Warner Bros. to Launch U.K. Training Initiative

LONDON: Later in the year Warner Bros. is set to kick off Warner Bros. Creative Talent, a new program of investment in skills and training for creative industries in the U.K.

The initiative is scheduled to begin in September 2013. It is meant to provide young adults with industry experience spanning the company’s U.K. film, TV, games and theater businesses.

Warner Bros. Creative Talent will include a dozen higher education scholarships, six apprenticeships, two trainee posts on every Warner Bros. movie production in the U.K. and 25 year-long training course placements at Chickenshed, a theater company. It will also offer 20 work experience placements for schools near the company’s London headquarters, and five for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, an upcoming West End musical. The most talented students will be rewarded with an additional three-month placement.

Kevin Tsujihara, the CEO of Warner Bros., stated: "The U.K. is known for world class creativity and innovation, and some of Warner Bros.’ greatest successes have been produced with British talent. Warner Bros. Creative Talent reinforces our global commitment to supporting the industries and communities in which we operate and our continuing investment in talent."

Josh Berger CBE, the president and managing director of Warner Bros. for the U.K., Ireland and Spain, noted: "As we continue to make more films, TV shows, video games and stage plays here, as well as investing in state-of-the-art studios, we will be calling upon the very best talent the country has to offer. To that end, it is crucially important to us to invest in the next generation, so that we not only have a diverse pool of exceptional talent to work with, but that we also play our part in maintaining the U.K.’s position as a global creative industries leader."

Dinah Caine OBE, the CEO of Creative Skillset, commented: "We welcome this significant investment in skills by Warner Bros., which builds upon its industry-leading contribution to the Skills Investment Fund, beneficiaries of which are already working on Warner Bros. productions here in the U.K. It has been incredibly exciting collaborating with Warner Bros. on this new program, which will undoubtedly inspire and train young people through education classes for schools right through to post-graduate training and, by doing so, help ensure the U.K.’s competitive advantage."

Alan Rickman, an actor and the vice chairman of RADA, added: "The long line of RADA graduates who have appeared in Warner Bros. productions over the years inspired a partnership that has gone on to be nothing short of transformative in the way that it has allowed the Academy to develop its film, TV and radio division and help prepare students for their future careers. As we now embark on the next stage of our relationship, RADA students will continue to benefit from the innovations that Warner Bros.’ generosity has enabled."