Over £600,000 investment to boost skills in Wales' Creative Industries
Published: 05 November 2014 | by creativeskillset.org
Key companies in the Creative Media Industries in Wales have come together with industry skills body Creative Skillset Cymru to co-invest over £300,000 to grow world-class industry skills and talent in Wales, and ensure continued innovation and jobs.
Creative Skillset Cymru has confirmed that in response to the industry's skills needs, it has awarded over £300,000 through its Skills Investments Funds, which has been co-invested by businesses from across Wales in the TV, games, animation and VFX sectors to total over £600,000 of investment.
"We are delighted that companies have taken advantage of Creative Skillset's Skills Investment Funds to boost their businesses," said Gwawr Thomas, Director of Creative Skillset Cymru.
"The fund is made up of industry investment which has been matched by the UK government and is a great example of the Creative Industries and public investment collectively taking responsibility for the continued growth of the industry through skills and talent development."
Eleven companies from across Wales have taken advantage of the recent round of Creative Skillset's Skills Investment Funds including software development house West Coast Software, motion graphics and visual effects company Bait Studio, creative digital agency Atticus Digital, television and film production companies Boom Pictures, Dragonfly, Fiction Factory, Green Bay Media, Tifini and Zig-Zag, animation studio Cloth Cat and IP developers A&O Studios.
Gwawr Thomas continued, "Through this investment companies from a range of sectors can advance the skills of their employees through high quality and affordable training. We're also pleased to have recently received another set of investment applications from companies in Wales, so watch this space for more possible investment announcements."
Martin McCabe of Atticus Digital based in Cardiff said "The impact of this investment will be to springboard our staff to the next generation of technical experts in the virtual world. This will enhance the talent base in Wales and provide expertise in new technology with a multi-skilled taskforce that will become global leaders in VFX and virtual reality. Without the support of the Creative Skillset fund, Atticus would not be able to carry out this training at the required level."
Ken Bird, CEO of West Coast Software based in Aberystwyth said, "West Coast Software Ltd is extremely pleased to be awarded the Creative Skillet support. It will enable our company to help develop the skills of graduates to a commercial level on new gaming platforms.
To build a strong business you need to focus on each individual and help develop them to their full potential. This will make a stronger business and a stronger economy."
Creative Skillset Cymru works closely with industry to understand its complexities and where the skills gaps and shortages lie, and support the delivery of high quality learning and training that is aligned to industry needs.
Between 2014-2016, the UK Government is co-investing pound for pound to match investment in Creative Industries skills with a total fund value of £16 million, through the Skills Investment Funds. These funds support skills in film, TV, animation, games and VFX, which are priority economic areas for the Welsh Government. So far over £900,000 has been used to support skills development in Wales since March 2014.
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