Where else to learn.

Buckinghamshire College Group · Working grips and crane technicians taking the industry's only vocational competence qualification, and local FE students in media production.

A further education college with campuses at Aylesbury, Wycombe and Amersham which is the delivery centre for the Level 2 Diploma in Professional Competence for Grips and the crane technician and advanced grip qualifications. Its own online store lists the Level 2 Grip/Crane candidate payment at £1,500 for 19+; you cannot start the qualification without two years' paid grip work and five references.

Escape Studios · People heading for VFX, animation, games, concept art and real-time production.

A specialist VFX, animation and games provider in North Greenwich, registered with the Office for Students, running undergraduate and postgraduate degrees alongside short courses. It holds Unreal Engine Authorized Training Center status and is a Houdini-certified and Toon Boom certified school, which matters more to a VFX studio hiring than a general film degree would.

Falmouth University School of Film and Television · Undergraduates and postgraduates in the South West wanting production-led film and TV degrees.

Runs BA (Hons) Television and Film Production and MA Film and Television across the Falmouth and Penryn campuses in Cornwall, with an animation strand that places at the Rookies Awards. Worth weighing against the geography: Cornwall has a working screen agency but far fewer productions within commuting distance than London or Leeds.

London Film Academy · Undergraduates, postgraduates and people wanting an intensive certificate rather than a full degree.

A registered higher education provider in Fulham running a two-year BA (Hons) Filmmaking, one-year MA Filmmaking and MA Screenwriting, plus four-week and six-week certificates shot on ARRI Alexa. Degrees are awarded through its partnership with the University of Derby, not by the Academy itself — check which award you are actually enrolling on.

London Film School · Postgraduate students in filmmaking, screenwriting, producing, film marketing and film business.

The UK's oldest dedicated film school, a not-for-profit charity in central London with around 300 students from 52 nationalities, validated through the University of Warwick and University of Exeter. Go in with the cost open: MA Filmmaking runs two years at £68,592 total for home students and £68,792 international, with a non-refundable deposit of £1,000 home or £11,832 international.

London Screen Academy · School leavers at 16 who want a sixth form built around film and television production.

A free sixth form academy in London teaching production crafts alongside qualifications, with entry at a minimum of five GCSEs at grades 4–9, preferably including English or maths, plus assessments and school reports. It costs nothing to attend and discretionary bursaries are available for households under pressure, which makes it the cheapest genuinely production-focused route in the country for a 16-year-old.

MetFilm School · Undergraduates and postgraduates in practical filmmaking, cinematography, production design and screen acting.

A private independent film school with UK campuses at Ealing Studios and Garden Studios in London, plus Birmingham, Brighton, Leeds and Manchester, and a Berlin campus. UK undergraduate fees on courses run in partnership with BIMM University are £9,790 a year; BA Practical Filmmaking and BA Screen Acting in London carry a maximum tuition fee loan of £11,750 a year. International fees are not published — you have to ask.

National Centre for Computer Animation (Bournemouth University) · Animation, VFX and games students aiming at the London and Bristol facility houses.

Running since 1989 at Talbot Campus in Poole, with BA Computer Animation and Visual Effects, MA 3D Computer Animation, MA Digital Effects, MSc Computer Animation and Visual Effects and MSc AI for Media. It holds Houdini Certified School status and several of its degrees carry the ScreenSkills Tick, so it is one of the few UK screen degrees the industry itself has quality-marked.

National Film and Television School (NFTS) · Graduates and career changers aiming at directing, producing, sound, editing, cinematography, VFX and games.

Postgraduate conservatoire at Beaconsfield with satellite bases as NFTS Scotland, NFTS Cymru Wales and NFTS North, running MAs, diplomas and certificates. Fees are substantial — the MA Location Sound Recording is £14,450 home and £22,450 international with a £500 non-refundable deposit — but the school states it awards more scholarships and bursaries to British students, relative to its size, than almost any UK institution, so ask the funding team before ruling it out.

Northern Film School · Undergraduates and postgraduates in the North wanting a practice-led film degree.

