The Creative Media Authority (CMA) and Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) have partnered with CNN Academy Abu Dhabi to offer a CNN Academy and HCT Professional Certificate Qualification in Global Journalism, marking a key step for the CMA in its goal to identify, nurture and upskill creative talent from the UAE.
The HCT is one of the UAE’s leading applied higher educational institutions, and will provide students on the CMA and CNN Academy Abu Dhabi programme with a professional certificate from CNN Academy, signed by HCT. Students from the HCT partaking in the course will also gain educational merits against their chosen field of study.
The CNN Academy Abu Dhabi course will be delivered and assessed over the next two years, in conjunction with HCT’s Applied Media Division, and will be accredited through the Bachelor of Applied Media degree.
Launched in Abu Dhabi in 2020, CNN Academy Abu Dhabi is designed to empower and upskill the next generation of journalists in multiplatform storytelling with innovative training led by CNN’s anchors, correspondents and technical specialists from around the world. With a comprehensive 12-week curriculum, the academy equips participants with the crucial skills needed to work in a newsroom, including a deep understanding of journalistic ethics, verification techniques, storyboarding, and scriptwriting, all delivered via interactive workshops, masterclasses and digital on-demand tutorials.
This year’s theme is focused on artificial intelligence, which will be addressed through a series of weekly workshops and seminars discussing the challenges of artificial intelligence applications across several areas, including electronic ethics and cybersecurity, in addition to training participants on how to build and test their own models.
Mohamed Dobay, Acting Director General of Creative Media Authority, said: “The ability to offer a professional certificate and recognition through an educational institution like HCT is a first for CMA in its efforts to nurture and train young individuals from the emirate to fuel the growth of the creative industries from within. We aim to offer educational recognition around all courses offered through our talent development arm; creative lab, in order to fuel the economy of Abu Dhabi with skilled talent for the creative industries, including film production, digital media and gaming.
“This year, more than 70 per cent of participating students at CNN Academy Abu Dhabi are UAE Nationals, which is a clear indication of how engaged and ready our young creatives are to partake in these opportunities, which provide the foundation for a long and successful career within the industry.”
Dr Luc Verburgh, Chief Academic Officer, HCT, said: “The collaboration between HCT students and CNN Academy Abu Dhabi further enhances the development of key professional skills as part of the new Digital Media degrees offered by HCT. As a result of the industry-aligned learning experiences, our students will be more prepared for a career in the creative media industry.”
Alireza Haji Hosseini, Deputy Bureau Chief, CNN Abu Dhabi and Director of CNN Academy, said: “CNN Academy provides invaluable skills to budding journalists and storytellers that lay a comprehensive groundwork for a successful career in the media industry. Adding this educational merit will provide a further boost to our students in Abu Dhabi in recognition of the work they’ll be producing and the knowledge they’ll gain from this unique programme.”
Applications for the 2025-26 course will open at the end of the second quarter in 2025 via the CNN Academy website.
