Media and Entertainment skills council together with prime focus launches PFAMES

Media and Entertainment Skills Council (MESC), a non-profit skill-building organization under the aegis of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), today announced the launch of a specialised training division, Prime Focus Academy of Media and Entertainment Studies (PFAMES).

The academy will admit 100 students to its 12 centres across 8 cities on the basis of an entrance examination for its inaugural batch. MESC has mandated Prime Focus Limited (PFL), the world's largest independent integrated media services powerhouse, to provide an operational platform for running these courses.

"Private participation is a key pillar of the National Skill Mission and it is in concert with sector specialists like Prime Focus that we can create a truly entrepreneurial workforce. The aim to create nearly 12 lakh skilled workforce will help us achieve gainful employment opportunity in fast growingindustries for the growing number of young professionals in India," said Chief Operating Officer, Media & Entertainment Skills Council, Mohit Soni.

PFAMES, a training academy designed with the vision to prepare students for the media and entertainment industry even before they complete the program, will implement an advanced curriculum that ensures high wage-based employ-ability and entrepreneurial skill-building.

"PFAMES is a radically new skill building academy with state of the art facilities across 8 cities in India. The inaugural batch of 1200 students will create a diversified talent pool with 40 percent of course duration spent working on the job," said founder, executive chairman and Global CEO of Prime Focus Limited, Namit Malhotra.

"The training model we are piloting at PFAMES comes in light of macro tail-winds from the subscription-based models of global players like Amazon and Netflix and with the digitization of mainstream entertainment channels. India presents the largest opportunity for international media outlets, and with the industry maturing and promising steady growth in the domestic market, the need for highly trained professionals with the right skill sets will be a huge gap and an opportunity for us," he further added.

PFAMES is affiliated to Media and Entertainment Skills Council of India to provide Government Recognized Certification under the Skill India Mission of Honourable Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi conducted through Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and National Skill Development Corporation of India.

PFL, which employs over 9,000 professionals in 18 cities across five continents and 7 Time zones, has for the first time ventured into training under the skill-building division PFAMES to offer industry-oriented skills beyond present training system. During the event, the launch of a network where affiliates, or Valued Skill Training Partners, who would run the programs and contribute as much as 70 percent of the student enrolments, was also announced.