The launch of the academy coincides with the UAE’s post-Covid-19 strategies to build a generation of new media experts who lead the new digital economy.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai has launched the New Media Academy to prepare a future workforce capable of leading the rapidly growing field of digital marketing.
Through digital masterclasses, the New Media Academy will provide a broad range of career-oriented educational programs to nurture social media content creators and develop them into innovative resources in digital marketing and social media.
The academy aims to improve the youth’s career prospects and enable them to lead as digital citizens in the new economy.
The custom-designed curriculum, developed by renowned experts in social media and digital marketing, will be delivered by a handful of internationally acclaimed specialists including Duke University’s Matt Bailey, among the world’s most sought-after internet marketing experts; Juan Pablo Sanchez, Masterclass Educator at top 10 digital programs; and Caleb Gardner, the former US President Barack Obama’s lead digital strategist.
Instructors also include representatives from Facebook, Twitter, Google and LinkedIn.
Announcing the launch on his Twitter account, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said, “Today, we launched the New Media Academy to nurture a new generation of digital experts. Our goal is to equip youth to lead the rapidly growing social media landscape.” He added, “The academy will train media professionals in the public and private sector and develop social media content creators. The new media provides job opportunities and supports the development process.”
The New Media Academy will commence on July 7, 2020 with interactive online masterclasses in digital marketing, social media and content creation open to full-time employees and international students.
The academy will offer the Impact Digital Creator programme, which aims to train 20 social media content creators per cohort and develop them into a life of full-time content creation. The two-month programme, spread over a wider three-year Talent Development strategy, will provide customised curriculum for students to carefully follow up their progress, develop life-long digital skills and enable them to create innovative and meaningful online content.
The Social Media Management Development programme, to be launched on August 2, 2020, aims to upgrade digital skills of 100 full-time media professionals in both the public and private sector, per cohort, to enable them to thrive in the new digital media landscape.
The academy’s curriculum is designed to foster the development of both hard and soft skills to enable students to lead a successful career in digital marketing.
Upon completion, graduates will be capable of delivering social media communication strategies, creating content for distribution across various digital media platforms, designing engaging interactive products for contemporary devices, and evaluating performance of digital marketing campaigns.
They will receive an internationally accredited certificate issued in the UAE upon completion of the program.
Further innovative and modern programmes will be added to the academy in the future, to empower media professionals in government agencies and private institutions, who are interested in developing their expertise in digital content creation.
The New Media Academy has been established to address three key needs of talent development, capacity building and future readiness in the region.
The academy aims to respond to an increasingly digital market environment by developing talents to take on roles with a digital focus and also reskilling traditional media roles, to have a digital orientation.
