Screen Skills Ireland has released two reports reflecting on the past year and looking ahead to developments in 2020: ‘A Year in Review 2019’ and ‘Skills Needs Analysis Report for the Screen Sector in Ireland 2019-2020′. Screen Skills Ireland is the skills development team within Screen Ireland, the national development agency for the creative screen industry.
2019 has been an impressive year for Ireland’s screen industries, capping a decade of unprecedented growth. As highlighted at the Screen Ireland production catalogue 2020 launch, the screen industry’s contribution to the economy has grown from €164 million in 2010 to €357 million in 2019, and the animation sector in particular has seen its annual production activity increased fourfold in the last 10 years.
‘A Year in Review 2019’, which was first released at an event marking the launch of Screen Ireland’s film, TV and animation slate for 2020 on Friday 31 January, looks back over the key initiatives, events, and support offered in 2019 by Screen Skills Ireland to the wider industry, and outlines the plan for developments in 2020 and beyond. It also features photographs from courses and masterclasses, as well as quotes from skills development participants.
The review also provides an assessment of the impact of the new Section 481 tax credit and associated skills development requirement, and highlights how this has benefited the screen sector.
In addition to the review, Screen Skills Ireland is also releasing ‘Skills Needs Analysis Report for the Screen Sector in Ireland 2019-2020′, which outlines the results of the Skills Needs Analysis Survey 2019-2020 as well as feedback from other stakeholder intelligence gathering activities. The aim of the ‘Skills Needs Analysis Report for the Screen Sector in Ireland 2019-2020′ is to identify current and future skills gaps in order to guide the way in which we support ongoing professional development in the industry. The development of people and skills in the screen sector is crucial for continued growth, and investing in creative screen talent remains a key priority for Screen Ireland. Screen Skills Ireland is committed to continually evaluating the skills needs of the sector in support of this goal.
These results and recommendations contained in this report will also be useful to companies, producers, and other industry stakeholders, and can help to inform future Skills Development Plan submissions to Screen Skills Ireland, linked to the new Section 481 skills development requirements.
Our Year in Review highlights both the continuity and the changes that made 2019 such an exciting year for Screen Skills Ireland. Our organisation has taken on a new role related to the Section 481 tax credit; made a commitment to creating a more sustainable screen sector through our first ‘Responsible Production in the Screen Sector in Ireland’ event; and launched our five year Action Plan for upskilling the screen industry. We have also continued to offer a wide array of courses and masterclasses, and listened to the needs of industry and education stakeholders, including through our online Skills Needs Analysis survey, and we are pleased to be able to share the results of the survey today with the wider industry. In 2020, we look forward to working closely with stakeholders as we broaden the range of skills development opportunities and support we offer the screen sector.
Gareth Lee, Manager – Screen Skills Ireland,
You can read the reports here.