straightforward. We contact the ScreenSkills team with our requirements for the productions, and they advertise and send us back the CVs so we can give them to the HODs and have a really strong selection of candidates to choose from. I think it's a really valuable programme because it provides candidates with an opportunity to gain experience in the industry, while also introducing them to HODs and production teams who might not otherwise have come across them. And I think knowing that they are trainees, HODs and and other people in the department, it's that opportunity to learn and know that they need to, like. they might not know everything, but it's a really good, good foundation I think.
Dalia Kebire
As you mentioned, there are some people who might not have had an opportunity to even get into the industry or find out about it. So for someone who is in that place where they don't know much about the industry, is there anything a trainee should expect around working on a production or more broadly, working as a freelancer?
Aimee Whelan
I think the main thing to be aware of is the hours we work really long days. While shooting were often either fighting for the light or fighting for the night, to maximize one or the other of both. Which means that our working hours can vary quite a lot across a week or week to week. They might not be the same. Obviously on like a normal 9-5 job, you might not be doing that. So that's something to be flexible and prepared for. I think that's really important. But more broadly, like freelancing can be quite a difficult mindset to get used to. You can be having the best time on a production and working with a great team, and then suddenly you're like, oh, it's finished. What do I do now? What's next? I think so as your production comes to an end. I'd recommend speaking to people on the show. Look at the other departments. They are all talking as well, saying, well, What are you doing next? What are you doing next? and just having that insight of what productions might be hiring.
For someone starting out as a runner, I just highly recommend joining all the relevant Facebook groups and why you're on set. There's also quite a lot of WhatsApp groups, so if you're talking to other runners, they might be able to put you in that department, which might give you those roles. But dailies are a great place to start. I think, and it gives you valuable onset experience, and it will also allow you to meet a lot of different people, maybe doing a lot of different things, and all the experience can help you stand out when you apply for your next production.
Dalia Kebire
Following on the point about the hours and, having to put in a lot more than you would in a 9 to 5. What sorts of behaviors would help trainees make a positive impression?
Aimee Whelan
I think just be proactive. Don't spend your time just sat on your phone. There can be a lot of waiting around, but it's always great to see trainees that are willing to get stuck in and make themselves useful. If you see someone struggling or needing a hand, just go up and ask if they need help. Even if it's not someone in your department like different people, clock that. It's also great just to grow your skills and just be friendly and polite and approachable and a positive attitude. It just goes a long way. We work a lot of long hours, so you want everyone around you to be nice.
Dalia Kebire
What advice would you give a trainee for their first day on set?
Aimee Whelan
First day on set, pack for all weathers, especially if it's a location shoot. We are in the UK and when you're working out on location, wet weather gear is essential. It can be super sunny and the next minute its downpouring. So just make sure you have some appropriate clothes and that you've got stuff to keep warm, because there's nothing worse than being stood out at 11:00 at night and doing, gosh, I'm freezing. It's just miserable. So that would be one and then two. It is your first day and it can be quite scary, especially if you've never worked in the industry before. And my advice would just be go in and introduce yourself, and don't be afraid to ask questions. If someone asks you to do something and you don't quite know what they mean, just say there's no such thing as a stupid question and you haven't done it before. I would say the majority of people take the time to actually tell you what they mean, because they'd rather you go away and do it how they want it done, rather than you just guess. I don't think there's anything wrong with that at all. Again, just be open and friendly and willing to learn. Everyone's got to have their first day, and your not expected to know everything straight away at all.
Dalia Kebire
So you've given us a couple of pointers. I'd love to know, what advice would you give to someone who's heard everything now, and is actually looking to build a long term freelance career in Film and High-end TV?
Aimee Whelan
Be nice, be proactive and be helpful. That would be my main three things. The industry is a small world, and being someone that people enjoy working with can really make a difference. When you're looking for your next job, like you come onto a job you've thrown all together and people go, oh, I had this great person on my last job. We should get in touch with those. And that's just for making those connections. Freelancing can mean periods of downtime. So save and every role you will have downtime, doesn't matter if you're the producer, the runner, you're not always going to be working constantly. So just be prepared for that.
