A Report Conference ‘Education and Employment Opportunities in the New Media Environment’ Was Held as Part of the MEDIAlab Project

On November 29, 2023, the Media Development Agency arranged a report conference ‘Education and Employment Opportunities in the New Media Environment’ as part of the MEDIAlab project.

Speaking at the conference opening ceremony, the Executive Director of the Media Development Agency, Ahmad Ismayilov noted the need for a rapid transition to digital technology on a global scale, the implementation of innovation and technology in the media field, and most importantly, training competent personnel for this. He emphasized that the data-based analysis of surveys conducted to adapt the MEDIAlab project’s action plan to the curriculum among about 1,000 students studying at the partner universities of the project, the identification of the perceived development-related needs based on continuous work and multilateral communication with media entities, comparative analysis of local and international trends of employment in the media field, and the positive results in creating employment opportunities for young people, achieved in international practice, once again give reason to hope for youth and the future. Ahmad Ismayilov stressed that the success achieved under the project for a short period and the Multilateral Cooperation Memorandum signed to develop more advanced mechanisms related to experience and employment opportunities in this field at the next stage are an indicator of the comprehensive support for the process and the conformity of the general approach.

Speaking at the event, , the Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan Public Employment Agency under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population, Mustafa Abbasbayli shared his views on the Multilateral Cooperation Memorandum signed to expand the scope of support services for employers in the field of media and arranging regular events and programs in this area.

During the conference, a video from the events arranged as part of the MEDIAlab project was demonstrated. Later, the Director of the Media Support Projects and Strategic Planning Department of the Media Development Agency, Laman Isgandarova, provided detailed information on the project and made a presentation of the actions and results achieved under the MEDIAlab project over 1 year. The presentation comprised the MEDIAlab project’s objectives, operation mechanisms, the opportunities created for the development of youth in the appropriate field, and the planned areas of activity.

As part of the event, the results of the ‘Creative Media – Baku’ content competition, jointly arranged by the Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan and AzerGold Closed Joint-Stock Company to select talented and entrepreneurial youth and identify potential staff in the appropriate fields, were announced and prizes awarded to about 20 winners.

At the end of the conference, letters of thanks were presented to coordinators from higher education institutions – key project partners for their overall support for the project arrangement, contribution to the development of this field, and effective cooperation, and the MEDIA ambassadors distinguished for their active participation in the project.

Note that the key goal of the MEDIAalab project is to ensure the sustainability of innovation and development-oriented activity in the field of media, support the integration of traditional media into digital in the educational process, increase the talent pool in the appropriate field for the development of human resources, who are the main links of the technical transformation chain, support the expansion of interaction and cooperation between media entities and higher educational institutions, and create a favorable ecosystem for improving digital media skills of youth.