Barriers to Diversity in Film – A Research Review – Aug 07

3.3.6 Careers advice and training
The kinds of courses people take are seen to be important for
accessing the production sector by both employers and minority
ethnic students. Both employers and minority ethnic prospective
employees felt that many students did not have the right qualifications
to enter the industry. For example 30% of minority students on media-
related courses felt they did not have the right practical qualifications.
53% did not feel they had the experience to begin a career in the
audio-visual sector, and 60% felt they had not been given an interview
or a job because they lacked the necessary experience. One-third of
employers in this London-based study thought students were not
prepared by their institutions for the audio-visual sector and 20%
thought media courses were not practical enough (Holgate 2006). One
study argues that teachers in the UK have encouraged students to
enter higher education to study popular film, since this is viewed as
more likely to attract students otherwise reluctant to enter higher
education (Richards 2005).
These issues have implications for the careers advice offered and ties
in with the UK film skills strategy (A Bigger Future, UK Film Council and
Skillset, 2003), to create a one-stop careers shop in the next few
years.
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