Creative Skills Academy

The Creative Skills Academy focuses primarily on the screen industries, which employ more than 211,000 people and have a turnover of £40 billion per year. With around 24,000 businesses operating within the industry, an impressive 70% are based in London and the Southeast.

About the Creative Skills Academy

The Creative Skills Academy provides training to help people get into a wide range of jobs in the film, TV, animation, visual effects and games sectors, from supervisors, production carpenters and costumiers, to 3D animators, game developers, technicians and production managers, as well as legal, support and administrator roles.

Our Creative Skills Academy works with employers to design education programmes that will give the industry the skilled people they need to help their businesses grow and safeguard the future of the sector.

We are the first college in London to actively encourage underrepresented groups to consider a career in the screen industries, providing free skills training, employment packages, and financial support to assist with courses and qualifications across various industry sectors and grades.

In addition to the academic curriculum, the Academy can enhance your career opportunities with funding for driving lessons, first aid training, and master classes.

Potential careers can include:

3D animator
Data wrangler or VFX assistant
Games developer
Legal or business manager
Production accountant
Set carpenter or electrician
Software and hardware engineer
Various production roles

Courses can include:

3D artists and animation
Content creation
Finance for freelancers
Graphic design
Hair and makeup
Props and production design
Set carpentry and decorating
Sound and staging

Creative Skills Academy courses

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The Quality Mark

Our Mayors Skills Academies are all credited by The Quality Mark which identifies our academies to be excellent, industry-relevant training in the capital. The Quality Mark Statement also represents our commitment to including a combination of sector-specific questions and wider cross-cutting issues like diversity and inclusion, sustainability, Good Work and the engagement of underrepresented groups.

Flexible training

We provide free training opportunities and support packages to help you get a job in the screen industry. We do this by providing bespoke, flexible programmes that fit your circumstances and availability. We aim to give you the confidence and skills you need to be employable within three to four weeks, and a guaranteed job interview with an employer accredited with the Good Work Standard. For those who need that extra support, we work with ESF Academies to ensure everyone can benefit from our Academies and sector opportunities. Training includes:

Short two to three weeks introductory courses
Online bitesize learning from Level 2 to Level 6 qualifications
Masterclasses for in-demand roles, delivered in partnership with employers
Day and week-long boot camps
Sector-based work combines training and work experience, leading to guaranteed interviews and employment
Film fixer’s ‘set ready’ training, which includes masterclasses, participatory seminars and Q&As with industry professionals who will provide insight into the industry across a range of disciplines
Personalised information, advice and guidance, career advice and help with job searches
Tailored sector employability workshops
Award in employability Level 1 and Level 2
Advice and guidance for self-employment

You can also access a wide range of personal and ‘soft skills’ training, and individual support to address your barriers to training and employment:

Workshops in specific personal and employability skills, for example, resilience and communication
Multiple step-on and step-off points for greater flexibility
Free additional courses up to Level 3 in a wide range of areas
Personal tutors
Mentoring programmes
Apprenticeships and work experience including pre-apprenticeships and pre-employment courses
Industry engagement and career support sessions with employers
Equipment best practices
Help with job applications, writing your CV and cover letters

Our facilities

We offer a wide range of facilities and equipment including:

Classrooms and lecture theatres
TV, film, and music studios
Computer suites
Event, conference, and meeting rooms
Use of high-spec digital media and IT equipment

Find out more about our centres and facilities.

Student testimonials

Hear from our alumni!

Gen
Creative Skills Academy student

Gen joined us to undertake a Level 3 Creative Media Diploma. After completing his Level 3, Gen secured a place on our GLA Digital Talent-funded NextGen Futures visual effects boot camp. This project was specifically designed to bring high-level training to disadvantaged young Londoners through an eight-week intensive training model.

Gen was guided through our Level 3 Creative Media qualifications and gained valuable knowledge and experience on our GLA-funded VFX boot camp which ultimately led to his successful application to a Visual Effects Level 4 Apprenticeship. Gen is now working as a Junior Roto and Paint Artist at one of the most prestigious global VFX companies, Industrial Light and Magic.

“The boot camp was useful in terms of getting familiarised with the workflow and software used in the industry and the apprenticeship programme was what got me to where I am today.”

