Cabinet approval for animation policy: half a million job opportunities, 250 companies; goal to be achieved within five years

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Cabinet meeting approved the animation policy which will create half a lakh jobs in five years. 250 companies will be started by 2029 for this. A catalyst fund of Rs 200 crore will be allocated for industrial development. 50 crore research and development fund will be provided over the next five years. The new generation will be empowered in the fields of Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR). Training and facilities will be provided for this from school level to university level. The aim is to rapidly exploit the technological field of the future.

The policy will enable Kerala to earn ten percent of the country's AVGC-XR export earnings. At least 15 percent of AVGC-XR content will be made in Kerala. The projects will be in collaboration with Startup Mission, KSIDC, KSFDC, Digital-Technical Universities, C-Dit, K-Phone, K-Disk and Knowledge Economy Mission.

Courses

Courses will be launched in animation, visual effects, e-sports, game design, editing, quality control, sound design and engineering, VR and AR, marketing and customer experience analysis. Professionals will be made teachers under the title of Professor of Practice. Those with prior knowledge in this field can graduate through recognition of prior learning.

Center of excellence in Thiruvananthapuram

• Startup Mission's Emerging Technology Hub to expand to include e-gaming and XR
• 150 AVGC-XR startups will be incubated
• AVGC-XR Labs through K-Disk's Work Near Home project
• Center of excellence will be started in Thiruvananthapuram
• Innovation cooperatives for artists in this field

Design and imagination; platform of new generation

• Many students join courses in design and imagination after Plus Two.
• There are various certificate, diploma and degree programs in this field. There is a B Tech program in Gaming Technology.

There is a B.Des program in design. There are graduate programs in interior design, fine arts, fashion design, and fashion and design. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual growth rate of multimedia and animation jobs is over 6 percent.

-Dr. T. P. Sethumadhavan