MITC
- Media Industry Technologist Certification
 MITC
Launches at SMPTE07
It's two years since we discovered the real problem. Not only was
the the brain drain in the Media industry real, but we had managed
to lose the learning culture that existed prior to the nineties.
It just … went away.
So, here we are, 2007, and you WANT to become a broadcast engineer,
or a master control technician, or an OB Technical Director…
and… where do you go? Who do you ask? How do you sell to an
employer that you’ve got the chops, done the hard yards, and
you know your craft?
At SMPTE07 we are launching the first certification phase of Media
Industry Technologist Certification and, subject to everything running
to expectation, the first certification process will take place
in the second week of October 2007 at a cost of less than $200 for
SMPTE members. Certification is for a period of five years.
Whether you’re in Radio, Television, Film, Transmission,
New Media, Broadcast Operations, or Outside Broadcast; whether you’re
an employee or a freelancer; whether you’re a newbie or a
technology executive, you have a part to play in helping the Media
Industry in Australia stay the clever industry that we’ve
always been. MITC.
MITC Project Office contact details:
Chair: John Maizels
Tel: 0412-576-888
Email: jmaizels@optusnet.com.au
Secretariat: Pauline Smith
Tel: 0414-624-279
Email: smpteps@ihug.com.au
MITC
- the Background
Over the last 20 years, a series of actions has moved
the Australian broadcast industry from having a clearly defined
certification goal for engineering and technical staff, to the current
situation in which engineering and technology professionals have
no defined or industry-recognised skill development/training roadmap,
no formal training program, and the Industry has no way to recognize
those individuals who have gained skills, and no process for positioning
new talent on a growth path. There is strong belief in the broadcast
industry that we have, or will soon have, an engineering skills
shortage which will severely impede the sector’s growth and
innovation. This is true for both traditional broadcast activities
(such as transmission management, design and implimentation) and
emerging/crossover areas such as IT infrastructure and web delivery
of media.
MITC
Objectives
The Media Industry Technology Certification (MITC) process has
evolved as a result of initiatives by the Australia Section of SMPTE
in collaboration with the media industry and the education system.
The MITC process has been designed to redress the industry’s
cultural shift in respect of learning, by creating a measurement
system which rewards candidates for knowledge, experience, and industry
focus.
MITC is intended to provide a set of defined goals for people
who wish to make a vocation in the media industry by creating a
set of industry-driven benchmarks that can be used by the Education
system in conjunction with the role expected to be played by Industry
as part of the nationally recognised Australian Qualifications Framework.
MITC will provide a means for all those already in the industry
to have their skills recognised in a uniform manner – this
is of benefit to individuals pursuing career opportunities in the
media industry, to peer recognition and to employers’ recruitment
processes.
The “lifecycle” of progress through the industry and
the MITC process is also designed to encourage recognised technical
gurus and other gifted people to contribute a little of their time
to the pool of trainers who impart their experience for the benefit
of the new hands.
MITC certification does not imply a right to work and a MITC certification
will not be used as the primary final selection criterion for a
job.
For example, while a MITC certification in Transmission should
not be taken to indicate whether or not a person can operate a transmitter,
an employer may take the MITC certification into account when making
the decision of whether a candidate is suitable for operating the
transmitter. The certification is an indication that, in the eyes
of the Examination Board, the candidate has met the requirements
of the industry-defined expectation for a MITC level.
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