Part of Leeds School of Arts at Leeds Beckett University, on the City Campus in Leeds, with ARRI ALEXA cameras, film and green screen studios, a 220-seat Dolby Atmos cinema and an immersive mixing studio. Courses are BA (Hons) Filmmaking, MA Cinematography, MA Documentary Filmmaking and MA Screenwriting, so fees follow standard university rates rather than private film school rates.

Actors Studio · Screen actors from 17 upwards, and 11 to 16-year-olds on separate programmes.

A screen acting training provider based at Pinewood Studios running masterclasses, a screen acting diploma, a one-year course, weekly evening classes, short boosters, online courses and one-day taster workshops. Be clear on what you are buying: the studio states its courses and workshops do not carry a formal qualification, though certificates are issued.

ARRI Academy · Camera and lighting crew, rental house staff and students who need to know a specific ARRI system.

The manufacturer's own training arm, running Certified User Training, Advanced Service Training, master classes and a film school accreditation programme, with a UK presence at Uxbridge. Certified User Training for Lighting is three days in person or roughly 2.5 hours online across eleven sessions, and ARRI states plainly that there is no form of exam — the certificate confirms attendance and familiarity, not competence.

BAFTA albert · Production teams, producers and studios who need to meet sustainability requirements on a commission.

The screen industry's sustainability body, running the free ScreenSkills Introduction to Sustainability for Screen Industries online, the Sustainability Champion Course at £395 plus VAT, production sustainability workshops and the Studio Sustainability Standard. Production certification through albert is increasingly a commissioning condition rather than an optional extra.

BECTU Vision · Freelancers and trade converters in Scotland's film and television industry.

Training, events and community for Scotland's screen freelancers, based in Glasgow, covering short courses, new entrant programmes, Skills Boost for career converters, and producer development. All of it is free of charge, funded by Screen Scotland, the BBC and Scottish Union Learning in partnership with Bectu — including funding for the grip NVQ at Levels 2 and 3, which costs money everywhere else.

Blackmagic Design Training and Certification · Editors, colourists and sound editors learning DaVinci Resolve.

Free video tutorials, downloadable training books, project files and — unusually — free online certification exams as a certified Resolve editor, colorist or sound editor, supported by 250+ certified trainers and 100+ training centres worldwide. Nobody should pay for basic Resolve training; the paid items are Resolve Studio, training-centre courses and hardware.

Escape Studios Industry Training · Working technicians in high-end TV who need pipeline skills, currently targeted at Northern Ireland.

The VFX Pipeline Bootcamp for Technicians runs five weeks, one day a week, live online, fully funded by the ScreenSkills High-end Television Skills Fund and therefore free to the participant. Eligibility is narrow: you must be based in Northern Ireland, working in HETV in a technical role, and able to evidence credits.

Final Pixel Academy · Filmmakers, studio teams and education providers moving into virtual production, Unreal Engine and AI tools.

A UK-based training operation working across the UK and USA, running online courses, fellowships and on-set experience in virtual production, LED volume operation, Unreal Engine 5.8 technical artistry, 3D scanning and AI for filmmakers. Course prices are not published on the site and several courses are listed as pre-sale, so confirm what is actually running before committing.

Mark Milsome Foundation · Cast, crew, productions and education providers needing on-set health and safety grounding.

Set up after the death of camera operator Mark Milsome on a car stunt in Ghana in November 2017, it runs the PSA1 Online Health and Safety Passport, a ScreenSkills-certified course in eight chapters, with group rates for productions, companies and colleges. It is the nearest thing the industry has to a common safety induction.

NFTS Short Courses · Working crew and career changers wanting a few days of specific craft training without a degree.

Short in-person courses at Beaconsfield including 16mm/35mm Camera Familiarisation over five days, Avid and Premiere editing introductions, Movie Magic scheduling and budgeting single days, and documentary shooting. Free bootcamps, taster days and online step-up programmes run under BFI Metro London Skills Cluster funding, so check the funded list before paying.

Optical Support Ltd · Camera operators moving into Steadicam, and focus pullers.

A three-day Steadicam course and a focus pulling course, run by the company that makes and services stabiliser sleds and repairs lenses. Hands-on training from the people who build and maintain the rigs; price, location, dates and any certification are not stated on the training page, so ask before planning around it.

Production Guild of Great Britain · Production office, accounts, locations, AD, post and VFX staff already working in film and high-end TV.

