[Written in partnership with Cuberlab, but the editorial team had full control over the content.]
We’re living in a timeline where digitalisation has taken over most of our daily routines, and the internet is rapidly moving towards Web3. One of the biggest developments in this area is the metaverse.
More than a buzzword, the metaverse is a space encapsulating AR, VR, and 3D virtual worlds or “extended realities” (XR) to foster social connections. KPMG even predicts that people will be spending more time in the metaverse than in the real world by 2030.
“People will be applying for jobs, earning a living, meeting with friends, shopping, even getting married using the virtual capabilities of the metaverse,” the report said.
But to create a viable ecosystem for this reality, it needs to be built by real humans. Hence, the International Asia XRskills Summit (XRskills) came to be, a conference assembled by Cuberlab.
The objective? To foster young talent in filling the workforce gaps in metaverse-related industries such as gaming, programming, 3D animation, and more.
Briefly, Cuberlab is a professional training and coaching service for emerging global tech like AR, VR, Internet of Things (IoT), along with robotics and automation.
Educating educators
Kenny Lim, Cuberlab’s Head of Immersive Tech and Gaming shared that this summit wants to emphasise industry-academia exchange to initiate collaborations in immersive technology.
For us to see development in the metaverse, stakeholders with a direct influence on prospective skilled talents need to be able to educate them on future opportunities that exist outside the walls of their schools.
Hence, XRSkills intends to welcome higher-ups such as university deans, academicians, and programme heads, along with policymakers and government agencies to the conference.
Of course, students themselves with an interest in metaverse-related technologies are welcome to join as well.
This will indirectly gather the academicians and educators to identify the issues and bridge the skills gaps within the following industry talent ecosystem.
Lasting outcomes
The XR, gaming, and metaverse industries are constantly making advancements. Individuals who want a career in this field need to have a strong programming background, passion, and time, then they have a good chance of getting to where they need to be, said Kenny.
To ensure fresh graduates are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills, the summit will be hosting speakers in ongoing Malaysian and ASEAN metaverse developments to educate educators.
The lineup will include a handful of influential names in the mixed-reality space such as:
- Khalid Gibran of Meta Universe, a B2B enterprise solutions provider offering Web3 services to extend their businesses;
- Jason Low of Virtualtech Frontier, an end-to-end virtual events builder;
- Peter Liao of Pumpkin Studio, a gaming studio in Taiwan.
Lasting for a whole day from 9.10AM until 6.45PM, the summit will cover topics including “Higher education needs to get in step with industry”, “The gap in skilled talents VS. skill shortage in Asia” and “What is and why the metaverse?”.
Ultimately, one of the end goals of this conference is to diagnose and implement effective upskilling or reskilling of educators and students alike in metaverse-related developments.
Ensuring that the lessons from the summit will remain as lifelong upskilling, Cuberlab also hosts workshops on the subjects of AR and VR design, game development, and more, together with professional certifications.
“Upskilling ensures employees’ skillsets won’t become obsolete, and shows you care about their careers and their futures,” shared Kenny.
The world is changing quickly, and with it, the future of work. Even if the workforce is highly trained and educated, the changes in the industry require them to constantly adapt.
Here’s how to sign up
Open to Malaysians and the rest of SEA, XRSkills has seats for up to 150 participants for the summit happening on September 1 at Sunway Putra Hotel.
Tickets will cost RM1,090 per pax, and for early birds who purchase their tickets by August 15, it’s RM699.
Students will receive a special price where it costs RM200 per ticket. The closing date to sign up for the summit is August 30.
Editor’s Update 04/08/22: Parts of this article have been edited to reflect greater factual accuracy.
- Sign up for the International Asia XRskills Summit here.
- Read about other metaverse-related topics here.
Featured Image Credit: The team at Cuberlab
