Skills Acquisition: UNICAL to begin Digital Photography Course for Students

The University of Calabar has expanded its entrepreneurial skills development programme to include the commencement of Digital Photography for students studying Mass Communication and related courses.

To facilitate the skills acquisition programme, the institution would be partnering with Tell Africa Media, a digital media company that also offers training and internship opportunities to young Africans.

In a statement signed by Tell Africa’s Head of Corporate Marketing Communication, Ms Onyeyirichi Uchendu, the institution was on the verge of signing a Memorandum of Understanding to kickstart the training programme.

“The media organisation would be providing hands-on training workshops on photography and video story production to students of the university.

“Tagged ‘the business of photography and video story production’ the training shall be a departure from the usual classroom experience to the hands-on workshop and real-time application of knowledge.”

The students, she also indicated, would be exposed to content development for the different social media platforms and be taught ways to start up online photography and video businesses with a view to earning revenue and improve on their livelihoods.

She noted, “The goal of this course is to assist students interested in photography and videography either as the main discipline or an income earner flourish as creatives in their personal businesses or work environment.”

The Head of Corporate Marketing Communications used the opportunity to commend the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Professor Florence Obi for rejigging the UNICAL Entrepreneurship Development Centre to enable more students to access life-saving vocational training.

Uchendu also applauded the efforts of the Mass Communication’s Head of Department, Dr Joseph Ekpang for initiatives that would enhance the accreditation of the department by Nigeria’s National Universities Commission.

She expressed the hope that the department would collaborate with the media agency to enhance its newly established campus tabloid known as “UNICAL Times” for appreciable storytelling.

“As an organisation currently enjoying a partnership relationship with the University of Calabar towards providing a hands-on capacity-building experience for students of entrepreneurship and Mass Communication in the area of the business of photography and video story production we welcome any invitation to collaborate for the growth of UNICAL Times in every way possible,” she explained.

It would be recalled that the University of Calabar established the Department of Mass Communication three years ago and has been in the process of getting full accreditation for the course, while the Entrepreneurial Development Centre has enabled thousands of students to develop vocational skills to be entrepreneurs.

PIAK