Applications for the 2025–26 cohort are now open on the CNN Academy website and will remain available until June 30, 2025.
CNN Academy Abu Dhabi, established in 2021 in collaboration with Abu Dhabi’s Creative Media Authority (CMA), has completed five successful years of operations, playing a key role in training the next generation of storytellers. Since its inception, the academy has equipped 165 local students, including 93 Emiratis, with advanced journalism skills and by the end of 2025, that number is expected to be reached.
The initiative offers intensive training in multiplatform journalism and brings together local talent with international students from countries such as the United States, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Spain, Ireland, Iraq and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. With more than 270 international students expected to complete the program by the end of the fifth cycle in 2025, the academy has become a hub of global collaboration and cultural exchange.
Overseen by more than 25 CNN anchors, correspondents and technical experts annually, the programme provides a comprehensive 725 hours of training, including 100 masterclasses and studio-based sessions. Graduates retain lifelong access to CNN Academy’s online hub, which features on-demand courses and live-streamed expert-led sessions.
Mohamed Dobay, Acting Director General of Creative Media Authority, said: “This is a milestone for CNN Academy Abu Dhabi and our partnership with the CNN media brand, and we are extremely proud to have collaborated successfully for five years. After our fifth cycle concludes in November 2025, we will have shaped the careers of 436 young, talented students, including 271 visiting international students alongside 165 local participants.
“Securing the future talent of journalism in the nation continues to be a measure of success for the wider creative industries, and we look forward to not only continuing but building on the momentum and success established in this first half-decade.”
In 2025, CNN Academy Abu Dhabi will adopt “Community Storytelling” as its central theme, aligning with the UAE’s official Year of Community. The upcoming cohort, set to begin in mid-September, will aim to follow in the footsteps of 33 alumni who have already secured roles or internships in Abu Dhabi’s creative sectors.
Becky Anderson, Managing Editor of CNN Abu Dhabi and anchor of Connect the World with Becky Anderson, added: “It feels entirely appropriate that we should be marking the fifth year of CNN Academy by celebrating the importance of Community Storytelling. In so many ways, the story of CNN Academy itself has been about community – whether that is uplifting the community of young storytellers here in the region or bringing others here to Abu Dhabi from all over the world to create a new and enduring international community of journalists and content creators. We’re incredibly proud of all our graduates and grateful for the unstinting support of our partners. We cannot wait to welcome the new cohort to CNN Academy later this year.”
In a move, the academy has partnered with the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) to offer academic assessments and credits, bridging the gap between academic education and media careers. Plans are also underway to establish more educational partnerships and to host a careers fair tailored to media students.
Since 2023, the academy has expanded its reach through specialised training sessions for local organisations, serving 139 individuals across 30 entities by the end of 2025.
Participants undergo hands-on training in a wide range of essential journalism skills, from visual storytelling and fact-checking to mobile reporting and deadline management. The programme culminates in Simulation Week, a real-time newsroom experience conducted under the guidance of CNN professionals and alongside international peers.
Aysha Al Jneibi, Director of Talent Management at Creative Media Authority, commented: “This year, we are aligning CNN Academy Abu Dhabi’s annual changing theme with the Year of Community to ensure we deliver impactful training around stories which really affect our local and global community. I am looking forward to witnessing a fresh group of fervent students upskill and springboard their forthcoming journalism and storytelling careers through one of our many established talent management initiatives.”
Applications for the 2025–26 cohort are currently open and will close on June 30, 2025, via the CNN Academy website.
