Bayan Academy, JPMorgan boost next-gen Filipino animators’ skills, creativity
Bayan Academy’s Technical and Livelihood Center, in partnership with JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPMC), recently completed its Technopreneurship course on 2D and 3D Animation NC III in Quezon City. The four-month program for 2D animation and five-month program for 3D animation aim to equip aspiring Filipino animators with the necessary skills essential to their success and critical to ongoing efforts of both public and private institutions to boost job creation within the animation industry in the country.
A total of 50 graduates received their certificates of completion from Bayan Academy for successfully completing 840 and 1,040 hours of classroom training in the 2D and 3D Animation NC III courses, respectively. They also finished at least 120 hours of internship which included project immersion to further enhance their competencies, and test their attitude and workplace relationships. Of the 50 graduates, 47 already passed the TESDA assessment; while the remaining 3 are scheduled to take their tests.
Rising talent
One of the scholars is 21-year old Pamela Ladrillo who is currently employed by a local animation studio. According to her, the training she received prepared her for the demands of the job. “I learned a lot from my training and while it is uncommon to find women animators, I’m confident that I can compete amongst the best in the industry. I am now a 3D animator but my employer -– impressed with my work –- saw my potential to do 3D modeling too,” Pamela said.
Sharing Rapsing’s success story are six other graduates of the program who are now 2D and 3D animators in Dreamlords Digital, a direct-to-digital studio based in Las Vegas and Manila, specializing in games and gamified apps.
Another inspiring grantee is Marissa Cassica who left her previous work to pursue her passion. After finishing the program, she was accepted in September 2016 as an Artist and Production Officer at SGNFX, an integrated in-house design and manufacturing company. After three months, she was promoted to Operations Division Head managing at least 20 people from different departments such as administration, purchasing, design, sales and production.
“Through the program, I was able to improve my skills in layouting, drawing, movement of figures, among others. The technopreneurship sessions helped me improve my management skills particularly in dealing with customers and my staff. As a breadwinner, the program also provided an opportunity for my family to improve our way of life,” she said.
With the support from Bayan Academy, some of the freelance graduate artists are also in the process of forming their own Animator’s Guild, a group of young animators formally offering their creative services to industries offering jobs on animation and visual effects such as entertainment, media and advertising companies. One example is Philip Anthony Gaspar, awarded as the Best 3D Animator of the batch, who has since been rendering services to online clients and continues to develop game applications.
Empowered breed of learners and educators
According to a study conducted by Bayan Academy, the scholars were mostly millennials who strive for recognition and were committed to improving their craft regardless of the amount of time required to complete the training. Interestingly, 20 out of the 50 animation scholars were women; while 11 of the graduates were high school teachers. The participation of women in high-tech, high-impact industry such as this is a breakthrough and one that is highly-encouraged.
As part of Bayan Academy’s efforts, Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE) teachers are also encouraged to participate to equip them with the necessary entrepreneurial knowledge to teach senior high school students under the K-12 program. They will also be invited to join the Teachers’ Training in Technopreneurship, a program that is also supported by the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, in order to have access to Bayan Academy’s bayanlearningsystem, an online learning platform on entrepreneurship.
JPMorgan Chase & Co., one of the world’s leading financial services firms, continues to make an impact in the country through its Foundation’s support for programs that contribute to both workforce readiness and employment generation for disadvantaged communities, as well as, support for small businesses development and for marginalized people to access and benefit from affordable financial products.