As I said, join the different Facebook groups, the WhatsApp groups, those things will really help. Just like build the momentum, and you can see when odd jobs are coming up. I think the main piece of advice is just be helpful and be aware of the people around you. When I was a runner, I was always aware of what was going on and was listening. It might assume nosy, but actually pick up so much knowledge, just from listening to those conversations that are happening that you might not be involved in, but also just be aware of what's going on. There might be people that haven't been able to leave their desk for like eight hours while we're prepping, bring them a cup of tea. Someone will remember that. It's really important, might seem like a small thing, but those small like, kindnesses add up and you'll learn. You'll just learn so much, and I think that'll help you build a long term career. Just be nice. Is my main thing.
Dalia Kebire
Thanks Aimee. Really appreciate it, and it's always great to have a production experience, on what trainees should expect when they're wanting to work in this industry. So we're going to move on to the questions which Ruby will be introducing.
Ruby Churchill
Hello I’m Ruby, I'm a white woman with long brown hair and I'm wearing glasses and a navy top. I'm the programmes and Placements Administrator in the Film team. When you registered to attend this webinar, we asked you to submit any questions you had about Trainee Finder. We received a number of questions that covered similar topics, so we thought it'd be helpful to address them here. I'll throw this to Celia first. Do I need a driving license?
Celia Small
So thank you very much. This comes up quite a bit and we have touched upon it. You do not need a UK driving license to apply or be eligible for Trainee Finder, and it's not something your application is assessed against. However, as mentioned, productions may sometimes require trainees or request them who can drive, particularly when filming takes place in a rural location or when shoot schedules such as night shoots make public transport a little less practical. It's worth noting there are also some departments, such as make-up and assistant director trainee where crew are required on set pretty early, before quite a lot of crew like Laura's mentioned with locations as well, and you need to arrive quite early. For some trainee roles such as Production office, Costume and Locations. Driving may also be part of day to day responsibilities and the jobs you need to do to get to do within that trainee role. If you do not currently hold a driving license, it's worth researching which department you're looking into and seeing how this might affect any placement opportunities or job opportunities.
However, driving license is not a requirement for Trainee Finder, and nor is it required for the placements, and many trainees successfully secure placements that may not have one. If you feel that obtaining a driver's license would support your career in the screen industries, Screen Skills does offer a, we have a bursary programme. Within that you can apply for driving lessons. It runs outside Trainee Finder. It's two separate programmes, but when you're on Trainee Finder, you cannot apply for a ScreenSkills bursary. So it's worth thinking at this stage of your career, and your life is a driving bursary worth it. Worth going into that route or applying for Trainee Finder. It's worth having a little think about that.
Ruby Churchill
Thank you Celia. Dalia onto you. Will I need to quit my current job if I'm accepted onto Trainee Finder?
Dalia Kebire
So no, this is not a requirement, and while you're on the programme, we actively encourage trainees to continue seeking and undertaking outside work to support themselves financially. As you might have heard as well from the trainees and both Aimee, however, it's important to manage expectations. Placement opportunities can sometimes arise at short notice, and productions might be looking for someone to start very quickly. Whilst we always try to give trainees as much notice as possible. This isn't something we can guarantee as timelines are often dictated by production. For this reason, it's worth considering how flexible your current employment is. If you have a lengthy notice period or limited flexibility for interviews and placements, this could affect your ability to take up certain opportunities. Being able to respond quickly to placements can increase the number of opportunities available to you whilst on the programme.
Ruby Churchill
Thank you Dalia, and then final question and I'm going to give to Celia. Will trainees be expected to relocate for work?
