TORONTO – A program to teach business skills to those working in film and television will be piloted over the next few years.
The Business Learning Initiative will be the first-ever standardized business training certificate program for professionals in the industry. It’s being created by Women in Film and Television—Toronto (WIFT-T) with support from the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.
Falling under WIFT-T’s training branch, The Centre for Media Professionals, the initiative will teach the business skills needed to compete in the global entertainment field.
The program is “a significant leap forward,” said Sue Sheridan, WIFT-T Interim Executive Director. “This innovative training solution, delivered in partnership with industry support, will offer practical skills development programs to an entrepreneurial sector at affordable rates and convenient times year-round.”
Over the next three years, the curriculum will be developed with input from an industry steering committee that includes Kirstine Layfield, Executive Director, Network Programming, CBC Television, and former TV executive Trina McQueen.
The program is expected to roll out in 2009. WIFT-T serves both women and men in Canadian screen-based media, offering professional networking and development.
