If you answered yes to these questions, then this FREE training course is for you.
*This includes residents of Birmingham City Council, Coventry City Council, Dudley Metro Borough Council, Sandwell Metro Borough Council, Solihull Metro Borough Council, Walsall Council and City of Wolverhampton.
Two additional places on the TV and Film Fusion: Unscripted Edition are in association with ScreenSkills and are aimed at West Midlands’ residents whose postcodes do not qualify them for WMCA funding.
Supported by the ScreenSkills Unscripted TV Skills Fund which invests in training for the unscripted workforce thanks to contributions from BBC, Channel 4, Sky, Hearst Networks UK, Discovery UK, Channel 5, Netflix, ITV, Amazon, UKTV and S4C matched by production companies.
The West Midlands screen industry has seen a number of big brand TV shows (Great British Menu, Garden Rescues, MasterChef, Late Night Lycett) and production companies (Shine TV, Optomen, Spun Gold) set up bases in the West Midlands in recent years as well as having a cluster of local production companies (Full Fat TV, North One, Common Story, First Look TV, Acclaimed Content, Gosh TV) who all regularly make shows for BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, and Netflix etc.
The sector is supported by the Mayor of the West Midlands Richard Parker who has said he "wants to attract more film and television productions to the region" and the digital and creative industries have been identified as a key growth sector in the WMCA Plan for Growth which was published in July 2025.
Casting and research (for contributors / members of the public)
Casting and research (for contributors / members of the public)
Call centres, Estate Agent, Hospitality and Bar work, Hairdressing, Beauty therapy, Hotels, Sales or client/account management, Recruitment.
Art department
Art department
Painting and decorating, interior design, crafting and making, woodworking and carpentry, retail merchandising, point of sale displays.
Technical
Technical
Theatre or live events technician, venue or conference technician, IT support, technical retail support and sales (e.g. Apple Store), technical rental companies.
Production Management
Production Management
Project management roles, administration, Travel agent or experience in booking complex travel arrangements, logistics, operations, hotel / events / wedding planner, personal assistant.
Digital and Branding
Digital and Branding
Influencer content creation, digital marketing (agency or in-house), marketing and/or brand management role (in any sector), advertising agency, PR.
Course information
KEY DATES
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We encourage early applications as this course is often oversubscribed and there is no guarantee that there will be places remaining after the early bird application deadline.
- Early bird application deadline: 31st August 2025 at 23.59
- Early bird online interviews will take place on 8th and 10th September 2025
- Final closing date for applications: Sunday 21st September 2025 at 23.59
- Final Online interviews will take place on 25th and 26th September 2025
- Notifications will be sent out after interviews.
The course dates are designed to be accessible for those who are working. However, it is expected that all learners on the course are able to make themselves available for potential full time work from January 2026. Places on the course are limited and priority will be given to those who are able to make this commitment.
Course Dates
The course will be delivered as a mix of in-person training sessions interspersed with online masterclasses. The training will be offered at weekends and evenings to ensure that it is accessible to working freelance crew in region.
- 7 x one day in-person workshops in Birmingham
- 5 x 90 mins online masterclasses
- 3 x 60 mins CV/employability support sessions
- 3-day placement on a production
7 x In-person training sessions will happen on:
- Saturday 11th October
- Sunday 12th October
- Saturday 18th October
- Saturday 8th November
- Sunday 9th November
- Saturday 22nd November
- Sunday 23rd November
Online sessions – a mix of pathway champion check-ins and masterclasses.
- Tuesday 14th October
- Tuesday 21st October
- Tuesday 4th November
- Tuesday 11th November
- Tuesday 18th November
Beyond the classroom
All learners will receive ongoing employability support following completion of the training programme until end of March 2026.
By the end of the training course
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, we expect that learners will:
- have been trained by local industry professionals
- understand what the roles and opportunities are for them
- are familiar with the different sub-genres in Unscripted TV and their production processes from single-camera setups to studio productions
- have written an industry focussed CV
- have a bespoke and actionable career pathway in the local TV industry
- be ready to work in unscripted TV in the pathway of their choice
By the end of this course, you'll have the confidence and know-how to pursue roles in Unscripted TV and build a fulfilling and sustainable career in the fast-paced world of TV.
Funding criteria and eligibility
Eligibility is a requirement of our funding and means that we can offer this training FREE of charge.
This course is open to all residents in the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) region who are:
- Aged 19 years or over*
- Not currently in full or part time education
- Not taken another WMCA funded course in the WMCA financial year (the financial year runs from September through to August)
- The WMCA Funding rules for this training course state that all learners must have an eligible residency status.
There is absolutely NO experience or previous qualifications required to be eligible for this course, just a passion to work in Film and TV in the West Midlands region and/or be a new entrant looking to make their career in unscripted TV.
However, if you are a graduate from Higher Education with either:
- an arts and humanities degree including Film, TV, Radio, Animation, Communications, Journalism, Visual Communications, Production Design then you are NOT eligible for this course, but you are likely to be eligible for Create Central's Rock Up Ready training course.
- or you graduated up to 3 years ago from any discipline AND you have experience in the film, television and screen industries then you are NOT eligible for this course, but you are likely to be eligible for Create Central's Rock Up Ready training course.
*AGE: To be eligible you need to have turned 19 on or before 31st August that precedes the start date of the course.
Where will I learn?
The training based for this programme will be BOA Stage and Screen Academy, 48 Stour St Birmingham B18 7AJ
Who will teach me?
OUR TRAINING TEAM DELIVERS IN COLLABORATION WITH LOCAL INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS
On each practical training day we collaborate with industry professionals who are experts in this area of Unscripted TV production to share their knowledge and bring current best practice to our training. For this programme we are planning to work with professionals on local unscripted shows currently in production.
Industry professionals who work with us regularly include:
We also work closely with the participants on our Step Up to HOD Programme and our Mid-level course who are also WM-based industry professionals.
Mission Accomplished Course Team
Alison Grade | Course Leader
Alison founded and runs Mission Accomplished. The company regularly delivers training courses for ScreenSkills. Alison is an experienced Line Producer and Production Manager as well as a Nesta Accredited Creative Enterprise Trainer. She regularly delivers training that enables creatives to take their careers to the next level. Alison is the author of Penguin published book, The Freelance Bible and offers many workshops and training programmes to support freelancers.
Piper Jady | Course Facilitator
Piper enjoys supporting learners through our courses: TV and Film Fusion and Early to Mid-level upskilling. Trained herself in TV, Film and Radio at BOA Academy she has an aptitude for helping others finding their path in TV and Film. Creative and organised she is here to help you through your time on this course.
Delivery team
Our Funders
This programme is delivered by Mission Accomplished, with the support of the BFI, awarding National Lottery funding, and The West Midlands Combined Authority.
Mission Accomplished is particularly keen to receive applications from traditionally excluded groups especially those from:
