The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) announced it is forming an Education Working Group that will focus specifically on the education and training of industry professionals prepared to design, build and operate standards-based IP media technology and solutions.

“Today, when we talk to various industry parties about IP adoption, we consistently hear that SMPTE ST 2110 is mature, stable and working, but there is a need for engineers who can do the design work, professionals who can do the implementation work and operators who have the right skill set and expertise to work with these new IP-based systems,” said Steve Reynolds, AIMS chairman of the board. “The new Education Working Group will work with other industry organizations to connect media professionals with better training, broad-based educational programs and possibly even testing and certification they can use to validate their proficiency for prospective employers.”

AIMS’ new Education Working Group will build on the efforts of the alliance’s Technical Working Group and Marketing Working Group. The Education Working Group will join these groups as a top-level priority at AIMS and serve as the third pillar in the alliance’s ongoing work.

AIMS will convene the first meeting of the Education Working Group this month to plan the group’s formal launch.  Volunteers, particularly integrators and end users, are invited to join in the work. The mission of the new working group will be to define what is needed to improve training, expand educational opportunities and collaborate with other industry organizations to develop programs and certifications to expand the base of qualified engineers and operators to meet the growing demand for IP expertise.