LATC: It is urgent to train a qualified technical workforce given the increase in production demand

Steve Solot, president of the Latin American Training Center (LATC), highlighted that the weak point in the audiovisual production chain is the training of technical manpower, due to the high demand generated by streaming and traditional services.

“In all Latin American countries, there is a general lack of qualified teams to meet this demand. With the pandemic, many productions stopped, but the industry estimates a rapid recovery, and an even greater demand for audiovisual content production and, consequently, a greater demand for qualified teams of technical professionals under the line,” he said.

According to figures from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in its annual publication, Global Entertainment & Media Outlook, by the end of 2025 the worldwide spending of OTTs in audiovisual production will have an increase of 60% compared to 2019. Only in Latin America there are 494 transmission platforms according to Whip Media, in its March 2021 report.

He explained that according to the Olsberg SPI technical study (October 2019), Best Practices in the development of the screen sector, a skilled workforce is one of the four basic pillars for a consolidated audiovisual industry, the other three being incentives: , infrastructure and services, as well as an favorable environment for production and distribution.

Solot commented that in Brazil, Argentina and Colombia the LATC has completed training programs, and they have others scheduled in the second half of 2021 for Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru, Central America and the Caribbean, in addition to Mexico. All have the institutional support of local associations and unions.

LATC, based in Rio de Janeiro and founded in 2008 by Solot, is a training and consulting center for the audiovisual content industry. Its mission is to offer training and technical support for professionals in the area through programs, publications, contests, workshops and creative seminars on specific topics, thus contributing to the expansion and professionalization of the sector.ç