Runs weekend online short courses, bite-sized masterclasses and week-long courses across the UK, taught by working Guild members, plus a Talent Development Fund with Entertainment Partners and Netflix. Courses are designed for members and no accreditation is claimed; membership cost and course fees are not published, so ask before planning around it.

Sgil Cymru · Welsh-language and English-speaking media apprentices and professionals in Wales.

Wales's principal media training provider, running two creative and digital media apprenticeship routes plus courses for professionals upskilling or changing role, operating bilingually in Welsh and English. It is also the lead partner for the BFI Wales Skills Cluster, which runs as Siop Un Stop — the One Stop Shop.

Access:VFX · Students and emerging artists trying to get into visual effects and animation.

A global industry-led non-profit of over 70 studios, industry bodies and education providers including Framestore, DNEG, ILM and Aardman, working across inspiration, education, mentoring and recruitment. Mentor matching, speed networking and the job and work experience listings are free, which makes it the cheapest direct line into VFX hiring managers.

BFI Film Academy · 16 to 25-year-olds anywhere in the UK who want a first, free, hands-on go at filmmaking.

A free UK-wide training programme delivered through local hubs, teaching collaborative filmmaking with technical and transferable skills, industry contact and careers support. It is the cheapest credible first step for a young person with no contacts, and it is genuinely free rather than free-at-the-point-of-application.

Channel 4 4Skills · People with no industry contacts wanting a first television job or a writing break.

Channel 4's talent development arm, running apprenticeships, the Production Training Scheme with trainee researcher and trainee production coordinator roles, free online work experience, and the New Writers Scheme for unrepresented writers in the nations and regions. Pay and eligibility sit on the individual scheme pages rather than the index — read those before applying.

Creative Access · People from communities underrepresented in the creative industries, from entry level to senior.

A social enterprise placing hundreds of people a year into creative roles through a jobs board, paid internships, mentoring, training and networking, across film, TV, publishing, marketing, theatre and the arts. Eligibility is by underrepresented background rather than by qualification, and the internships it advertises are paid.

CrewHQ · Entry-level people and mid-level crew working towards Warner Bros. Discovery productions.

A training initiative based in Building 1 at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in Watford, running programmes for people entering film and TV and for existing crew stepping up, supporting WBD film and high-end TV productions across the UK. It is geographically anchored — you need to be able to get to Hertfordshire.

Forge Entertainment Training Scheme (with Screen Scotland) · Scotland-based people starting a career in scripted drama.

A paid training programme delivered with Screen Scotland covering production, junior studio manager, set decoration, script supervision, costume, make-up and shadow director, structured in employment blocks with the chance to progress between them. Applicants must be based in Scotland, with limited additional funding for Highlands and Islands applicants.

Grierson DocLab · Emerging documentary and factual filmmakers.

The training arm of The Grierson Trust, running since 2012 for people trying to establish themselves in documentary and factual television. Go to it if the ambition is factual rather than drama — the drama-facing traineeships listed elsewhere on this page will not help you there.

Liverpool Film Office — Action! · Liverpool City Region residents entering film and television.

A free-to-access skills programme run by the Liverpool Film Office giving training and on-production experience to people entering the industry in the city region. It is the entry route attached to a working film office, so the placements track real productions filming in Merseyside.

MAMA Youth Project · 18 to 30-year-olds from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds aiming at television production.

A BAFTA-winning charity running free practical training in TV and media from The Hive at Garden Studios in London and The Custard Factory in Birmingham, followed by CV and interview preparation, placement with production companies and ongoing support. It does not award a qualification; it produces credits and a job, and reported 144 jobs filled in 2024.

My First Job in Film · Runners, graduates and career changers looking for a first paid credit.

A free-to-join job board and career community running since 2011, listing runner, day player and internship roles on UK productions alongside career advisers, mentoring, workshops and CV advice. Use it as the volume job board for genuinely entry-level work, where the trade directories list companies rather than vacancies.

Pinewood Futures · Aspiring filmmakers, school and college groups and career changers who want to talk to fifty organisations in a day.

A free annual careers festival at Pinewood Studios — the 2026 edition ran 30 to 31 January with over 4,500 attendees and more than 50 exhibiting organisations, training providers and educators. It is a signposting event rather than training: you go to find the route, not to be trained. Pinewood's own Careers section carries job vacancies and an Early Careers listing alongside it.

