Apprenticeships are at the heart of the new 'Skills for Sustainable Growth Strategy' and
Skillset believes, as does the Government, that apprentices should receive the same
recognition as those who have achieved traditional qualifications such as GCSEs, A levels and
degrees.
Apprenticeships bring together individuals, who are motivated and working hard to
develop themselves, and employers, investing in their own success but supporting a wider
programme of social, environmental and economic value. To widen access, we will ensure clear
progression routes into Apprenticeships, through to higher level skills development in further
and higher education, taking into account the needs of all types of learners.
The photo imaging workforce is the third largest within the Creative Media Industries in
England. The photo imaging sector increasingly requires a workforce with a wide ranging skill
set, combining technical proficiency with creativity, visual awareness and business acumen.
Practitioners across the industry need to be motivated and self-sufficient, committed and
enthusiastic.
Career success typically requires a strong passion for the subject and a high level
of entrepreneurial ability. Competition is vigorous, especially for photographers, and the
financial rewards vary greatly depending on the skills and specialisms of the individual
photographer. That said, the work is usually interesting and seldom routine.
Skillset's Strategic Skills Assessment (2010) highlights that 73% of the photo imaging
workforce is 35 and over. Given the informal nature of much recruitment into the sector, the
danger is that a cohort of experienced workers will soon come to retirement at the same time
and the new supply of workers will not have the knowledge and skills to replace them. For a
sector whose worth is based on the perceived quality of its output, that is a major risk.
Across the sector as a whole, the most significant specialist skills gaps continue to be around
the use of digital technology, knowledge of digital workflow and management of digital assets.
The rapid pace of technological change means that businesses and individuals must develop
strong market awareness and demonstrate flexibility to adapt rapidly to new business
opportunities.
In addition, widespread internet access and the opportunity for image sharing
across a number of platforms, makes an understanding of intellectual property rights and how
to protect them increasingly important. This Advanced Apprenticeship has been designed to
tackle these skills gaps.
The primary potential role for advanced apprentices would be as a trainee photographer with a
company offering:
1. Schools photography
2. Staff photography
3. Commercial photography
4. Wedding and portrait (social/high street) photography
5. Event photography
6. Studio photography specialising in advertising or fashion
7. Cruise ship photography
Other areas of photographic employment are within the police or fire services as accident
investigation/crime scene photographers, retail or health and social care roles, or within the
communications departments of companies in a wide range of sectors.
Looking at roles other than photographer, the three main areas are within picture libraries,
digital imaging bureaux/prolabs and photo retail/minilabs. Roles for advanced apprentices in
these areas include minilab printer, trainee digital Imaging technician and picture library
keyworder.
