The Middle East has the youngest television audience in the world, with 60% of TV viewers under the age of 25. So it makes sense that the average workplace is bustling with young talent – particularly in the broadcasting industry. But young broadcasters often take on their first job with little training and experience, leaving employers wishing there was a better student internship scheme in the Middle East. We asked recruitment executives at two companies – a leading Arab satellite company and a smaller postproduction house in Dubai – how they hire young talent, and what fresh graduates need to enter the workplace with confidence.
 Jessica Baradhy
Recruitment and Career
Development Manager
LBC International, Lebanon
The Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) Group was launched in 1985 and encompasses LBC International, Lebanon’s first private television station and a regional leader; LBC Sat, a freeto-air satellite channel; LBC channels for Europe, America, and Australia; and the Nagham music channel. About 700 people work for LBC, most of whom are Lebanese, based in LBC’s Lebanon headquarters. But LBC Sat has a mix of talents, with a significant contribution coming from Saudi and Gulf backgrounds. The company relies on employees of different Arab nationalities for its news-gathering operations.
 FRESH GRADUATES
We definitely hire a lot of fresh graduates, even if they do not have experience. A university degree is essential, preferably a master’s degree. But even if they do not have a master’s, it’s not a problem. It also depends on the type of diploma they have. Most of the fresh graduates we hire have degrees in radio and television, journalism, communication arts, graphic design, and business. We essentially hire from almost all majors, but of course it depends on what our
need is at the moment. Most of the students we hire here are Lebanese. LBC International works with many Saudis, too. To this end, you can say that we hire many foreign correspondents of different nationalities, but they all work for us abroad. A bachelor’s degree is a minimum, but even this depends on the position at hand. Our positions range from plumbers to high executives. Do they have a TS degree? Usually, if it is a position in the company that requires a certain amount of knowledge and expertise, it will require a degree as a minimum. Most of our editors and postproduction staff have audiovisual degrees. We haven’t hired cameraman in a while, as we have our staff in place, but they are generally less educated.
It all depends on the position. Editors, secretaries, finance and HR positions – these people all need degrees. All positions require training; we train recruits on the spot.
SKILLS GAP
A major problem is that students learn theory in university without getting the opportunity to apply it, and they come to us with no practice. They come into the studio never having seen a montage machine, for example. This is a problem for us, as we are not able to find trained people who can assume their positions fully upon starting. It requires more time and energy to have to train them. And because students don’t have internship experience, many TV stations do not hire them. I make it a point to take students as interns, because I like to encourage students in their career ambitions. There are students who are persistent, and who will learn no matter what situation you put them in, and they will go on to get good jobs. Other students are not so fortunate and won’t make it. In Lebanon and the Arab world in general, the internship system is underdeveloped. Actually, it does not really exist as it does elsewhere. The government, companies, and universities must prepare together to offer an internship program for students. Companies must be willing to train interns for at least sixmonths, because an internship of less time than that is meaningless.
STUDENT INTERNSHIPS
LBC accepts a lot of student interns, usually in their last year of university. They send me their CV and some paperwork from their university, and we accept them. I take as many students as space allows; usually, I accept everyone who applies. Our current system doesn’t differentiate between students based on grades and other criteria; we just take everyone, because we are keen to provide experience. Usually, students who train at LBC do not stay with us; in a few cases, the students stayed on to take full-time positions. We train student interns in almost all departments, including news, production, graphics, technical transmission, IT, and marketing.
 Viktor Björk
Managing Director
Chimney Pot
Chimney Pot is a Swedish post-production company, with offices in Stockholm, Oslo, Moscow, Warsaw, Kiev and now in Dubai. The firm offers a full range of post-production services, from animation and visual effects, to offline editing, sound design, and on-location
technical staffing. Chimney Pot recently bought out a production company in Dubai and has set up shop there with a young,
multi-national staff in place.
FRESH GRADUATES
Of course, we hire students straight out of university. I always look for
good people, and I don’t believe that formal education is what makes a person good at what they are doing. Of course, training is important, but with that said, no school in the world can compete with pure talent. Most of the people I work with have a degree of some sort; of course, they also have many years of experience. I think that the combination of a solid education and experience is the best combination. Of course, that means that once you are done with your education you need to work for a couple of years. I think this is why many people in the media industry actually work in parallel - or before they go into higher studies.
 SKILLS GAP
Young professionals in this field today lack, above all, patience. I have worked in this industry for more than 15 years, so of course I have a better understanding than most of my colleagues in the industry who are fresh out of school. One has to remember that media is not a science – it is a hunch. And that requires politics, skills, raw talent and, of course, experience. My staff is hardworking and willing to learn and find new influences. I think the Arab culture fosters understanding and hospitality, and I could recognize this directly when I arrived in the UAE. One real advantage with the young Arab population is that they are willing to travel for work. None
of our staff is from the UAE. They are from Jordan, Iran, and Lebanon. In Europe, people tend to stay in their home country for work, which means they are less exposed to influences from abroad.
STUDENT INTERNSHIPS
We do offer student internships, based on talent. We are a small company, so we can only accommodate people that we believe will be best suited for our part of the industry. |
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