Sky News Arabia launches internship programme

Five Emirati university graduates have begun on-the-job training at Sky News Arabia's Abu Dhabi studios as part of a new internship program launched by the channel to support talent development for the local media industry. The Sky News Arabia Program (SNAP) enables students to gain hands-on and develop their technical skills by working alongside the 24-hour breaking news channel's full-time staff. SNAP was developed with in conjunction with universities in the UAE to identify high achieving Emirati male and female graduates in the fields of media, journalism, IT and graphic design. The six-week program, which will be run twice a year, began with the selection of fourteen UAE National graduates from the Higher Colleges of Technology, UAE University and Zayed University for a series of workshops carried out over a three week period. Five of the fourteen were subsequently selected for a three week internship based a upon a thorough evaluation of their performance. Nart Bouran, head of Sky News Arabia, said: "SNAP was developed as part of Sky News Arabia's commitment to promoting and growing Arab talent. SNAP gives graduates an opportunity to develop their skills in order to pursue long-term careers in the media industry, allowing them to discover first-hand the possibilities available to them in the media sector." Mahra Al Yaqoobi, SNA Program Manager commented: "The Sky News Arabia Program provides an important opportunity for Emirati students to gain practical experience and training on the latest multi-platform media techniques. The program empowers interns to work in a highly-motivated work environment which offers extensive networking and knowledge sharing opportunities, and provides a wealth of experience that will support their career growth in the local industry."