- By Tony Sealy -
The Singapore government is pro active and aggressive in many areas of economic development. This is something for which they need to be wholeheartedly congratulated (and emulated by others in the region).
Many people have spoken to me about the excellent government support for digital media and of PM Lee’s speeches where he spoke about the “knowledge-based economy” and what a growth market digital media and animation could be for Singapore.
I agree with all of this. In fact I agree with quite a lot of the initiatives the government is undertaking to support and fund digital media and the creative industry in Singapore.
Except for one thing -the system of providing grants for digital media studies.
My view is that this is an absurd practice and detrimental to the development of the industry. I am certain there will be many who disagree. However I argue that those who disagree with my point of view do so only from the perspective of self-interest.
The general purpose of providing subsidies for any kind of academic or professional courses is to encourage growth in that particular market sector. However, how much encouragement does it really provide?
Over the years my company has been conducting animation courses, we have seen (and participated in) various funding schemes. We have also seen different types of students come and go too. In the early days before any schemes were around, the nature of the students were quite different to the current batch.
Without any doubt, the driving factor behind these early animation career seekers was their personal desire to make a career in the industry. They were prepared to make many sacrifices. Some quit their jobs mid-course to concentrate on animation, most immediately quit their jobs after graduation to either work on their portfolios or seek job placement with their new skills. I remember one student was an investment banker; he left that industry and worked a combination of freelance and part-time animation jobs until he landed the fulltime job he was after. He was 32 years old.
We have many stories like his – those who made personal sacrifices and suffered setbacks following a path that led to ultimate success.
Now we fast-forward to the present day where animation students are no longer seeking the best course, but instead they are seeking the course with the best subsidy. This has led to a dramatic lowering of standards.
I have listened to many heart bleeding stories from animation students who are failing their courses. Their fear was not about failing to receive a precious certificate (something Singaporeans are paranoid about). Their fear was not getting their money back if they don’t graduate and if they fail.
More and more examples of this have occurred. An individual whom I know on a professional basis recently graduated from a private animation school in Singapore under a government-funded diploma program. He was scathing of the standard of teaching (by a former graduate of the same course). It’s easy for me to criticize competitors but a specific claim this school makes is its faculties are current industry professionals. Clearly this is not the case but who’s going to complain? The person I know said everyone passed their course and received a diploma when some clearly deserved not to. One of the reasons I believe what I have heard from this individual is because I know how the scheme providing the grants works. If the student doesn’t pass the course, the school doesn’t receive their fees from the government. If that happens, it’s bad for business.
Is this good for the industry? Potentially, there are hundreds of diploma-waiving graduates seeking a job who have no right to work in this business. Thankfully, there are quite a few old-school bosses like me who look only at a rookie’s portfolio. But as demand for CGI increases, will employment standards remain high enough to grow the business?
Clients are unforgiving. If they entrust a project to an animation company only to find the work not up to their expectations, the consequences are very serious. How then can schools provide credentials to graduates who may not deserve them? The answer is simple. To deny them their diploma or certificate would disqualify them from receiving their government support. In plainer language, this practice is called: “rorting the system”.
And that is the real root of the problem. The system is “rortable”. When funding (no matter the source) becomes available without the strictest of policing, human nature will dictate that some people will try and take advantage for their own gain.
The present system for providing grants is misguided. It’s wrong for the students, the schools and the industry. By all means provide a grant. But not for schools or courses, but for employers who take the commercial risk of hiring rookies. Fund the first 3 or 6 months of their employment when they really will be learning something and also making the most mistakes. This way schools and students compete with one another on an even basis and the industry will grow organically.
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Tony Sealy is the Managing Director of Intense Animation Academy and Intense Animation Studio (visit the facebook fan page) who blogs at Tony’s Intense
Headline image courtesy of Effective Internet
*Rort is a term used in Australia and New Zealand.[1] It is commonly related to politics, or, more generally, a financial impropriety, particularly relating to a government programme. The term was first recorded in 1919 and is a derivative of the older “rorty” a 19th century London slang word—meaning “fine; splendid; jolly; or boisterous”.[2] The term is also used as a verb to mean the action of defrauding, (e.g.: he rorted the system).
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To the Pro Alien Party – ‘subsidies’ are seen to be as bad as ‘social welfarism’.
The Pro Alien Party will be prepared to subsidise the big businesses but will not subsidise the Citizens unless there is a quid pro quo arrangement in the form of bondage.
