"Earn while you learn and learn while you earn!" was the mantra of Senator the Honourable Fazal Karim, Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills Training (TEST), as he addressed the media at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) and Toon Boom- the worldwide leader in digital content and animation creation software. Lamenting what he coined as the "graduation glut"- the number of students graduating in fields which are not relevant to current workforce needs, he praised the partnership, which seeks to set up incubators in UTT’s Animation Studies programme. Here, students will be trained in Toon Boom software and will graduate with practical as well as theoretical skills. Minister Karim noted the entrepreneurial drive behind this initiative, whereby UTT students will also be encouraged to start their own businesses and participate in a global, multi-billion dollar industry, all while doing the UTT Diploma in Animation Studies.

The signing, which took place on Thursday 9th May, 2013 saw as co-signatories Minister Karim, Ms. Joan Vogelesang, President and CEO, Toon Boom, Mr. Navneet Boodai, VP Business Development and Marketing, UTT and Ms. Camille Selvon Abrahams, Programme Coordinator of Animation Studies, UTT. Ms. Vogelesang noted that animation is a field that is both young and growing. She cited India as an example where, despite having its start less than ten (10) years ago, the animation industry is set to grow to $2.9 billion by 2015. More importantly, she noted that the nature of digital work is that one can do it anywhere in the world, therefore Caribbean animators are not limited to local fields but can outsource their talent to international studios such as Disney, Warner, and Universal- all of which are affiliated with Toon Boom.

Mr. Boodhai and Ms. Abrahams further stressed the relevance of animation to the global market. Mr. Boodhai pointed out that there were tens of thousands of jobs and endless entrepreneurial potential in the field for those who know the craft. This, explained Ms. Abrahams, was the place of the UTT Diploma in Animation Studies- to equip students with the ability to avail themselves of these significant opportunities. Ms. Abrahams also hinted at the future development of a degree programme from the UTT Animation Department.

The University of Trinidad and Tobago continues to work with international bodies in strategic partnerships geared towards the development of the nation’s human capital and by extension, the national economy.