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50 Animation Instructors Trained under Youth Employment Project

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JIS: Fifty animation instructors from training institutions across the island have upgraded their skills under the Government’s Youth Employment in the Digital and Animation Industries (YEDAI) Project.

 

The instructors, who were selected from secondary, tertiary and vocational institutions, went through extensive skills development as part of the ‘Train The Trainers’ component of the project, which is being executed by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM).

 

Speaking at a closing ceremony for the participants on Friday (July 27) at the Excelsior Community College in Kingston, Principal Finance Officer at the OPM, Rosalie Phipps, urged them to pass on the new skills to students so that Jamaica can gain more from the US$ 220 billion global animation industry.

 

She noted that the training is intended to “continuously build the capacity of Jamaican instructors, which will, in turn, improve the skills of young people so that they can participate in the growing animation industry.”

 

Ms. Phipps informed that the ‘Train The Trainers’ initiative  has been growing since YEDAI as implemented over three years ago, noting  the success of students  in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).

 

Being undertaken through funding from the World Bank, YEDAI has the objective of fostering entrepreneurship and employability among Jamaican youth and creating a favourable and innovative ecosystem for the emergence and growth of youth-led start-up enterprises.

 

The ‘Train the Trainers’ component aims to enhance effectiveness in the delivery of local animation training programmes.

 

It is designed with input from local animation studios and institutions, and international education experts, for effective instruction in the fundamental principles of 2D and 3D animation.

 

Vice Principal at Excelsior Community College, Dr. Zaria Malcolm, said that the institution was happy to host the training programme, which will help to prepare youngsters to participate in a lucrative global industry.

 

“We are committed to playing our part in the (training) of the Jamaican labour force,” she added.

 

CAPTION: Principal Finance Officer at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Rosalie Phipps (2nd right), along with Co-Task Team Leader at the World Bank, Karlene Francis (2nd left), and Project Manager for the OPM Youth Employment in the Digital and Animation Industries (YEDAI) Project, Margery Newland (right), celebrate with animation instructors at the closing ceremony for YEDAI’s ‘Train the Trainers’ course held on (July 27) at the Excelsior Community College in Kingston. Fifty animation instructors participated in the training.