New IABM Training Academy Responds to Broadcast and Media Industry's Need for Training

posted:

06/06/2011

Roger Crumpton, director of education, employment, and training at the IABM

The IABM (International Association of Broadcasting Manufacturers) today announced the launch of the IABM Training Academy, an educational organization dedicated to broadcast and media technology. The Training Academy was created to provide vocational training for engineers and technologists, as well as the administrative, managerial, and executive staff whose job roles require an appreciation of the important role that technology plays in the broadcast industry.

Academy to Provide Online and Classroom Courses That Aid in Development of Workforce to Meet Challenges of New Media Technology and Business

"Emerging technologies, new business models, and changing social trends are creating new business and career opportunities within the broadcast industry, but they're also revealing a chronic shortage of skilled technical resources," said Roger Crumpton, director of education, employment, and training at the IABM. "Employers need a resource for developing and training their workforce to meet the challenges of the new media business, and the IABM Training Academy offers just such a resource. The IABM Training Academy delivers training outcomes that impact the futures of managers, engineers, and technologists in our industry."

The IABM Training Academy's technology training programs include instructor-led classroom sessions and self-paced online learning, and these courses are crafted at three levels — for new entrants to the industry, for engineers looking to extend their knowledge base, and for experts seeking to understand best practices and solutions for specific issues in emerging technologies. Because courses target staff members at different stages of their careers, they provide broadcast and media companies with a tool for developing their own human capital more effectively.

Classroom courses typically last two or more days and offer highly intensive training that not only optimizes instructional outcomes, but also reduces the time and cost required for attendance. Online courses, which are delivered via the IABM Learning Management System and cover a similar syllabus, allow participants to flex their training with work and personal commitments. Online tutor support is available throughout the courses.

The first courses from the IABM Training Academy are "Broadcast and Media Technology - Understanding Your Industry" and "Audio and Video Fundamentals for Engineers," which will be offered in Reading, U.K., beginning June 22 and 28, respectively, and in Amsterdam beginning on Sept. 29 and Oct. 5. The academy will continue to roll out new courses held at sites worldwide on a quarterly basis. The academy already has kicked off its course offering with a free online course introducing participants to 3D and how it works for TV and the cinema. More than 100 viewers registered for and took advantage of the course during its first week of availability at the IABM Training Academy website.

"The 3D module is excellent in all regards, from the media player itself to the explanation of key points and issues," said Roger Thornton, head of publicity at Quantel. "This first online course from the IABM Training Academy serves as a very fine preview of what's to come, and it's no wonder that it has given the launch of this exciting new educational resource a great boost."

The IABM Training Academy fulfills one of the calls to action made in the IABM Lifelong Learning Manifesto announced earlier this year. The document, signed by more than 90 leading media companies and industry organizations, signifies a commitment to creating genuine career development opportunities for broadcast and media technologists.