FICCI FRAMES 2024, 04: Skilled entertainment industry crucial in realising the vision of Developed India

FICCI FRAMES 2024, 04: Skilled entertainment industry crucial in realising the vision of Developed India

On March 7, the closing day of the 3-Day Convention, Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India, said that the Indian media and entertainment sector is growing rapidly, and there is immense potential for ‘skilling’ in this sector. This sector has been growing with a CAGR of over 13 per cent in the last few years, and employs 30 lakh people directly, and 55 lakh indirectly. ‘Skilling’, combined with education and scaling, can help India achieve the vision of Viksit Bharat (Hindi for Developed India) 2047, thereby supporting the GDP, as well as establishing the prowess in India’s soft power, he added.

Addressing the session on ‘LEAPing into the Future’, Tiwari said that in order for India to prosper, there is a need for creating a mass awareness about skilling. The New Education Policy (NEP) along with all government policies, focuses on ‘skilling’.  All sectors of the economy are recognising that ‘skilling’ is going to be a game-changer for India. With our country's demographic advantage, having the youngest, and the world's largest number of working-age individuals, ‘skilling’ will lead to a significant enhancement in productivity and employment.

Tiwari also emphasised spreading awareness about ‘LEAP – Leveraging Education to Accelerate Progress’, which is the need of the hour. Nothing is more creative than making a film. The government, he said, is working to identify and bridge the ‘skilling’ gap, through policy initiatives, along with industry and academia collaboration. “There is a need for us to identify the opportunities and create awareness among people, especially in tier 2, 3 and 4 cities, to attract more talent,” he emphasised.

He further stated that the M&E sector has experienced a remarkable transformation with the advent of the internet, revolutionising entertainment consumption. The dynamics of content creation have shifted, leading to a buzzing M&E landscape, that not only entertains, but also promotes and preserves cultural heritage, added Tiwari.

He also stated that the Indian media and entertainment sector not only provides support to nation’s GDP but also promotes tourism, increase in cultural exchanges and strengthens India’s soft power.

Subhash Ghai, renowned film-maker & founder Chairman, Whistling Woods International (WWI), a premier film school, located at Mumbai, with outreach at other centres, highlighted the role of education and ‘skilling’ in media and entertainment sector. He added that we are currently relying on memory-based education, rather than skill-based education. It is crucial to develop skill-based education in the country, noted Ghai.

S.K. Pathak, Secretary General, FICCI, said, “In the 25th edition of FICCI FRAMES, in 2025, we will identify the transformational changes required in the media and entertainment industry, focussing on the initiatives needed for India in 2030.” Turkish actress Hande Ercel was also present on the occasion.

A little note about skills, skilling and upskilling.

A violinist, who learns to programme music on a computer, and gives up playing the violin altogether is not a case of upskilling or acquiring a new skill. In real terms, he is down-skilling. But in the move towards innovation and progress, he is just taking a new step. This nothing new. From time immemorial, we have had innovation and technical advancement. Maybe the inventors had some skills, but the users and followers are merely embracing progress. Nobody talked about upskilling when films moved from silent to talkie or black & white to colour or celluloid to digital. Likewise, no special skills had to be developed as recordings moved from wire to shellac records to plastic (SPs, EPs, LPs) to CDs to pen- drives. ‘Skilling’ cannot be implanted into anybody’s brain. But with rocket speed innovation, education will have to be paced differently, and will find it difficult to keep pace with Artificial Intelligence, VFX, gaming, 3D etc.