Discreet launches training program for visual effects

Discreet has launched a new educational training partner (ETP) program in association with Intel to provide specialized training in visual effects.
The initiative aims at setting up new Discreet ETP centers for visual effects across India, for which partners are currently being appointed. So
far, the company has appointed four partners and hopes to have more partners in the near future. 

These partners are certified by Discreet for their infrastructure, courseware and instructor before the center is signed up as Discreet ETP
center. These centers will carry an extensive courses on Discreet's desktop compositing and visual effects solution called Combustion. 

"The biggest issue faced by the post production industry today, is availability of good trained manpower, especially in the field of visual
effects. Through the ETP program we are trying to address this issue. Our ETP centers are well-equipped to train professionals and students on visual
effects," says Raman Madan, Regional Sales Manager (Animation & Desktop Video - SE Asia & India), Discreet. 

"At the end of every year, Discreet will then select the top five students
passing out from these centers across India for a special training session
on our academy award winning software - Flame," adds he. . 

After completing training on Flame, Discreet proposes to attach one student
each from among these five winning students, to top post-production studios
for internship for a period of three months. The internship at studios will
start from February 2004. This internship will be on a no-pay obligation  basis. 

At the end of the internship, the studio may choose to employ the candidate,
in case they find the candidate's performance satisfactory.  "This will benefit both, the
post-production studios as well as the  students, as the former would have access to the best talent available in
the industry and the selected students would have an opportunity to work  with a leading post-production house, immediately after completion of the
course, which otherwise would take a while," adds Raman. 

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