AIMS Education Working Group launches to address IP media skills gap

The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) is forming an Education Working Group that will focus specifically on education and training to expand the pool of industry professionals prepared to design, build and operate standards-based IP media technology and solutions. 

“Today, when we talk to various industry parties about IP adoption, we consistently hear that SMPTE ST-2110 is mature, stable and working, but there is a need for engineers who can do the design work, professionals who can do the implementation work, and operators who have the right skillset and expertise to work with these new IP-based systems,” said AIMS chairman of the board Steve Reynolds. “The new Education Working Group will work with other industry organisations to connect media professionals with better training, broad-based educational programmes, and possibly even testing and certification they can use to validate their proficiency for prospective employers.”

AIMS’ Education Working Group will build on the successful efforts of the alliance’s Technical Working Group and Marketing Working Group. Since AIMS formed six years ago, these groups have made significant strides in leading the industry towards an open, standards-based implementation for IP media solutions.

The mission of the new working group will be to define what is needed to improve training, expand educational opportunities and collaborate with other industry organisations to develop programmes and certifications to rapidly expand the base of qualified engineers and operators to meet the growing demand for IP expertise. 

AIMS will convene the first meeting of the Education Working Group this month to plan the group’s formal launch. Participation from across the AIMS community will be vital to the group’s success. Volunteers — and particularly integrators and end users — are welcome to join in the work.