Screen Alliance Wales · People in Wales at any stage, from school age upwards, wanting into film and television.

Founded in 2018 by Bad Wolf as the gateway between the Welsh screen industry and its workforce, running traineeships, on-set work shadowing placements, the Wales Production Directory, job listings and the BFI Film Academy Wales for 16 to 25-year-olds. Work shadowing in Wales runs through here and effectively nowhere else.

ScreenSkills Trainee Finder · New entrants wanting a first paid placement on a contributing film or high-end television production.

ScreenSkills' placement scheme, funded through the industry skills funds, which puts trainees onto productions that contribute to the fund; Make a Move sits alongside it for people stepping up a grade. Both are tied to production cycles, so places appear and close in waves rather than being continuously open.

TriForce Creative Network (TCN) · Actors, writers and production crew shut out of the industry by contacts and class.

Founded in 2003 by Fraser Ayres, Jimmy Akingbola and Minnie Ayres, running MonologueSlam, WriterSlam and the TriForce Short Film Festival, with a network of around 60,000 creatives and 45,000 production crew. Access to the talent side is free, which is the point — it exists specifically to get people seen without an agent.

City & Guilds · Lighting technicians and electricians needing a recognised electrical qualification, and anyone checking whether a certificate is real.

A major UK awarding organisation offering around 1,442 programmes across some twenty-six sectors, but with no film or television sector at all — its Creative sector covers art and design, interior design, textiles, jewellery, fashion and craft. What matters for screen is the 2365 Electrical Installations Level 2 and 3 route under Building Services Engineering, which is what a spark's ECS or JIB card is built on.

Civil Aviation Authority · Drone operators and aerial units working commercially on UK productions.

The statutory regulator for UK drone flying. Commercial work in the Specific Category needs an Operational Authorisation, and remote pilot competence is evidenced by the GVC or the lighter A2 CofC — neither of which can be awarded by anyone except a CAA-approved Recognised Assessment Entity, of which around 23 are listed. This is the hardest legal line in screen training.

ECS / Joint Industry Board · Lighting technicians and electricians who are asked for a competence card at a studio gate.

The Electrotechnical Certification Scheme, governed by the Joint Industry Board, with the Scottish Joint Industry Board handling Scottish applications. It verifies skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours through qualifications, apprenticeship standards, experienced worker assessment and CPD — it is a construction-sector card that studios and vendors ask for, not a screen qualification.

IPAF · Grips, riggers, lighting and construction crew using cherry pickers, scissor lifts and MEWPs.

The International Powered Access Federation is the awarding body for the PAL Card, valid five years, covering categories including 1B, 3A and 3B, with its operator training certified by Bureau Veritas to ISO 18878. IPAF does not deliver training itself — over 845 approved centres in 80 countries do, typically over one or two days.

Ofqual · Anyone who wants to check whether a course leads to a real, regulated qualification.

The regulator for qualifications, examinations and assessments in England, a non-ministerial government department. Use its Find a Regulated Qualification and Find a Regulated Awarding Organisation services before paying for any course sold as accredited — if neither the qualification nor the awarding body appears, the accreditation claim is empty.

PASMA · Anyone erecting or working from mobile access towers on a unit — rigging, lighting, grip and construction.

The not-for-profit association for the mobile access tower industry, setting the training standard and issuing PASMA cards through accredited training centres; courses include Towers for Users, Low-Level Access and specialist cantilever and linked tower work. Like IPAF, only accredited centres can deliver it.

ScreenSkills · Anyone trying to work out what a screen role involves and what standard is expected.

The sector skills charity for the UK screen industries, holding the job profiles, career maps, skills checklists, the pan-industry Training Passport crew record and the National Occupational Standards work that the grip qualifications and the screen apprenticeship standards were built from. None of it is a qualification and the Training Passport confers no award — it is a record of what you have done.

Skills England · Employers and anyone checking what an apprenticeship standard actually requires.

The executive agency holding the searchable database of apprenticeship standards and approved technical qualifications, and publishing revisions to them. This is where you read the Level 3 Screen Lighting Technician standard for yourself rather than relying on a provider's description of it.