Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what amount the Government has allocated to the Creative Skillset Skills Investment Fund; how much of that funding has been allocated to the video games industry; and what assessment he has made of the effects of that funding.
DCMS is investing up to £8 million each year in 13/14 and 14/15 through the Skills Investment Fund. With industry match funding, this will support skills development in the film, TV, and video games sectors. By March 2015, Creative Skillset estimate that in total, over £4,300,000 of SIF funding will have been spent on training for the games sector. One element of this Fund, the Trainee Finder scheme, has so far placed 122 trainees in 67 games companies.