skilled labour shortage Peter White, director general of the IABM, reports.


broadcast and media industry today is a chronic shortage of skilled technical resources. In the IABM’s most recent Industry Trends Survey, published in conjunction with Ernst & Young, 22% of respondents reported that skills and staff issues were limiting contract or order fulfillment. Against this backdrop, the IABM undertook a research and investigation programme to gain a better understanding of the problems and identify technical and engineering skills issues in the broadcasting sector. Our findings were indeed sobering, and centered on several fundamental issues: • A need for established career paths, and greater clarity of job roles and skill requirements.


• In many parts of the world, a missing mindset for lifelong learning. • No substantive educational curriculum for broadcast engineering. • A lack of programmes for skill recognition and improvement. • No formula for coping with convergence.


• A lack of ‘big picture’ forward thinking about professional development among all sectors of the industry.


A multi-level problem


Today’s industry takes a vastly different approach to developing its technical workforce than a generation ago, when young engineers could benefit from employer-led development programmes sponsored by major global broadcasters and suppliers. With exceptions, many of these programmes have disappeared. As we move along the educational continuum and young people move into work, the role of the employer becomes pivotal.


But on a deeper level, the industry on the whole does a poor job of showcasing the attractive career opportunities that are available in media engineering. Our industry has


The global labour shortage W


hile it may seem counterintuitive in the aftermath of a global recession, one of the biggest threats to the


some of the most exciting jobs around - whether it’s installing a multi- platform infrastructure for Formula 1 coverage, orchestrating the coverage of a presidential election, or designing ‘spycam systems’ for wildlife documentaries. These are high-profile roles with responsibility, technical challenges, and no shortage of glamour.


As an industry, we need to do much more to attract the best technical talent. The most able students in colleges and universities tend to be targeted by the much-larger IT and telecommunications industries, leaving the more niche broadcast and media technology community at a disadvantage. We need to take some proactive steps to engage with young people and their advisors in colleges and universities, such as providing work experience opportunities, industry support for final year projects, award and recognition programmes, vacation placements, access to relevant technology and, probably most important of all, closer collaboration with academic staff.


Working towards a solution


All of these issues are targeted by the IABM’s new global training and education initiative, launching soon to help increase the pool of skilled broadcast engineers and technical staff. This exciting new initiative will include close collaboration with colleges and universities, induction training for graduates, and continuous professional development for established engineers.


One key component of the IABM’s professional development programme is the IABM Engineering Student Awards, given annually to eight high achievers at college level. In addition to providing global recognition for these students, the Engineering Student Awards give them a stellar opportunity they might not have otherwise: financial support to attend the IBC Show in Amsterdam where they can see, touch, and experience the world of professional broadcasting technology and meet with potential employers. The awards programme is


Today’s industry takes a vastly different approach to developing its technical workforce than a generation ago, when young


engineers could benefit from employer-led development programmes sponsored by major global broadcasters and


suppliers. With exceptions, many of these programmes have


disappeared. As we move along the educational continuum and young people move into work, the role of the employer becomes pivotal.


www.theiabm.org/studentawards. In addition, the IABM is establishing a Training Academy to develop and deliver technology training


programmes on a classroom basis and online. The IABM Training Academy programmes will be rolled out on an international basis and the IABM will work with regional delivery partners to ensure that local training is available in each key region. With its emphasis on continuing professional development, the Training Academy is a direct response to the findings from the before-mentioned IABM investigation, which highlighted requirements for induction training for new technology recruits and for ongoing development for engineers and technical experts as they progress through their careers.


Recapturing the mindset


In difficult economic times, workforce development is often far down the list of priorities for companies - but ironically, this lack of commitment is seriously limiting the growth of an industry that has so much more potential. It’s time to recapture the ethos of the previous generation, when technical workforce development was considered a cornerstone of company thinking. Ideally, these development needs will be addressed through effective vocational training supplied by employers and relevant third parties like the IABM. But, a true shift in industry attitudes to staff development will require a credible testing and certification scheme - and an engineering competency framework that will offer the career pathways and industry recognition that is well- established in other industries.


www.ibeweb.com l march/april 2011 l ibe l 13


iabm


open to any student that is undertaking a full-time course of study directly related to broadcast engineering and media technology, and is able to demonstrate in a 500- word essay how he or she would be able to benefit from attending the IBC Show. The deadline for submitting applications for the 2011 IABM Engineering Student Awards is Friday 27 May, and students may download the application form at


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