Screen Yorkshire's Beyond Brontës screen industries scheme saved

Beyond Brontës trainees on the set of the upcoming film 'Moment of Grace'

A scheme which aims to get more people from diverse backgrounds into film and TV is to restart after a grant of £190,000 was pledged.

Screen Yorkshire's Beyond Brontës training project received the money from the Mayor of West Yorkshire's Creative New Deal.

Funding for the training, which started in 2019, had run out this year.

Mayor Tracy Brabin said screen industries could "be unfairly challenging for young people".

Beyond Brontës aims to address under-representation within the screen industries by breaking down the "perceived and actual barriers that can prevent young people from diverse backgrounds starting and establishing careers within the industry".

It offers free part-time training and says almost 75% of its students have found work in the creative industries.

Hazera Begum, 23, Bradford

"Without it I would have given up," said Hazera Begum

I graduated three years ago from a degree in film production from the University of Manchester. I was working as a waitress and trying to get a job in the industry but then Covid hit and productions closed down, as did the restaurant I worked at.

My friend suggested Beyond Brontës but there was no experience of film work in the family and I didn't know if I could do it.

I could not be more appreciative of the course, it helped me so much with interview skills and having a mentor as well.

I already had a film degree but didn't really know how the industry was structured but now I've got a job at Wise Owl Productions and I am loving the work.

Beyond Brontës helped me to get where I am, it helped with the first steps. Without the course I probably would have worked at Morrisons - hand on heart.

Without it I would have given up. I am of Bengali heritage, my mum's a housewife and my family thought it was "more of a white industry".

Now I want to work as a production co-ordinator, despite my story of growing up poor.

Screen Yorkshire said more than 100 young people had so far been given the chance to find paid work, including on major productions like the Mission: Impossible series of films and Netflix TV smash Bridgerton.

The BBC, Channel 4, ITV and Sky also all have bases in West Yorkshire.

Ms Brabin, a former soap actress and TV writer, said: "I'm incredibly proud of our thriving screen industries, but it can be unfairly challenging for young people to break into film and TV, with many assuming careers in the industry are out of their reach."

The money for Beyond Brontës will fund training for another 75 students in 2022.

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Sam Falkingham, 25, Bradford

"It's a far cry from burgers, that's for sure," said Sam Falkingham

I was studying a degree in creative media and Production at the University of Huddersfield, it was always a means to an end but it is quite tough to get your foot through the door.

The course had masterclasses with industry specialists and it helped with my skills but it was building up a network and engaging with them that also helped.

I got a job on Channel 4's Steph's Packed Lunch and have a contract to the end of the run in December.

I was working at McDonald's for seven years before this job so I am very happy to get into a "high-stakes job". The fact that it is filmed in Leeds really helps too.

I really want to work in the camera department in future and this is providing the opportunities to do that.

Beyond Brontës was a real game-changer, I would really recommend it. I thought I didn't have a realistic chance of any job in the industry after my degree.

Coming from a lower-income background, I never had opportunities like this and I'm loving every minute, it's a far cry from burgers that's for sure.

Screen Yorkshire is inviting applications from young people, aged 18-30, in West Yorkshire who believe they come from a background which is currently under-represented in the film and TV industry.

The deadline is 26 November and the part-time course runs from January to May.