ICREATE Limited and the Kingston & St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) have signed a memorandum of understanding to train and certify some 40 young people from the corporation in digital video production starting next month.

Titled KSAMC-iCreate Lens Support, the partnership aims to build creativity among youth in the municipality while increasing the potential for employment and entrepreneurship. The course itself will be delivered over two months and is expected to unpack the intricacies of pre-production and post-production, which includes videography, filming in the field and in the studio, as well as editing.

“The creative industry must be a major part of the development of Kingston,” Mayor of Kingston Delroy Williams said on the occasion of he signing last Wednesday.

“As the world recognises the value and power of the industry to build the economy, so too should Jamaica move in the inevitable direction of creative growth and development by equipping our young people with the necessary tools,” he added.

iCreate is the training arm of eMedia group which was founded by Tyrone Wilson. Its cor eobjective is to fill the gap in skills training and development of creatives in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.

“We are excited to be rolling out this programme with the KSAMC,” Wilson said Wednesday. “iCreate’s mandate is to build our digital and creative economy and these partnerships with government and other private sector [players] will help to grow the number of certified creatives in our country at a faster pace.

“With our recent IPO listing, we now have the resources to acquire the necessary tools to effectively prepare individuals for a career in the creative economy,” he continued.

For his part, the institute’s general manager, Carl Carram, added: “This is a great opportunity to develop not just the industry, but the economy on a whole. iCreate will ensure that the participants are presented with the most current practical training in addition to opportunities to monetise their newly acquired skill sets, whether independently or for hire”.

The MOU signing took place at the iCreate headquarters on Hope Road. In addition to Wilson, Carram and the mayor, chief executive officer of the municipality Robert Hill was also in attendance.