Screen Skills Ireland and Animation Skillnet have announced the Animation, VFX & Games Graduate Traineeship participants and host studios for the 2019/20 programme.
The traineeship, which has been running since 2016, has a great track record with over 90% of participants going on to gain further work in the industry either with their host studio or with another studio. It takes place over a six-month period and is targeted at developing skills and talent in the Irish animation, VFX, and games sectors. The traineeship will involve a mix of on-the-job learning and mentoring in host studios as well as additional specialist training delivered through Screen Skills Ireland and Animation Skillnet.
The 6 participating studios and 10 trainees for the 2019/20 Graduate Traineeship Programme are:
- HMH – Holly Sweeney and Laura McNamee
- Cartoon Saloon – Valeria Weerasinghe and Christian Keogh
- Touchpress – Moses Eribo
- PiranhaBar – Bruno Braghetto
- Lighthouse Studios – Cian Hughes, Eddie Conway and Anna McGloin
- Algorithm – Clarissa Moraes
The traineeship kicked off on Monday 11 November with a week-long training symposium, featuring talks from experts on the latest creative and technological advances in the area of VFX and animation, as well as soft skills such as emotional intelligence and time management. Speakers included Lindsay Jane Sedgwick (Independent Writer); Patrick O’Callaghan (Co-Founder of Space Duck Games); Gillian Comerford (Boulder Media); Matthew Lloyd (Brown Bag Films); Morag Abernethy (Learning and Development Coach); Ronan McCabe (Animation Ireland); and Gavin O’Donnell (Brown Bag Films).
Catherine Roycroft of Cartoon Saloon explained why they are participating; “Cartoon Saloon are delighted to be a part of the Graduate Traineeship programme. This is our 4th year bringing the Graduate Traineeship candidates into our studio and we have a 100% success rate of offering employment following the placement due to the high standard of candidates that are applying. With skills development playing such a key role in our industry, this programme offers opportunities to candidates and companies to partner at a level that is complementary to each other’s needs, relevant and timely.”
Speaking about the traineeship, Sorcha Scully, Animation, VFX & Games Coordinator at Screen Skills Ireland, said; “The Irish animation, VFX, and games sectors are hugely important to Ireland’s digital and creative economy. This traineeship will equip participants with industry-focused skills and contribute to producing the next generation of talent for the sector.”
Delphine Coudray, Courses and Events Coordinator at Animation Skillnet, added; “We are delighted that this hugely successful traineeship is now in its fifth iteration. Its longevity demonstrates the value it adds to the skills development of participants, as well as the significant role it plays in addressing skills gaps in Ireland.”