Professor Li Jun, Vice President of Zhejiang University of Media and Communications hosts the Forum
Although there are more than 1,800 Chinese universities and colleges with animation courses and over 500,000 students majoring in Cartoon and Animation, top talents are still in great shortage, said experts at the Sino-UK Forum on Animation Education Engaging with Industry (the Forum) held by the British Council China in Hangzhou on April 28th.
The animation industry in China has developed rapidly in recent years. "Last year, the total volume of animation-related TV programs reached up to 260,000 minutes, a production volume that startles most of our international peers," said Professor Ding Haixiang, Dean of the Animation School in Zhejiang University of Media and Communications.
Normally, the industry's prosperity is closely connected to demand for big talent. However, 2011 Chinese College Graduates' Employment Annual Report shows that animation majors face the highest unemployment rate.
Ill-matched academic training and industry needs
One reason for the high unemployment rate is the big gap between academic training and industry needs, according to Chinese experts at the Forum.
Compared with animation works of leading companies around the world, Chinese companies lag behind in creative and imaginative ideas, said Mr He Mengfan, President of GreatDreams Cartoon Group, a major animation company that owns the largest base of original cartoons in China.
"Creative writing talents are in high demand in our company. I think cultivating creativity and imaginative power is vital in animation education. However, most universities in China offer a general and comprehensive education that focuses on animation technologies, rather than innovative ideas," he said.
Echoing the same view, Professor Joan Ashworth, Head of the Animation Department of the Royal College of Art, said that animation students and education in general need to be innovative and lead the industry, rather than follow it. "The industry will get stuck if you don't innovate and bring in new ideas."
To nurture creative talents, Mr He suggested university foster students' passion toward animation while giving them strict training in skills and exposing them to the latest technologies and concepts. He also agreed that training an innovative talent is not a duty that lies solely with the school, and companies should play their part to nurture young talent. "As a company, we can give students opportunities to practice their skills. Meanwhile, we should create a corporate culture that respects innovation, and allows young talents to make mistakes," said Mr He.
Close ties between industry and school also bring about other benefits; for example, students can cultivate their market awareness in the practice. "Animation is a combination of commercial goods and artistic works. We need to pay attention to its market value as well," said Professor Ding Haiyang, adding that knowing the market will improve students' employability in the job market.
Blind expansion of animation education
The sharp increase in animation degree programs in China is another reason that has led to the low employment rate.
Before 2000, the Beijing Film Academy was the only school to offer a bachelor degree program in animation. Now more than 1,800 universities provide animation-related courses. "Most schools don't have professional faculties that are experienced in both theory and practice," said Ding.
Ding added that lack of distinguishing features in animation education is another problem that requires an immediate solution. "Education in different schools should be diverse and differentiated. The animation industry faces a diverse market and universities need to find their position in it, rather than confine their education to animation artist training," he said.
To give a solution to the education homogenization, Ding put forward the concept of "applied animation" and suggests universities integrate the industry's needs into the course design. "Animation art is found almost everywhere, in technological applications, product demonstrations and commercial promotions. We should be market-oriented and guide students to spot opportunities in industries that need animation art."
Experts from the UK agree with Ding on this point, saying that the institution and industry integration makes education more efficient. They added that education should also be differentiated for each student by focusing on their individual interests.
Professor Chris Webster from the University of the West of England cited the course design in his school as an example, saying that starting from the second year, students can choose specialties based on their own interests. And then students can participate in major projects and collaborations in the third year to hone their skills and know the market.
Collaboration with industry poses a challenge to universities, as they struggle to hold a dominating position in the joint cooperation and protect their students from being treated as cheap labor. "I believe these problems will be solved with the optimization and development of animation education and animation industry in China", said Professor Li Jun, Vice President of Zhejiang University of Media and Communications.
To further promote the development of China's cartoon and animation industry, more efforts should be put into talent training, and hopefully, the international exchange of experts can give some inspirations to educators and animators in China.