Every national vision requires the nurturing, training and smart deployment of a skilled workforce that translates national ideals into day-to-day reality. Oman’s leadership has laid down a clear vision for the country’s growth with the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) playing a central role towards galvanising the country’s talent towards that vision.
Further, it is institutions such as the Nizwa College of Applied Sciences (NCAS) which are implementing the vision through integrated and enlightened approaches towards educating the youth of the country.
As part of NCAS’s holistic approach to education – combining theory with practice, blending skill with values, and integrating concentrated learning with real-world exposure for students, a day-long visit was conducted by students of the Digital Media Production course on February 25 to Akkasa Production, one of Oman’s leading media production companies.
Akkasa specialises in media production in areas such as film-making, scriptwriting and creative photography, and enjoys a strong industry reputation. The visit aimed to foster and raise students’ awareness of how creative inputs, while essential, sit within a larger matrix of organised teamwork and business strategy.
The visit also offers a useful example of an educational solution that may be emulated by other institutions. One of its greatest successes was that through direct observation, exposure and interaction, the students achieved a vivid and horizon-enhancing understanding of how a real media company functions.
Gaining insight in the inner working of the production company, the students were also given a preview of the business aspect of the company.
Received and welcomed by Akkasa’s Executive Director Mohammed al Harthy, the students were showed some of the projects handled by the company.
Al Harthy explained how the quality of creative ideas lies at the heart of any successful business model for a media production firm, and illustrated this by showcasing some of Akkasa’s successes. He highlighted the several international and local events they were a part of and proudly shared how their creative team won the second place worldwide in the Imagine Cup event held in New York.
As part of their visit, the students attended screenings of some of Akkasa’s best video creations, witnessing and being inspired by the quality standards of high-level professional production. This was followed by a workshop-style exercise in which the students were split into groups and given specific production tasks for hands-on experience under the joint supervision of NCAS faculty members and Akkasa professionals.
The students also had a question-answer interaction with the company’s Director Mustapha bin Adel al Lawati who encouraged them to build their media production portfolios, which he said would function as a practical CV that would be valued by future employers.
The students expressed gratitude, with one of them saying the experience strengthened her confidence in her creative ideas.
“As a senior student, this visit taught me to showcase to people what I am capable of, and to show my work without hesitation,” says Anwar al Mujarfi.
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