Primedia Scholarships for African Media Leaders at Rhodes University

Primedia, South Africa’s leading media group, invites applications for postgraduate scholarships from South Africans who wish to study media management at Rhodes University’s Sol Plaatje Institute (SPI) for Media Leadership in 2014. Successful applicants, who should be from previously disadvantaged groups such as Blacks, Coloureds and Indians, will register for the SPI’s one-year, fulltime Postgraduate Diploma in Media Management (PDMM), the only university-level media management course in Africa. The candidates must already possess an undergraduate degree from a recognised university in order to pursue postgraduate study. The Primedia scholarships cover:

• The full cost of tuition • Accommodation and meals in one of Rhodes University’s postgraduate residences • Course materials and books • A monthly subsistence allowance • Medical insurance • Travel costs between Rhodes and a candidate’s home; and • Mid-year media management internship costs.

The PDMM is a one-year, fulltime programme designed to provide people who work or aspire to work in the media industry with critical skills and knowledge they need to perform more effectively and strategically in their organisations and to fast-track their careers to management positions.

The PDMM is equivalent to an honours degree -- it is pegged at Level 8 on the National Qualifications Framework set by South Africa’s qualifications-setting agency SAQA -- and combines rigorous theoretical and practical grounding.

The diploma is composed of eight compulsory modules covering media economics and financial management; media markets, audiences and advertising; managing media content; managing circulation and distribution; media management and leadership; media management contexts, policy and institutions; new media and convergence; and human resources management.

For the Primedia scholars, they will additionally be expected to focus on management of electronic media and digital media management and most likely do their internship at companies of Primedia.

Application details and procedures: Only candidates from previously disadvantaged groups in South Africa are eligible to apply for these scholarships. Candidates should already have an undergraduate degree from a recognised university. The application deadline for these scholarships is 31 October 2013.

Students wishing to apply for these scholarships need to: • Complete the Rhodes University’s standard Honours Application form (available at www.ru.ac.za/applying/ under the section ‘Postgraduate Studies’) which must be submitted directly to the Registrar’s Division at Rhodes University and a copy emailed to Linda Snam (l.snam@ru.ac.za) at the Sol Plaatje Institute (SPI). • Submit a detailed Curriculum Vitae, including contact details. This is sent to the SPI only. • Submit certified academic transcripts for all tertiary qualifications (these are sent to both the SPI and Registrar’s Division at Rhodes University); and • Submit to the SPI a 1,000-word letter of motivation, which explains why the student is interested in doing the PDMM, how the PDMM will assist the student’s career and why the student believes she/he qualifies for the Primedia scholarship.

Preference will be given to students wanting to further their careers in broadcasting and who have experience in broadcasting and/or new media.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted after the applications close at noon on 8 November 2013. Copies of the candidates’ application must have reached Linda Snam by this time.

Mozambican media leaders successfully complete strategy course

By Peter du Toit

The Sol Plaatje Institute was delighted with the results of its first course for emerging media leaders in Maputo when all 13 of the course participants successful completed the post-course assessment and qualified for the course certificate.

The Emerging Media Leaders’ Course (EMLC) is offered by the Institute as part of a partnership with the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX), which is responsible for a substantial media strengthening programme in Mozambique that is supported by the United States Agency for International Development.

The course, which has a strong focus on strategic planning, covered marketing, human resource management, financial management and leadership. All participants were required to complete a substantial assessment task in which they related the lessons learned to their individual work environments.

Having finalized the assessment of the participants’ assignments, course facilitator Carlos Henriques said: "I am delighted to have worked with such a solid group of young media professionals. They have shown a high level of engagement during practical training and the final work they produced was of good quality.”

He said all of the participants had demonstrated at an academic level that they had the potential to contribute to the “growth, development and sustainability of their organisations” but they needed the opportunity to “actively participate in the strategic management of their organizations and be able to be pragmatically effective in leading and managing specific operational areas with results”.

He said the course seemed to have benefitted participants by giving them a set of “highly effective tools and techniques that they can use to develop and implement wining strategies that work and produce results".

IREX-Mozambique Chief of Party Arild Drivdal was not surprised that all of the participants had qualified for the Certificate in Media Management for Emerging Media Leaders.

He said: “Participants in the Emerging Media Leaders’ training exhibited a very high level of motivation and commitment to the learning process. They worked hard, systematically and practically without rest.

“Several of the participants started implementing the lessons learnt in their organizations immediately after the course. The participants showed great determination and dedication in their work and were clearly motivated by the opportunity to learn new skills and see them applied in practice. For many, the course was somewhat of a transformative experience, from a business management point of view.”

SPI Deputy Director Peter du Toit, who was responsible for writing up the course, said it was gratifying that the participants had taken the process seriously. He said the SPI would offer four similar courses between now and the end of next year and an additional advanced course.

“This was a great way to start the process,” Du Toit said.