KAS Regional Program Gulf States, Abu Dhabi

KAS-Regional Program Gulf-States

From December 2010 on, students who want to become journalists and young editors from all over the UAE will have the chance to get an additional qualification by attending courses of a modular system. Over the period of one year, the partners will offer six different courses comprising essential journalistic knowledge.

Commenting on this MoU, Ahmed Ali Al Balushi Board member of the National Media Council and the Chairman of the Nationalisation Committee at the NMC, said: "The new training program comes within the framework of the Council's nationalisation plan and aims to support the skilled citizens in the field of journalism, thus enabling them to take up their responsibilities in the dynamic field of media in the country through utilizing international experience in this specialized sector".

"NMC, under the directives of Labour Minister and Chairman of the Council Saqr Ghobash, is keen to nationalise the media sector, and give more opportunities as well as resources to train young citizens and develop their capabilities to practice journalism", Al Balushi added.

He expressed hope that the program will achieve its desired objectives in the field of the nationalisation of the media sector in the country.

The courses will take place in the UAE and will last a week on average. Potential participants will have to apply for the number of seats available with a short letter of intent. The application procedure will be managed by the National Media Council. After the successful completion of the entire program, the young journalists get a certificate that will support them in their job application or in proving their professional development to their editorial staff. The first course is scheduled to take place December 8th- 16th, 2010.

The contents of the projected courses include Basic principles of Research, News-writing and journalistic formats, Media Law, Journalistic Ethics and Structure of media system, Crossmedia: TV-, Radio- and Online-Reporting, Business journalism, International Politics, Editorial Marketing for special target groups.

All the seminars in the new training program will have a special approved method of instruction: They will be conducted by at least two trainers - one from Germany, one from the Emirates. Thus, each seminar gets an intercultural approach.

A definite highlight of the program will focus on the intercultural aspect of the project: the NMC and KAS will offer an intercultural journalist's academy in Germany at the end of the program. German journalists will cooperate with the Arab participants during this seminar.