Celia Small
So in a nutshell no, as mentioned we work with productions across the UK. So by doing that, we do hope that we offer trainees opportunities in a range of locations. However, we cannot predict when the where placements would arise and this does entirely depend on the production and their own demands and their planning. If relocating is an option for you, we would encourage you to consider it as it can increase your kind of number of opportunities available, and it can also help build a wider professional network of people that you may not have met.
That said, we understand when relocating is not possible for everyone and your willingness your ability to relocate again will not affect your application. There is no expectation for trainees to move around the country when you're on the programme. It is, however, just worth noting, and this is kind of a future thought for you that within the industry sometimes relocating is quite common and it's not requirement for Trainee Finder but you may find later on in your career, it may be something that you may want to consider. Relocating again, is something worth thinking about before applying. Placements are often involve long hours has been mentioned. Its a fast paced, moving environment with a lot of high pressure. If you have relocated and you're away from home and your family and friends and all your familiar surroundings, this can add further challenges and things like homesickness is a really common experience, particularly for those starting out in the industry, and it's something that myself and Dalia deal a lot with our pastoral support for trainees. So it's important to consider how you manage working in a freelance high stress environment. when you're away from your usual network and just thinking about that before applying as well.
Ruby Churchill
Okay, well, now Celia is going to talk you through what to do next if you're keen to apply.
Celia Small
Thank you. Thank you very much. So now that you've heard about the programme and listened to our former trainees and also Aimee as well, to share their experiences. You're probably wondering what next?
So as mentioned, applications will open today and go live as soon as this webinar ends. We'll share the link with the application with you shortly. If you're keen to apply, there are a few things we just love you to hold fire and take into account, first before you submit your application.
So the first one is we have said it, but you want to research your trainee role using all the resources on our website, and this will be in our Padlet as well. These include such things as our job profiles and our skills checklists, and look for those within your particular department that you're applying to.
The second point is, is that you want to prepare your CV in a PDF, one page format, making sure all your key information, skills, and relevant work experience are clearly presentable.
The next third point is you want to explore the Padlet, which we will share shortly. and this contains all the useful links and references that we've mentioned throughout this webinar, and we've really put a lot of work to make sure that all the key information is in there.
The fourth and final point is it's worth exploring and completing some of our free e-learning courses, which are all available on the ScreenSkills website. a few are mentioned on the screen now, the first one being getting into the screen Industries. This is a series of five modules covering topics such as career pathways, applying for jobs, and interview best practices.
It's also worth looking at the Screen Skills Safety Passport, which is a grouping of some key e-learning, this is becoming increasingly requested from productions and is a great addition to your CV. The last one that's there are plenty on the website, but one more that we can suggest is Introduction to Sustainability in the Screen Industries, which is becoming an ever so important topic as well.
As a reminder, applications will open today and close at 2pm on Wednesday 28 October. Applications submitted after this deadline cannot be considered. So please make sure you leave plenty of time to complete and submit your application. Once applications have closed. Our assessors will review your submissions and will aim to notify all applicants by the 8th of January. Whether you have been shortlisted for interviews or not. So after you've submit your application, the next time you'll hear from the Trainee Finder team is the 8th of January. Now, I'd like to welcome Dalia back to the screen to finish everything off.
Dalia Kebire
Thank you very much for joining us today, everyone. We hope we've been able to answer your questions and you're feeling ready to submit your applications.
The applications for Trainee Finder are now officially open.
If you have any questions while completing your application, we'd encourage you to first refer to the Padlet Trainee Finder FAQs on our site and the information covered in this webinar, before contacting the team, we typically receive over 4000 applications, so whilst we'll do our best to help, it can be challenging to respond to a high volume of inquiries during the application period, and we are just a very small team.
We've worked hard to make the application process as clear, accessible and user friendly as possible, and we encourage you to make use of the resources available and undertake your own research before applying or emailing the team with any questions.
If you acquire any assistance or accessibility support when completing your application, please refer to the contact details provided on the application page. We'll be happy to support you.
Best of luck to everyone applying and thank you again for joining us today. Finally, please stay with us for the High-end TV showreel.