Education is a major issue in Africa. Although there are already schools and training organizations, the general consensus is that they are still insufficient. Do you agree with this assessment?
Our primary mission is to create entertaining content. If we can
support existing structures with practical training on our own scale, we are
happy to do so. Above all, we share a desire to educate young people who are very interested in these
subjects.
How can CANAL+ contribute to this training effort?
CANAL+UNIVERSITY makes a modest contribution to audiovisual
training. We create hundreds of hours of content, and it is only natural to do so as close as
possible to our consumers. CANAL+UNIVERSITY allows enthusiasts to add an international
dimension to their career path.
There are two approaches to training: the "quantitative" approach, which focuses on offering short, targeted training to as many people as possible, and the "qualitative" approach, which offers long, in-depth training to a select few.
How do you position yourself in relation to these two visions?
Both of these approaches have their place and are important. We have chosen to offer
both types of training.
- Our training courses in Photojournalism, for example, last a full
year and are aimed at talented individuals from all over Africa. - Our other courses last between one and four weeks and are mainly refresher
courses.
One of the major difficulties in Africa is that there is a wealth of talent, but it is fairly isolated and poorly informed about the opportunities available. How do you publicize your training programs and how do you select the successful candidates?
We promote our training programs and calls for applications through various communication
channels: social media, television, radio, print media, etc. This allows us to
reach all of our target audiences.
The winners are selected by a jury of professionals, which also includes the trainer.
Applications often include a cover letter and CV.
Our shows and programs also serve as our mouthpiece, showcasing our trained
talent both in front of and behind the camera.
Are there any particular profiles that you favor when selecting candidates?
The training courses we organize are all different from one another. As such, they appeal
to different profiles. Some training courses are designed for experts.
Others are designed for people who are new to their field. Consequently, profiles
vary from one training course to another. The choice is mainly based on the
candidate's motivation and experience.
Can you give us some figures on what has already been achieved so far within the framework of CANAL+UNIVERSITY and on your objectives for 2023/2024?
CANAL+ UNIVERSITY per year is:
- Over 60 training workshops
- More than 15 African countries affected
- Over 1,300 participants
- Over 3,000 hours of training
The goal for the coming years is to do even more and reach as many people
as possible.