Hear from some more of our students in this short video!

Creative sector employer partnerships

Learn creative skills with employers, training providers, and trade bodies!

Film London is the capital’s screen industries agency that works to sustain, promote and develop London as a global content production hub, support the development of the city’s new and emerging filmmaking talent and invest in a diverse and rich film culture. Film London sees first-hand the industry’s enthusiasm and high demand for a diverse and inclusive workforce. They provide the link between untapped underrepresented and diverse talent and the companies or productions looking to recruit. To reach this talent, they work closely with training providers, charities and foundations across London.

Film London’s Equal Access Network (EAN) is supported by the Mayor of London and aims to be the capital’s screen industry and represent the diversity of the city itself. Their core aim is to promote equality, inclusion and diversity using the EAN to become the link in an industry network for those who don’t have it.

Film London was awarded a National Lottery grant from the British Film Institute (BFI) to deliver the Metro London Skills Cluster in partnership with the National Film and Television School (NFTS). The Skills Cluster also includes the Association of Colleges (AoC) and London Higher, the Capital City College and Middlesex University as core partners. Collectively, the Cluster partners will work closely with industry to deliver an integrated programme of activities across London and the three Gateway counties: Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Surrey. This will build on the partners’ achievements and experience through the Creative Skills Academy.

ScreenSkills is the industry-led skills body for the screen industries – film, television (including children’s, unscripted and high-end), VFX (visual effects), animation and games. ScreenSkills supports economic recovery and future innovation and growth across the nations and regions by investing in a skilled and inclusive workforce and providing insights into career development and other opportunities to help people get into the industry and progress within it.

We are endorsed by ScreenSkills Select, the industry-led skills body for the screen industries. When you train with us, you can be confident that all of our relevant courses and training have gone through a rigorous process to demonstrate a high level of quality and industry relevance. Through our partnership with ScreenSkills, you have access to a wide range of resources and benefits including mentoring, career advice, work experience, and job opportunities.

Crispy Dog Productions is a full-service video production and photography agency with 20 years of experience in both sectors. They are a London-based agency covering video production and photography needs for fashion brands through to corporate clients. Crispy Dog has provided an internship and contractual work for our Academy students.

Revolt is a purpose transformation specialist creative agency, that navigates clients through the opportunities and obligations in three ways – Purpose Consultancy, Activist Agency and Innovation Studio. Their approach has helped many of the world’s leading companies, brands and non-profits leave a positive impact. Revolt partnered with us through LIFT Futures to deliver a pre-internship programme and followed up by providing an eight-week paid internship for a junior graphic designer.

S + O Media is one of the leading broadcast equipment hire and crewing companies in London. They specialise in digital 35mm and full frame cameras, with a knowledgeable in-house team and a large roster of talented crew. They are a certified Albert Sustainable Supplier. S + O Media supports our work experience programmes by providing in-house introductory training for those who are underrepresented in the sector, often the first crucial stepping stone for new entrants.

NextGen Skills Academy brings industry and education together. Offering apprenticeships, courses in games, animation and VFX skills which have been developed in partnership with some of the biggest companies in these industries. We partner with NextGen to deliver apprenticeships and deliver a bespoke programme with Blue Zoo for emerging animators.

Love Design Studio works with teams in the built environment to create sustainable buildings and promote ethical business practices. Love Design Studio aims to inspire businesses across all sectors to adopt a purpose-driven approach. They aim for a world where economic success and environmental well-being coexist, generating a lasting and meaningful positive influence. We worked in partnership with Love Design through LIFT Futures to deliver a pre-internship programme and followed up by providing an eight-week paid internship for a junior graphic designer.

Focus Canning is a London and Newcastle-based bespoke camera facilities provider. Their ultimate aims are to enrich the creative power of cinematographers whilst making life as easy as possible for the camera department. Proud to be a collective of camera purists where old-school values fuse with progressive intent, they believe foremost in the power of people. Focus Canning has supported our camera trainee courses and hosted bespoke training sessions at their site in London.

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Industry employers

Over 23 employers within the screen industries sector have already pledged their support to work with us to help you develop the confidence and skills you need for a career in film, television, animation, visual effects, and games including: