More participation of companies in the audiovisual market, traceability of results and high-quality training of employees to strengthen, in this way, the workforce, are some of the impacts of the ICIF scholarship program.
By InfoComm International
With a highly qualified internship and mentoring agenda, the International Communication Industries Foundation (ICIF) scholarship program has been growing at an unprecedented rate in the professional audiovisual industry.
ICIF is a non-profit foundation, operated by InfoComm International® and supported by corporations, philanthropic foundations, government sources and companies from across the audiovisual industry. Its objective is to work for the development of academic and scientific activities that contribute to the qualification and strengthening of the workforce of the audiovisual sector and, in general, for the benefit of the advancement of the industry.
As Ron Camden, Chairman of the BOARD of Directors of ICIF, puts it, "during my visits to other countries I have had the opportunity to hear frequently about the need for companies in the AV industry to have a trained workforce."
This is confirmed by Maru Gaitán, CEO of the Nice Group, a company that participates as a sponsor of the program, "what companies have suffered the most is to find trained people to help us solve all the problems we have on a day-to-day basis. With ICIF's scholarship program, young professionals take the courses, participate in internships, and when the program concludes, we have very skilled people ready to join any of the industry's specialties."
Initiatives like this involve two links that are vital in the process of growing and strengthening a market: the university and the company. In that sense, Gaitán declares herself an enthusiast of the program by confessing that her company not only participates as a sponsor, but also that she, personally, has given herself the task of encouraging other companies and universities to be part: "It is a process in which everyone benefits; the student because he benefits from a scholarship at a time when studies are very expensive, and prepares with quality for the world of work; and the company because it knows that it will have a highly qualified professional," explains the executive.
In this way, the foundation develops and supports carefully designed programs to equip the next generation of audiovisual industry leaders with the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully handle the challenges and opportunities that the present brings and that will come in the future.
Everyone wins
The priority, as Ron Camden puts it, is "to have the opportunity to give young professionals first-hand information about what's going on in our industry, so they can make informed, educated decisions."
This is a purpose that has been more than fulfilled. Evidence of this is the improvement in academic processes and programs, the broad and qualified training agenda and the satisfaction of both sponsors and direct beneficiaries.
According to Óscar López Maguey, Application Engineer of Audiovisual Warehouses in Mexico and Mechatronics Engineer by profession, the ICIF scholarship program made possible his project of studying a master's degree in Business Administration.
"I was able to expand my vision about the business and the AV industry, now I am learning to make certain decisions at an integral level, taking into account the importance of concepts such as marketing with profitability and market share. I have learned about managing work teams in their different stages of maturity, mergers or alliances between companies, etc. One of the most important things is that the program allows me to share what I have learned with future entrepreneurs," says López.
Theory, practice and accompaniment
The possibility of transmitting and sharing knowledge by forming networks of professionals and expanding the knowledge acquired is one of the benefits of the program. Other advantages that professionals value are practical work and mentoring.
As detailed in the components of the scholarship program, work experience in the industry is an essential part of the overall plan to successfully engage students in the sector. For this reason, the sponsors of the scholarships are committed to creating a job opportunity in which it offers the student a practical experience in the audiovisual industry. This means paid work of at least five hours per week in which the student performs a productive and meaningful task, within the framework of the standards set by the Department of Labor and by the National Association of Universities and Employers (NACE).
Rodrigo Ledesma, from the company NTX, who has been a beneficiary of ICIF, narrates his experience with satisfaction and gratitude. He remembers that his internship in the field began two weeks after starting the program and in his memory he keeps the names of several professionals who accompanied him and taught him in solidarity during the process.
"I did wiring installation on residential customer sites, I also did a little troubleshooting with security services and wireless coverage. I checked the operation of recorders, security cameras, switches, router, access points. In my opinion, this has been the most enriching experience because I was able to apply some of the knowledge I acquired in the career and understand issues that were, until that moment, unknown to me, this made me investigate and ask for help. "
The methodology
The model under which the ICIF scholarship program operates is sustainable, has contributed to multiplying the efforts made in this initiative, facilitates the monitoring of beneficiaries and optimizes the results obtained by them, generates synergies between the university and the company, and contributes to the transfer of knowledge.
For the ICIF Board of Directors, it is important that the Foundation and the sponsor have an equitable share in the economic investment made for each beneficiary, so that he receives an annual refund of his tuition (or part of it). The contribution is made in separate payments per semester destined for the educational institution.
There are two ways to link to this program; one of them is as a sponsor of the scholarship. For this it is necessary to be a member of InfoComm International®. The second way is as a beneficiary, for which it is a fundamental requirement to be a student enrolled in a training or degree program, related to the professional audiovisual industry.
With this approach, the Foundation firmly believes in synergy to multiply, develop and enhance first-hand and quality knowledge for the benefit of all actors in the audiovisual industry.
If you would like more information about this program, please write to us at [email protected]
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