Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Minister of Media Salman Al-Dosari inaugurated "SPA Academy for News Training" at the Saudi Press Agency building in Riyadh on Saturday.

Al-Dosari stressed that the Academy will employ the capabilities and potentials of the Saudi Press Agency and its relations in transferring international experiences to the partners of SPA.

It will also work to benefit from the expertise of its cadres that its members have acquired over more than fifty years.

Acting President of the Saudi Press Agency Ali Al-Zaid explained that the academy is one of the strategic projects of the development plan of the Saudi Press Agency, which was recently approved by the Board of Directors. He stressed that it is a qualitative addition to support the news industry and qualify media cadres through applied programs via pioneering international and local partnerships, within a framework of professionalism, accuracy and objectivity.

The Academy’s CEO, Tariq Alsheikh, indicated that the Academy will announce its training calendar by the end of 2024, in which it will focus on providing programs directed at trainees from government agencies.

He explained that the Academy is currently working on launching training programs for graduates, in cooperation with the Human Capacity Development Program, the Human Resources Development Fund (Hadaf), and the private sector, during the year 2025-2026.

It will also implement programs for journalists, which it will announce through its digital platform and its accounts on social media platforms.

Several agreements were signed between the Academy and the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, Institute of Public Administration, King Abdulaziz University, the Human Resources Development Fund (Hadaf), the National Center for E-Learning, the Saudi Accreditation Center, and MICROSOFT.