SAE Institute Dubai, a leading creative media educator, has announced the global launch of a new digital journalism programme in conjunction with its industry sponsor JVC Professional.

Starting in Dubai on April 25, the new course will be progressively rolled out in the UK, Germany and the US where it is scheduled for launch in October 2010, Romy Hawatt, senior executive of the SAE Group, said at the press conference on Monday.

'The other SAE locations in Europe and Asia will subsequently follow, he added.

Guy Warrington, British Consul-General; Professor Zbys Klich, director of Academic Affairs at SAE Group; Christopher Darnley, general manager-MEA, JVC Professional; and Ahmad Al Hammadi, assistant executive director of Support Services, Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI) attended the press conference.

Warrington said, “It seems inevitable that within a few years the vast majority of people in the developed world will carry some form of mobile communication device at all times.'

'This trend will almost certainly rapidly spread into the developing world. This desire to receive instant reports and information will likely drive the demand for more Digital Journalists to create and collate content and broadcast rapidly from just about any location.'

“Digital Journalism is highly applicable to the modern world, and, as the representative of the British Government, I’m delighted to be here today in support of SAE. The company has strong ties to the UK, and our cutting edge creative environment. It’s great to see them launch this new strand of their innovative education programme,” Warrington noted.

Occasionally referred to as 'backpack journalism’, digital journalism is a growing profession that sees independent journalists traveling to all corners of the globe to file their stories,' he added.

Hawatt said: 'We live in a world hungry for 24/7 news. Generating a constant flow of information calls for increased mobility, flexibility, quality and speed of delivery – factors that all come under the spectrum and scope of the new age digital journalist.'

'Be it news, lifestyle, current affairs, or travel, it is a fact that the capacity to quickly capture, collate, edit and distribute information is significantly altering the style of reporting and programming globally,' the SAE official remarked.

'We recognize this need and opportunity and our new Digital Journalism courses are designed to train new-comers as well as skilled professional journalists. We believe this will help and enhance industry standards and create employment opportunities at numerous levels,' he added.

The press conference included a panel discussion on how digital journalism is contributing to the development of the media and communications industry globally. Al Hammadi was among the experts who shared their views.

SAE’s partnership with JVC Professional will allow students to utilize its technology to hone their technical skills in digital film as well as photography, sound and video editing, podcasting and blogging.

Upon commencement of studies, each SAE student will receive a JVC HD digital video camera along with a MacBook Pro laptop equipped with the latest editing software, he added.

Hawatt pointed out that 'the seismic shift from the big expensive crews to individuals properly trained and educated in Digital Journalism will open a new world of opportunity.'

'At SAE, we promise to produce a new era of writer, director, camera and sound operator, production assistant, producer, editor and dispatcher all rolled into one. Who knows, we may even completely redefine the role of the traditional journalist altogether,' he quipped.

Darnley said SAE Institute Dubai 's educational programmes are in line with our products and technologies. The digital journalism course, in particular, is a perfect match for our company’s products as the students will benefit from our seamless integration with the latest non-linear softwares.”

Upon completion of the programme, students will receive a professional diploma that will enable them to pursue a career in a vast number of areas including, news, lifestyle, special interest, publishing, online portals and broadcast such as radio or TV. This may be done as an employee or a freelancer.-TradeArabia News Service