Indian media and film industry is suffering from manpower shortage and may require as many as three lakh trained professionals in the next 10 years,feels Kurt Inderbitzin,CEO of International School of Film and Media (ISFM). Referring to National Skill Development Corporation and FICCI observations,Inderbitzin said a shortage of quality institutions offering technical training in media and film industry is resulting in a huge shortage of skilled media professionals. India should be a global destination for media content production. But unfortunately it is not. Despite the fact that India is developing world-class studio facilities all over the country and labour here is still relatively cheap. And we believe the major reason for this is the accurate perception that there is a lack of properly trained people here in media, said Inderbitzin,former head of Mukta Arts Whistling Woods International. ISFM,a non-profit institution promoted by Annapurna Studios Private Limited owned by noted Tollywood actor Nagarjunas family,will initially launch short-term and vocational courses,for which admissions open from July 1 and a degree programme,which will be offered from mid-2012. ISFM is in talks with a university for accreditation of the degree programme,he said. We are also creating a 100,000-sqft dedicated classroom and teaching space within the studio,networked with the next-generation wireless technology. Phase-I of the facility will open in August 2011 and Phase-II in April 2013, Inderbitzin explained. Actor Nagarjuna said they are tying up with various corporate and media houses for student placements and will also take up consultancy jobs in future. We are planning to take 500 students for short-term and vocational courses and 500 for the degree programme every year,in five years from now, he added.
