The unpredictable nature of their work lies at the root of this problem. It means that most freelancers are unable to make long-term training commitments and pay for formal courses, which they may need to cancel at short notice. Freelancers also operate on very tight budgets, with ‘no job’ meaning ‘no income’, many are reluctant to sign up for training courses that take up work time and incur expense.
Nigel Paine, head of BBC training and development explains why it is vital to break down these training barriers: "No industry can survive if half its workforce can’t train, and that is the very real situation we are facing. In such a fast-moving, competitive and technology-led industry it doesn’t take long for skills gaps to start showing and with our most recent research suggesting that 79% of companies in the industry rely on freelance talent, it’s a problem for us all. That’s why we are committed to addressing the issue of freelance training, head-on."
Through the e-learning service created by BBC training and development, freelancers can train anywhere, at any time, free-of-charge. The first collection of courses available from the site includes DV Lighting Safety, DV Camera Shooting Guides, DV Usage Guides, Image Production, Rigorous Recces and Television Glossary. Where appropriate, the site provides interactive testing and allows for scores to be uploaded, centrally stored and verified.
BBC training and development aims to quickly increase this portfolio, with more subjects being released by the end of June and as broadband becomes more widespread, the courses will become more content rich too, through the extensive use of video footage taken from real programmes or broadcast situations.
Dinah Caine, chief executive of Skillset, the Sector Skills Council for the Audio Visual Industries, said: "Skillset is delighted that the BBC has turned the undertaking it gave to the industry into reality. This is a real demonstration of the BBC’s commitment to support the development of skills and talent across the industry. Individuals and companies will benefit enormously from being able to access these high quality learning materials."
Nigel Paine concludes: "This is the start of what we hope will be a training revolution for the industry. Our ultimate aim is to create a learning portal through which people can gain new skills, access the latest knowledge and know-how and share their contacts and experience with each other any time, any place. No other industry has such a resource and we readily acknowledge that it’s a massive aim. However, this announcement has brought that vision one step closer."
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
