Traditionally, once through the educational system, film and TV students were expected to manage the leap from theory into practice, but an increasing number of facilities are available to help give students the on-the-job training they need to make them immediate assets on any shoot.

Now in its 19th year, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television’s National Apprenticeship Training Program had this idea from the start. Over the course of nearly two decades, the NATP has helped find training and jobs for over 170 new directors, producers, screenwriters, and other craftspeople.

‘Regardless of the fortunes of the industry over the years,’ observes Academy president and CEO Maria Topalovich, ‘there’s always a desire on the production side to integrate really talented people.’

Some apprentices have gone on to top levels of success, such as David McCallum, whose sound work has won him five Geminis and three Genies (Love Come Down, Sunshine and Max). Of the more recent crop, newbie producer Jennifer Maclennan, an apprentice last year, happily found herself on a plane to Prague for a full-time gig on the Norflicks Productions doc series Mystic Women of the Middle Ages.

Each year, film and TV educational institutions across Canada suggest about 150 students, from which a panel of industry vets selects the top 20. A second jury interviews those and picks about 10 for placement. The Academy then sends the apprentices’ info to every producer planning a shoot across the country, and posts the student’s resumes on its website.

Students agree on where they want to work and for how long, and are able to mix and match placements to achieve the experience they’re looking for. The Academy sets up the meetings, ensures a good fit, and then checks in frequently to make sure apprentices aren’t just making coffee.

Industry support is crucial. The type of apprentices the Academy picks can relate directly to the types of sponsors on board. Thanks to support from Kodak Canada, for example, two cinematographers are trained every year. Canadian Heritage is also a sponsor.

Meanwhile, Montreal’s O’Sullivan College recently started up a program dedicated entirely to the training of film and TV crews. The course was initiated by industry vet Michel Zgarka, EVP at technical service and marketing company Omicron Media. Zgarka, also the program director, recognized a desperate need for a volume of trained crews that simply didn’t exist, and launched the first installment on Aug. 25.

Zgarka had been fielding weekly requests for his students to work on-set on everything from corporate videos to commercials. When one of his sources estimated there could be 50,000 jobs in Quebec for certified craftspeople – but fewer than half that available – he knew the program was required.

The program, currently taught in French, found early support from Kodak and Locations Michel Trudel, which offered film stock and equipment, respectively. They, along with sponsors Sony Music and Universal Pictures, also helped Zgarka fine-tune the program by explaining what skills they felt were most sought after.

Zgarka designed a yearlong course consisting of three 15-week segments, all of which include practice on standard industry equipment. The first segment revolves around preproduction, the second on production and the final tackles editing. The course ends with a six-week industry internship.

Zgarka says applicant response has been overwhelming. ‘We had aimed to open the program with 25 students, and it went up to 36, so it was first come, first served,’ he explains. ‘We already have 10 students for the January opening, and we haven’t even started advertising for it.’

The college already has plans to expand the program. ‘In January, we’ll start two new groups – one French and one English – and hopefully there will be another 50 [trainees],’ Zgarka says. ‘We’re hoping to train between 50 and 100 students per year.’

Several sponsors have initiated scholarships, and during the official opening, Locations Michel Trudel alone offered to take between 10 and 15 students as interns. The cost for the program is $6,800, but because the program is accredited, students are eligible for traditional loans and funding.

-www.academy.ca

-www.osullivan.edu