INFORMATION, COMMUNICATIONS & DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

Interactive Digital Media 

IDM refers to products or provision of services that directly enable users to digitally interact with content and/or other users. These products and services include digital games, e-learning software, virtual reality (VR)/ augmented reality (AR)/mixed reality (MR) experiences, mobile apps, digital advertising, and/or the development of web-based applications. Services such as web development are only included if they involve robust interactive elements (beyond the simple display of text and/or images).

About IDM Companies in Manitoba

  • The IDM workforce can be categorized into four broad groups: creative, technical, operations and administration, and marketing and communications.
  • Much of the employment at IDM companies in Manitoba is permanent – 86% of employment reported in the survey* consisted of permanent full-time or part-time positions, falling only slightly below the proportion among the overall workforce in the province (88%12). Of those permanent IDM positions, over three-quarters were reported to be full-time. In comparison, 81% of employed Manitobans worked full-time in 2016.
  • There are an estimated 70+ IDM companies operating in Manitoba at varying levels of company maturity, with 90% earning revenue. Just over half (55%) of these companies are medium-sized, with somewhere between five and 99 employees; one-third (33%) are micro-sized, with fewer than five employees; and, 12% have more than 100 employees.
  • The most prevalent primary IDM product type is digital games and publishing, reported as the highest revenue generator in 2016 by one in four companies.
  • The industry has demonstrated a strong export focus – 80% of all revenue earned by Manitoba IDM companies comes from outside of the province, mostly from other parts of Canada and the US).
  • The IDM industry in Manitoba continues to expand beyond media production to encompass a variety of product types and target clients. As other industries and sectors begin to incorporate interactive digital media products into their value chains, and as those products become more central to the activity of companies operating in those industries, the IDM industry begins to absorb new types of products (and eventually, companies) into its fold.

*Source: Nordicity WAVES Survey 2017


Post-Secondary Education Programs


High School Programs

 - Kildonan East Collegiate IDM - Ideas in Motion
 - Sisler High School - Sisler’s CREATE Program (Formerly Sisler IDM)
 - Garden City Collegiate - Computer Technology
 - Louis Riel Arts & Technology Centre - New Media Design


Information and Communication Technologies

ICT refers to technologies that provide access to information through telecommunications. It is similar to Information Technology (IT) but focuses primarily on communication technologies. This includes the Internet, wireless networks, cell phones, and other communication mediums.

Most In-Demand Occupations Across the Digital Economy

Canada’s digital economy is expected to employ a total 2.25 million digitally skilled workers by 2025, triggering a demand for an additionally 250,000 jobs.  Provincially, according to the 2021 report prepared by Workplace Education Manitoba, between 2021 and 2025 a total of 1,220 jobs will open in the Manitoba ICT industry. Under all potential growth scenarios, the demand for skilled digital talent remains high.

The following provides a snapshot of most in-demand digital occupations seeing high demand across Canada, along with their top critical “hard” skills. Although only “hard” (technical) skills for the in-demand digital roles are listed below, employers are increasingly looking for workers equipped with a blend of business or even “soft” skills. Most commonly cited as “must haves” for the digital roles were communication and interpersonal skills, project management, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, ability to work in teams and other collaborative environments, strong task and time management skills, business acumen and client relationship management, sales, and awareness of financial metrics tied to deliverables.

10 Most In-Demand Digital Roles

  • Software Engineer
  • Web Developer
  • Data Engineer
  • Data Analyst
  • Manager, Software Engineering
  • System Administrator
  • DevOps Engineer
  • Engineering Manager
  • Data Scientist
  • Security Analyst

*Source:  ICTC Labour Market Outlook pages 48-51 “Onwards and Upwards: Digital Talent Outlook 2025”

 

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Associations / Sector Councils

For more information about career opportunities in the Technology sector, as well as education and training, we encourage you to visit the website below where you will discover more about this industry and what it has to offer.

New Media Manitoba Inc.

Sub-Sectors
Tech Manitoba (TECHMB)