Building Credentialed Media Technology Pathways for Priority Populations from High School through Community Colleges to Industry (MTP3)

The media industry is undergoing rapid changes as new technologies such as extended reality and in-camera visual effects (XR/ICVFX) transform how media is created. These new technologies have created a demand for media technicians who are capable of using the hardware and software required for the shift in content creation. This project intends to develop industry recognized certificates, certificate training programs, and create paid internships with industry mentors, thus creating pathways for students to pursue high paying jobs with career advancement potential in the Portland, Oregon metro region.

The goals of this project are to engage employers, labor unions, and state agencies in establishing new industry-recognized credentials that create novel on-ramps for learners from priority populations into high-demand industry roles as media technicians. The novel on-ramp model is intended to be adaptable to other markets to support the expansion and diversification of the media and entertainment industry technician workforce.

This project features best practices in workforce development, particularly the work-based learning, contextualized approach to developmental education and language acquisition (e.g., VESL), the short-term, stackable nature of the certification program, and the industry involvement in development and validation of new credentials. These credentials target occupations in the media entertainment industry including special effects artists and animators, audio and video technicians, broadcast technicians, sound engineering technicians, lighting technicians, and film and video editors, among others.

The project also examines how broad partnerships across industry, agencies, and education can support equity goals at the partner and industry scale and connects learners to technician education, career pathways, certifications, and internships that contribute to a pipeline of skilled and diverse workers. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the Nation's economy.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.