PUTRAJAYA, Feb 11 — The Communications and Multimedia Ministry will come up with a projection on the number of new professionals required in the country’s creative industry by the end of this year, says its minister, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.
“Besides the groups of professionals like doctors, lawyers, engineers and architects, the country also needs to produce new professionals from other fields including digital that is related to the creative industry,” he said.
Saifuddin said this was in line with the ministry’s involvement in the National Employment Council chaired by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and which also had the role of looking at the future projection of professionals needed for the country.
“So, our task is to make that projection, for example, how many animators and gamers we will need in the next five to 10 years,” he told the media after the virtual handing-out of offer letters to the recipients of Phase 2 of the Creative Industry Immediate Economic Action Plan (Pelaksana) fund, here, today.
Saifuddin said his ministry had also asked for the cooperation of the Department of Statistics through the 2020 Census to obtain the required data.
“Previously, when asked, a lot of people would claim themselves to be arts activists, but this term is too general. So, we are asking that in the 2020 Census, it be made more specific, whether the profession is singer, actor or producer and we will also know whether they are animators, gamers or comic artists. Then only from there, we can make a proper projection.
“Data is vital because through detailed information, we can relate it to planning for the development of the national education system.
“(For example), if we need a certain number of people with A, B and C skills, hence at the school and university levels, we need to look again at the courses to be offered and so on,” he added.
Earlier, at the handing-out of the offer letters by Saifuddin, the recipients of the Pelaksana fund were 65 production companies, involving a total sum of RM20.985 million under four categories, namely, drama series (15 companies), telemovie (14), entertainment programme (21) magazine programme (15).
“I hope through this fund, those in the creative industry would be motivated to be more productive in their respective fields amid the Covid-19 pandemic,” Saifuddin said. — Bernama
