Jeddah to have first media training institute in November

SAE Institute, the largest media arts institute in the world in the private sector, will officially open a new campus in Jeddah next month.
Through 55 campuses in 30 countries, SAE Institute provides highly specialized one and two year certificate and diploma courses in Digital Animation, Film & TV Production, Audio Engineering and Multimedia. It will be the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia but joins sister colleges in Dubai and Amman, with others planned for Doha and Baghdad.
The driving force behind the SAE Institute in Jeddah is 30-year-old Dalia Binladin, herself an animation graduate of SAE and Middlesex University. Binladin was exposed to the animation industry in the UAE and the film industries in the UK and Lebanon, a devotee of the craft she spent the last two years negotiating with authorities to open the institute in Jeddah.
The new campus in Jeddah will have world class audio recording consoles and studios, animation labs, motion capture, and a fully equipped TV broadcast studio and Green Screen.
She said: “What I love about the SAE's approach is the emphasis on hands-on practical training.” Dalia said, “There is no better way to learn and hone your skills than by learning on the actual equipment used in the industry.”
Dalia cites the institute’s new Avid studio as example, which features equipment that has not yet been released to the industry.
Dalia believes it’s important for Arabs generally, and Saudis in particular, to become masters of media. “It’s our culture, our voices and vision that we want to represent. It’s important that young Saudis have the tools and knowledge to create their own content so that we don’t have to depend on others to present the way we are,” she said.
But there’s a very strong economic reason for the rapid growth of vocational training for the media sector. “If you look at the animation and gaming industry worldwide, it’s worth billions of dollars. More money is now spent on this than Hollywood spends on movies, and Hollywood spends a lot.
Then you throw in at least 300 television stations in the region, and countless radio stations, magazines, and newspapers. It’s not hard to see that this industry offers tremendous employment opportunities for Saudis,” she said.
Registrations are now open for the first intake in November. Initially, the institute is providing diploma courses for men only, but is hopeful of offering courses for women too in the near future.
Dalia says she was also motivated to provide top quality education for Saudis at home.
“The government spends a lot of money sending young Saudis overseas for education. I think we can invest in great facilities and programs here and provide Saudis with training without having to leave home,” she said.
SAE Institute was founded in Australia in 1976. Its parent company, Navitas, is a public-listed education establishment.
There are SAE Institutes worldwide on five continents and diplomas are issued through the international parent company in Oxford, UK. In Saudi Arabia, programs are delivered by Binladin educational company Seyada for creative arts which is licensed by the TVTC.