ScreenSask is excited to announce a new partnership with the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) that will create up to 15 paid on-set apprenticeship opportunities for Indigenous crew members working in Saskatchewan’s film and television industry.
With funding from ISO and support from Creative Saskatchewan, the new ScreenSask ISO Indigenous Apprentice Program will provide Indigenous crew members with up to three weeks of paid, hands-on training on Saskatchewan productions.
And we’ve tried to make participating as simple as possible for both crew members and producers. Full details and application at apprentice.screensask.com.
For Indigenous Crew: Put Your Name Forward
You don’t need to wait until you see a specific apprenticeship advertised.
If you’re an Indigenous crew member — or someone interested in beginning a career in film and television — you can put your name forward now to be considered for future opportunities.
Start by creating a free account in the ScreenSask training portal and completing your Crew Directory Profile at apprentice.screensask.com. You’ll be able to upload your resume, tell us about your experience, indicate the jobs and departments you’re interested in, complete the Indigenous Self Identification section and let us know you’d like to be considered for Indigenous apprenticeship opportunities.
You’ll also need to opt into the ScreenSask Crew Directory. The directory allows authorized Saskatchewan producers and department heads to find potential crew members and apprentices when they’re staffing productions.
And then get yourself known. Attend ScreenSask events, meet people working in the industry, register for permittee status with the appropriate unions and guilds where applicable, and watch for opportunities through ScreenSask.
Get Paid to Learn On Set
Approved apprentices can receive up to three weeks of paid on-set training, earning up to $1,500 per week plus eligible fringes.
The program covers 100% of eligible apprentice wages for the first two weeks and 50% in the third week, with the production covering the remaining 50%. The subsidy is paid to production, who employ the Indigenous Apprentice as a crew member like any other.
Apprentices aren’t simply added to a production and left to figure things out. Each participant is paired with an experienced mentor and follows an individualized ScreenSask training plan with specific skills and learning milestones. Their mentor could be an experienced Saskatchewan crew member, or a non-Saskatchewan resident brought in through the Apprenticeship Stream Training Program.
The goal is straightforward: help people gain real credits, real skills and real relationships that lead to their next job.
For Producers: Create an Opportunity
If you’re producing in Saskatchewan and there’s someone you’d like to give an opportunity to, we want to make that easier too.
Productions can request support for up to three Indigenous apprentice positions.
Already know who you’d like to train? You can propose that person when you apply.
Don’t have someone in mind? You can use the ScreenSask Crew Directory to find potential apprentices, or work with ScreenSask and our industry partners to identify candidates.
All crew departments are eligible, and the program is open to eligible productions across genres, including both union and non-union productions.
Already Applying to the Apprenticeship Stream? Even Easier.
If your production is already registering for the Apprenticeship Stream Training Program, you don’t need to start a separate process.
When you propose an apprenticeship involving an Indigenous crew member, you can simply indicate that you would also like to request ISO Indigenous Apprentice support.
That means an apprenticeship can potentially participate in both programs while using the same apprentice, mentor and training plan.
Productions that aren’t participating in the Apprenticeship Stream can still apply through the standalone Indigenous Apprentice Request available in the ScreenSask training portal.
Note that for this program, Mentors can either be out-of-province Mentors brought in through the ASTP, or local Saskatchewan Mentors.
Why We’re Doing This
Saskatchewan’s production industry is growing, and one of our biggest priorities is making sure more Saskatchewan people have the opportunity to build sustainable careers as that growth continues.
That means creating opportunities to get onto professional sets, learn from experienced crew and build the credits and relationships that lead to the next job.
For Indigenous crew members, this new partnership with ISO allows us to create more of those opportunities — while paying people for the work and training they’re doing.
Funding is limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis until available funding is committed.
Interested crew members and producers can learn more and get started at apprentice.screensask.com.
The ScreenSask ISO Indigenous Apprentice Program is funded by the Indigenous Screen Office, supported by Creative Saskatchewan and delivered by ScreenSask.