PRESS RELEASE
04 April 2006
NZ Screen Council Welcomes Cullen’s Reform of Tertiary Education
The NZ Screen Council welcomes Tertiary Education Minister Michael Cullen’s move to clamp down on low-grade courses
which offer little or no benefit to New Zealand’s economic and social development.
Over the past year the Screen Council has been working on its own solution to this particular problem for the screen
production section. The Screen Council's ScreenMark – a Qualmark-type certification scheme - has been developed to
provide an industry stamp of approval for high quality practical tertiary level training in the screen production
sector. To date sixteen training providers have indicated an interest in applying for ScreenMark.
“Training providers have been churning out more than 1,000 graduates a year, and given the size of New Zealand’s screen
production sector - approx 5-7,000 – there are graduates who will never get work in the industry,” said Screen Council
executive director Tim Thorpe. “We have also found that there are graduates without the relevant skills for the
industry. A course qualifying for ScreenMark will provide relevant skills and help students make informed decisions
about their futures in the sector”.
The Screen Council has been working with the Tertiary Education Commission, NZ Qualifications Authority and training
providers on ScreenMark. “We would hope to have input into what the government has just announced,” noted Thorpe. “It is
important for government to not just be talking to the education sector about what it proposes but also the industry
sectors that will be affected by the changes.”
The first ScreenMarks are anticipated to be awarded within the next 3-4 months.
ENDS
The New Zealand Screen Council is the film and television production industry organisation tasked with facilitating
economic growth in the New Zealand screen production sector. www.nzscreencouncil.co.nz