BFI Film Academy launches expanded programme for 2026 to 2029 including free training courses and paid professional development placements
Supported by UK Government and BFI National Lottery funding, the programme welcomes industry partners including Aardman, Amazon MGM Studios, Framestore, and Lucasfilm.
The BFI’s flagship skills programme for young people aged 16-25, BFI Film Academy today announces further details of its expanded 2026-2029 offer. Beyond the previously announced 12 UK-wide Hubs offering year-round access to local training, transferable skills and early careers support, BFI Film Academy will provide 300 places across 12 free Training Courses and 60 fully paid Professional Development trainee placements with leading industry partners each year. With an overall budget for 2026-29 of £12.3m from ongoing BFI National Lottery Good Cause funding and increased UK Government investment from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the new provision will almost double the amount of young people accessing specialised training via BFI Film Academy annually.
Building on the success of the past 14 years since its launch in 2012, with an alumni network of over 11,000 people and benefiting from extensive consultation with industry and young people, the new BFI Film Academy offer extends its commitment to supporting young people from underrepresented backgrounds. Focused on below-the-line and wider screen roles, it is fully in step with the industry, providing training and placements where there is evidenced need for skilled entrants.
Twelve BFI Film Academy Training Courses will provide in-depth introductions to specific occupational fields in the screen industries for 295 young people each year, representing a 70% uplift in Training Course places from previous years. In extending the age range for participants to 18-22, BFI Film Academy Training Courses will enable young people of working age to access careers support and specialised skills training. The Training Courses will create a pathway to alternative routes to available screen industry roles outside of mainstream educational settings and will cover:
- Animation
- Camera and Lighting
- Costume
- Editing and Post-production
- Film Curation and Archiving
- Film Programming, Audience Development and Distribution
- Hair, Makeup and Prosthetics
- Production Management
- Set Decoration and Props
- Sound and Sound Design
- Sustainability and Locations
- VFX and New Technologies
These residential courses will be delivered in different regions across the UK, and open to young people nationwide, with accommodation costs fully covered and travel bursaries available. Specialist delivery partners will ensure course content adapts to the latest developments in their fields such as the impact of new technologies and AI. These partners include: Calling the Shots (Animation, Set Decoration and Props), Screen Education Edinburgh (Production Management), London Screen Academy (Hair, Makeup and Prosthetics ), CTVC (Editing and Post-production), Mor Media (Sound and Sound Design), the University of Lincoln (Camera and Lighting), Showroom Cinema - Sheffield Media and Exhibition Centre (Film Curation and Archiving), Somerset Film (Sustainability and Locations), and will be designed and developed in collaboration with leading industry partners including Aardman Academy (Animation), Cornwall Film Festival (Sound and Sound Design), Location One (Sustainability and Locations), Sgil Cymru (Set Decoration and Props), and the Yorkshire and North East Film Archive (Film Curation and Archiving). Courses will open for applications from November 2026 — June 2027 with more delivery and industry partners to be announced in the coming months. The Training Course programme receives additional funding support from the Leverhulme Trust, through their Art Scholarship Training Opportunities for Under 18s scheme.
From 2027, BFI Film Academy will support 60 18-25-year-olds each year to participate in six-month Professional Development programmes providing four months of tailored training delivered in line with industry standards and culminating in paid six-week placements working alongside senior professionals and HoDs. Leading industry partners have come on board to sponsor the programme and host trainees on fully paid placements including: Amazon MGM Studios; BFI Filmmaking Fund; Framestore; and Lucasfilm. This on the ground experience alongside professionals in their field will provide a go-to training route preparing alumni for available careers in the sector. Previous BFI Film Academy trainees have worked on productions including Andor, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and No Time to Die and upcoming Professional Development trainees will have the opportunity to work on both studio and independent film sets, with post-production houses and gain wider screen sector experience with leading film archives and more to be confirmed.
The Training Courses and Professional Development Programme announced today are funded by ongoing BFI National Lottery Good Cause funding and increased UK Government investment from DCMS as part of their Creative Industries Sector Plan to support screen sector skills and strengthen the pipeline of talent for the future industry workforce. The training offered by BFI Film Academy also fulfils the ‘Good Work’ ambitions set out in the UK Government’s National Youth Strategy to give young people viable opportunities and routes into employment, developing skills for both life and work.
The UK's film and TV industry is one of the best in the world, and in order to keep it that way, it's essential we’re nurturing the next generation of talent. The Government’s increased investment and strong backing from industry partners is helping BFI Film Academy nearly double the number of young people it supports around the country, giving them the skills and training they need to build lasting careers in the sector. By backing budding creatives today, we are creating the industry leaders of tomorrow.”Ian Murray, Creative Industries Minister for DCMS
The launch of our vocational BFI Film Academy Training Courses and Professional Development programme, in addition to the UK-wide Film Academy Hubs announced this summer, represents an ambitious expansion of this long running programme to ensure a greater diversity of young people are reached and supported to develop the skills and networks needed to build a career the UK’s screen sector. BFI Film Academy is dedicated to enabling young people to freely and equally access training and development opportunities that turn career aspirations into a reality, building skills needed for both work and life. We will continue to consult with the wider industry to ensure we are training young people for fields where there is an evidenced need for more skilled workers and our partnerships with major industry players demonstrate the shared sector commitment to building a more representative UK screen workforce for the future.”Sara Whybrew, BFI Director of Skills and Workforce Development
Supporting underrepresented talent as they begin their careers in screen is essential for our industry's future. Visual Effects offers incredible opportunities, and giving trainees practical, real-world insight on which to build a sustainable career is vital. We’re proud to partner with the BFI Film Academy in shaping a more inclusive industry.”Mel Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer, Framestore, a new industry partner for the Professional Development programme
I was a 17-year-old in Birmingham when I joined BFI Film Academy – I knew I wanted to work in film and television, and the programme provided me with my first practical on-set filmmaking experience. From there, the BFI Film Academy continued their support with a trainee placement on Lucasfilm’s Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2017 and since then I’ve worked non-stop on projects including F1: The Movie and Spiderman: Far from Home. It's great to see the new BFI Film Academy offer more focus on below-the-line skills training and I look forward to seeing the trainees on set and in the credits soon!”Nathan Lloyd, BFI Film Academy alumni (2017)
The Training Courses and Professional Development placements continue the progression pipeline from the previously announced BFI Film Academy Hubs. The 12 UK-wide Hubs deliver year-round activity to young people aged 16-25 enabling them to gain technical and transferable skills, access careers advice and networking opportunities in their neighbourhoods, to support them to pursue a career in the screen sector and equip them with key transferable life skills to pursue future employment.
The BFI Film Academy programme sits within the wider Skills and Workforce Development department at the BFI and is part of a broader careers development pipeline that includes Young Creatives and Careers & Progression Funds (supporting National Saturday Club and Into Film), and BFI Skills Clusters.