Ten trainees to receive on-the-job training and mentoring with leading Irish animation, VFX, and games studios.
Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet and Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland are delighted to announce the Animation, VFX & Games Graduate Traineeship participants and host studios for the first programme of 2024.
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. Additionally, according to the First Steps in the Animation Industry report, over 90% of respondents also said that the programme adequately prepared them for the professional workplace and that they would recommend the programme to prospective new entrants. Last year 16 trainees were placed in 8 participating studios for the two programmes of 2023.
Targeted at developing skills and talent in the Irish animation, VFX, and games sectors, this iteration of the programme will take place over a 3 month period. It will involve a mix of on-the-job learning and mentoring with studios remotely as well as additional specialist training delivered through Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet and Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland.
The 6 participating studios and 10 trainees for the first Graduate Traineeship Programme of 2024 are:
- Cartoon Saloon: Jemma Shorten
- Tall Team: Luke Dight and Max Prediger
- Jam Media: Yevheniia Dovhanik and Liam Byrne
- Kavaleer: Tom Keating and Béibhínn McCarthy
- StoryToys: Olena Bakhtyzova
- Lighthouse Studios: Niamh Garvey and David Power
The traineeship will begin on June 4th with a series of specialised online training modules/classes, 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.