UAE: Ahmed bin Mohammed meets first 100 graduates of DXB500 programme in Dubai

Dubai: Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairman of Dubai Media Council, has met the first 100 graduates that were part of the first cohort of the DXB500 Government Communication Training Programme.

He highlighted the importance of government communication and its role in supporting the objectives of Dubai and the UAE’s ambitious development. Sheikh Ahmed noted that communications play a critical role in conveying the UAE and Dubai’s success and accomplishments to the world, helping realise the leadership’s vision to achieve excellence and lead various international indices.

DXB500 is an initiative launched by Dubai Media Council to train 500 public sector communications officials in the next five years in partnership with leading global education and learning institutions.

The programme’s first edition, which trained 100 government communications employees, was conducted over two months and focused on equipping participants with the most effective communication tools, including editing and social media.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed said the Council is keen to add value to Dubai’s media ecosystem, including government media and strategic communication, in order to highlight Dubai and the UAE’s accomplishments and ambitions. He called upon employees of the Dubai government entities’ corporate communication departments to continue refining their skills and upgrading their knowledge as they are responsible for sharing Dubai and the UAE’s messages with the world.

‘Professionals are ambassadors’

Sheikh Ahmed expressed his appreciation for the role of government communication specialists.

“Dubai’s government communication professionals are the UAE’s ambassadors. They must master the latest techniques and keep themselves abreast of the country’s accomplishments to convey them to the world and, at the same time, keep pace with UAE’s aspirations to lead the future,” he said.

“This task requires awareness of the various aspects of Dubai and the UAE’s sustainable development journey. It requires the professionals to convey Dubai and the UAE’s message to the world.”

Mona Al Marri, vice chairperson and managing director of the Dubai Media Council, said: “Communication is one of the fastest growing sectors given the rapid evolution and introduction of new technologies, tools and media platforms. Government communication professionals and practitioners must keep abreast of the latest developments and gain proficiency in using the tools through quality training to efficiently deliver their messages and support the strategic objectives of their entity. Creating compelling content and the ability to clearly and swiftly deliver it to the target audience is a key requirement of the modern workplace.”

Mastercourse

As part of the programme’s first edition, the initial cohort of 100 UAE national communications officers from Dubai’s government and semi-government entities were offered a Content Creator Mastercourse focusing on social media content creation. The Mastercourse focused on upskilling participants in the art and science of creating and marketing short-form content on diverse social media platforms, including YouTube, TikTok and Instagram Reels. Delivered using a hybrid model that features a mix of physical and virtual classes, the programme provided one month of intensive hands-on training followed by another month of mentorship.

Alia Al Theeb, GDMO’s Director, Strategic Media Affairs Department, said: “The DXB500 Government Communication Training Programme seeks to raise the competencies of communications officers of government and semi-government entities in developing engaging content on diverse social media platforms. Social media has become the medium of choice of both the audience and content creators as it allows quick and clear delivery of the message. Therefore, the DXB500 Government Communication Training Programme aims to enable participants to understand global best practices and innovative approaches in social media content creation.”

She added that the Government of Dubai Media Office is implementing the programme in partnership with several leading global education and learning institutions to enable participants to gain a deeper understanding of global best practices and innovative approaches in social media content creation.

Participants of the programme expressed their gratitude to Sheikh Ahmed for his support and encouragement. They expressed their appreciation of the efforts of the GDMO’s team to make this programme a success and deliver its objectives.