Media Scholarship Program Agreements: Recruiting and Developing Saudi Talent
His Excellency the Minister of Media, Mr. Salman bin Yousef Al-Dossari, witnessed today a pivotal step in the development of the Saudi media sector, represented by the Ministry of Media's signing of strategic cooperation agreements with nine leading media companies. This step comes within the framework of the "Media Scholarship Program" (Wa'ed), one of the main tracks of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program, reflecting the Kingdom's commitment to investing in human capital as a fundamental pillar of sustainable development.
An integrated partnership between the public and private sectors
These agreements embody a progressive national model of effective public-private partnership, aiming to bridge the gap between academic outputs and the evolving needs of the labor market. This initiative aligns with the Kingdom's Vision 2030, which places great emphasis on localizing media industries and enhancing local content by developing a globally competitive national workforce.
The list of signatory companies includes a select group of influential media organizations: MBC Group, One Group, Al-Dhahour Media Company, Hawadi Company, Al-Jazeera Company, Salham Company, La'aba Company, Jazr Production Company, and Waves Company. This diversity of partners ensures coverage of various aspects of media work, from production and marketing to digital technologies.
Details of study and training opportunities
The program is a genuine economic enabler for the sector, offering 94 carefully designed study and training positions at this stage to meet specific specialized needs. These positions are distributed as follows:
- 21 Master's degree seats: in prestigious universities in Britain, America, and Spain.
- 56 Bachelor's degree seats: in the USA and the UK.
- 11 seats for diploma programs: in Canada and Spain.
- 6 seats allocated for vocational training: in America and Spain.
Strategic shift: From legislation to empowerment
These agreements reflect a fundamental shift in the role of the Ministry of Information, moving from a traditional legislative and regulatory role to one of enabling and stimulating growth. This transformation aims to enhance the productivity of media companies and equip them with specialized national talent to lead the transformation of the creative industries. Linking scholarships to direct employment (a promising pathway) ensures that scholarship recipients return to contribute immediately to the national economy, armed with the latest global knowledge and expertise.
Media as an engine of the creative economy
Commenting on the event, the Deputy Minister of Media for Media Sector Development, Israa Mansour Asiri, affirmed that the modern concept of media transcends mere news dissemination, becoming a key driver of the creative economy. She noted that the sector's value chains encompass production, distribution, platform development, and digital marketing, necessitating a workforce qualified to the highest international standards.
Asiri explained that the media scholarship program is characterized by its flexibility, as it allows companies to design scholarship programs in accordance with their actual employment needs, thus achieving a precise alignment between education and the labor market, and enhancing the Kingdom’s competitiveness as a regional center for the media and content industry.
Application process and future
The activation of these agreements supports the goals of economic diversification and increasing the contribution of non-oil sectors to the GDP. Details of the available programs and opportunities will be announced through the official social media accounts of the participating companies, while the official application process will be conducted via the Ministry of Education's "Safir" platform to ensure streamlined procedures and easy access for beneficiaries.
