twofour54 lab for the Higher Colleges of Technology

The Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) has joined forces with Abu Dhabi media conglomerate twofour54 to provide HCT students with opportunities to develop skills and careers in the local media industry, with the recent signing of an Agreement.

The agreement was signed by Dr Tayeb Kamali, Vice Chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology and Mr Tony Orsten, CEO of twofour54. As part of the parties’ commitment to developing the media skills of HCT students they will establish a dedicated twofour54 lab at the HCT Abu Dhabi Men’s College campus.

The parties will also collaborate on major HCT events such as the ‘Festival of Thinkers’ and ‘Education without Borders’ international conferences, and twofour54 will also provide internship opportunities for HCT students with twofour54 and its partner community. Furthermore, twofour54 will run a series of workshops and industry development events at the HCT campuses and at the twofour54 facilities.

HCT Vice Chancellor Dr Tayeb Kamali said the innovative lab would greatly assist applied media students to hone their skills. “The Higher Colleges of Technology is proud to provide cutting-edge, student-centred and relevant technologies and education practices, such as this lab, to prepare its graduates for in-demand careers in this increasingly globalised economy,” Dr Kamali said.

“With this partnership we are developing graduates with the knowledge, skills and confidence to contribute effectively for the 21st Century and to reach their full potential,” Dr Kamali added.

Twofour54 CEO Tony Orsten said the proposed media lab was about forming a creative and professional partnership with HCT to engage local youth in the burgeoning local media industry. “We want to connect with the youth and ignite their passion for media by demonstrating what can be done in this field,” Mr Orsten said.

“We are delighted to be working with HCT, combining our joint expertise and skills, to develop this exciting and innovative laboratory and other future projects.”

As part of the agreement, twofour54 will become a founding member of the HCT Foundation’s HCT 100, which will enable it to be involved in a number of future HCT events.

twofour54’s vision is to enable the development of world class Arabic media and entertainment content, by Arabs for Arabs, and to position Abu Dhabi as a regional centre of excellence in content creation across all media platforms including film, broadcast, music, digital media, events, gaming and publishing.