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‘Waterloo Road’ production trainee scheme returns

Participants in the inaugural 'Waterloo Road' training scheme

The Waterloo Road Production Development Trainee Scheme will return in August following a successful debut initiative earlier this year.

Wall to Wall Media and Rope Ladder Fiction have opened applications for the next six-month, paid programme, which will commence on the Waterloo Road set in mid-August. The aim of the initiative is to provide on-the-job training in junior roles for the next generation of talent for the scripted broadcast drama sector.

HOME Manchester and Screen Manchester also lend their support to the scheme, which offers hands-on experience designed to build skills by directly working on one of Britain’s favourite continuing dramas.

The initiative also includes fortnightly training sessions led by Waterloo Road department heads and other invited guest speakers and covering numerous topics from TV budgeting to networking. HOME Manchester also provides participants with cinema access, priority tickets to events and opportunities to network with other filmmakers from the region.

The programme is open to Greater Manchester residents who aspire to working in the departments of make-up, costume, camera, grip, assistant director, and art although all successful applicants will also experience a broad cross section of the production process.

Further to being based in Greater Manchester (production takes place in Salford), all applicants must also be 18 years of age or over, available for a full six-month engagement from mid-August 2022, and available to work an 11-hour day. Candidates do not need specific programme-making experience, but they do need to show a passion and commitment for their chosen craft and be reliable and hard working.

The programme welcomes applications from all backgrounds, communities, and industries and the organisers are committed to building a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences, and abilities and includes under-represented communities and ethnicities, and disabled and socially diverse crew members.

The deadline for applications is 5pm on Wednesday July 13, with interviews held later in July. 

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