ScreenSkills launches free Covid-19 production training in UK

UK film and television training body ScreenSkills has launched an online course to help screen industry workers stay safe during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

’Coronavirus basic awareness on production’ is available for free from today and conducted online. It aims to address a range of issues now facing the screen sector, covering information on how to reduce the risk of spreading the virus on productions.

The training covers potential risk areas including transport, catering and the sharing of equipment as well as the monitoring of symptoms, social distancing and sanitisation. The course concludes with a short test and successful candidates will receive a certificate, which can be validated on the ScreenSkills website and are normally valid for six months.

The training was developed to complement the Working Safely During Covid-19 guidance developed by the British Film Commission (BFC) for film and high-end television and is also expected to help unscripted television work safely during the pandemic.

Film and television production across the UK was shut down in mid-March in the wake of the outbreak as the country went into lockdown, measures that the government has now begun to ease.

“This training is designed to help everyone on a production keep themselves, their colleagues and their environment as safe as possible in the face of the new challenges presented by the coronavirus,” said Seetha Kumar, CEO of ScreenSkills.

Development of the training was supported by the ScreenSkills High-end TV Skills Fund, with contributions from high-end television productions, and the BFI, awarding National Lottery funds as part of its Future Film Skills strategy.

A separate programme of discussions designed to support the industry in implementing the guidance and working safely is in development and is understood to include sessions on film management and logistics, working in tech and craft, and an overview of the practicalities of shooting from a high-end TV drama that has recently gone into production.