Minister for the Economy and Industry Silvio Schembri has announced a partnership between the GamingMalta Foundation and Unity Technologies, whereby a centre of excellence programme was launched in a bid to accelerate growth in video gaming, digital media, and immersive technology sectors.
This partnership will embark on a comprehensive Unity training and certification programme across both educators and students. It aims to create a network of Unity Certified Instructors with MCAST and the University of Malta and Unity certifications for potentially 400 students. Unity is the world’s leading platform for creating and operating interactive, real-time 3D (RT3D) content.
Minister Schembri said that the €500,000 investment will help participating students garner accreditation and that if it weren’t for such an investment, such students would have to fork out thousands in euros to get accredited. This, he added, will open the doors wide for students pursuing a career in these sectors.
“This partnership with Unity is part of the government’s strategy following the launch of the Basecamp incubator space to tangibly ensure the growth of the video game development and immersive technology sectors that offer high-quality careers. We need to remain ahead of the loop, as immersive technology such as AR and VR are developing and diversifying at breakneck speed, transforming all sectors of the economy, including gaming, entertainment, health, education, retail, manufacturing, and more.
“Working with one of the largest and most innovative game development engines in the gaming industry will ensure that we are creating the right landscape of accelerating our home-grown talent and feeding the ecosystem with the required talent pipeline,” Minister Schembri said.
Unity is providing a mixture of classroom, practical, and hands-on learning content, allowing them to come together and learn, innovate, create and present their ideas to tackle big challenges. Unity certifications will help students stand out from the crowd demonstrating to employers that they have the technical skills and applied knowledge they need, as well as specialising in different subject matters across programming, design, and art.
This will see Malta grow into a talent hub for such sectors, while also providing the talent pipeline equipped with the right skills required to accelerate growth in these sectors.
Lucas Evans of Unity Technologies said that, “Unity is excited to be partnering with GamingMalta as it has great ambitions and is making waves to be the home of gaming excellence, and it has already shown itself to be one of the most advanced and respected online gaming jurisdictions in the world with a wealth of experience in the industry already. It is fantastic to be part of a project which is creating positive change and helping the talented developers of Malta build their projects, which can be put on a global stage.”
Ivan Filletti, COO of the GamingMalta Foundation, said that, “Growing sectors such as video game development and immersive technologies require a strong dose of talent development. and this partnership with Unity will set the stage for increasing our talent pool. We are already attracting companies in these sectors and we need to continue intensifying our efforts in creating sustainable job opportunities in the local sector, whilst developing professionals with the skills to embrace these opportunities.”