Subsidise the attempt at the opportunity to gain the certificate but do not lower the qualification requirements that grant you the recognition.
I hope they sub courses like the CFA or ACCA..etc
whatever studies the government subsidised is a waste of resource$…
why do i says so? for a start..donkey years ago they 1/3 to go biochemical courses in order for singapore to be ready..what do we end up with? recycled urine…next all the boostin bout marina barges world class? we endup with flood after flood …
last but not least..what happenned to our world class sport school in woodland?
any pontantial sportpersons? to the extend of beggin foreign mechanaries to whore the world cups for us?
The government should just provide free education if it wants to continue to be a first world nation, knowledge based economy and for more people to have children.
We cannot continue to import talents forever because of limited space. You can see even PAP MPs are dumbing down and need to import foreigners. MM even confess he is not good at high tech. What a moron, no wonder always forecast wrong.
You think the PAPpies don’t know all these training subsidies, WDA schemes, job credit scheme, place-and-train, train-and-place, workfare, whacha-callit are all bullshit?
The main objective of PAPpies is to accelerate the velocity of money and create multiplier effects throughout economy. E.g. instead of keeping $300K in savings deposits and FDs, a group of enterprising people will take advantage of the situation to setup a training company, employ some trainers and assistants, thereby putting the $300K capital to work (rental of office, hardware & software, renovation, staffing, adverts etc) and the salaries of the staff goes to create demand for other goods & services, and becomes salaries and profits down the chain etc etc.
So what if many of these people are just conmen and conwomen? PAPpies all know this. It’s ok as long as GDP is being increased. Any problem go see the police or go see your MP.
The main reason for providing subsidies is political. At the end of the day, the government can say, “we spend such and such amount on subsidising education.”
The writer is correct bacause these days grades are inflated sky high, a grade ‘A’ is nothing.
This practice started of inflation in grades was started by the Anglo-Saxon countries where the “education experts” say that learning must be FUN FUN FUN.
We know for a fact that in Tony Blair’s time students are paid to attend colleges in the UK because college receive grants on number of students.
Unfortunately, Singapore has picked up this bad practice from “modern educationists” in the Anglo-Saxon countries
sometime i wonder how the funds are accounted? does wda even provide a breakdown of the funded amount and the metrics they use to track the effectivness of the funding.
just recently, mom announced even more grants to train low skilled workers, and has attribute it to the low literacy level of these people as a challenge. but do we know how much has been spent on funding english literacy programs for years, since the days of WISE, BEST and currently WorkPlace Literacy program.
i dont think i have a better alternative to suggest, but i do call for greater transparency in accounting for how tax payers money are used to fund such programs.
I agree with Mr. Andrew Leung.
Free education is the key to increasing the people’s level of productivity and further diversify the economic pie. Thus, should be across all type of professions, not in selected industries.
It should be viewed as investment on human capital, which is most critical in Singapore’s case.
Currently, workers’ upgrading of skills is hindered by National Service obligation, cost of the courses and long working hours.
In the case of the article, perhaps there should be more support for workers in the form of career counseling and psychological support.
I wonder do these students know as animators, their weekends are most likely “burned” with tight deadline, pay are small and the job is usually under-appreciated. But the joy of creating animation sometimes wins over these cons.
PAP= PROPAGANDA AND PLUNDERER,
does not understand what is transperancy
and accountability. These words are not
in their vocabulary.
Disgusting lot!!!!
As long as Singapore provides safe haven to shoddy degree mills, you can be sure that they don’t give a fig about anything beyond short-term GDP inflation.
PAP education system is to churn out slave to feed whatever industry that it attract to Singapore.
Not enough slave just import.
“subsidies are a really bad idea”
.
F_ employer jst send send emplyess to courses tat are subsidied.
.
Cannot claim from Silly Gov – u pay your own study n apply y own leave
The stupid justice need retrained
tony i don’t know why but when i read this article you just seem to be talking all about yourself. take my word for it, no one is particularly interested in you and your company and your animation industry. the only reason you get somewhat of a response here is because the people here are looking for any excuse to lambast the government. they are not actually agreeing with you in the way you wish they are..
The subsidies for training had become a tools to train foreigners ‘legally’. Now every Tom, Dick and Harry can be a PR and PR can be subsidied like a citizen. Few years later these people goes back and compete with you due to our kind ‘Dear Leader’ and laughed at how daft we are.
FYI, My present course had 80% PR.