Ooredoo Kuwait and National Bank of Kuwait have launched ON Academy, a five-week development programme designed to equip young Kuwaitis with skills spanning media, content creation, artificial intelligence, financial literacy and professional development.
Announced on August 31, 2026, the initiative targets Kuwaiti participants aged between 22 and 30 and combines specialist training with practical assignments, competitive challenges and a final project.
The programme is designed not only to develop creative capabilities but also to help participants translate those skills into employment, entrepreneurial projects and sustainable sources of income.
Five-week programme targets emerging Kuwaiti talent
ON Academy will take participants through a structured five-week development journey covering talent discovery, skills development and practical application.
Training tracks will include journalism, marketing and public relations, television and radio production, content creation, artificial intelligence, financial literacy, leadership, teamwork and strategic relationship-building.
The combination reflects the changing requirements of the media and content industries, where creative skills increasingly intersect with technology, business and digital platforms.
Sessions will be delivered by Kuwaiti media professionals and academics, providing participants with both industry experience and academic perspectives.
AI becomes part of modern media skills development
Artificial intelligence has been incorporated alongside more traditional media disciplines such as journalism, broadcasting, marketing and public relations.
The inclusion reflects the growing role of generative AI and other digital tools across content production and communications workflows.
Rather than treating AI as a standalone technical discipline, ON Academy positions it as one component of a broader professional toolkit for people entering Kuwait’s evolving media and creative industries.
Participants will also be introduced to current practices in content creation, corporate communications and emerging technologies.
Practical challenges move training beyond the classroom
Ooredoo Kuwait and NBK have structured the academy around practical participation rather than classroom instruction alone.
The programme will include hands-on workshops, weekly assignments and specialised challenges intended to simulate situations participants could encounter in professional environments.
Participants will be expected to work collaboratively, develop and present ideas, respond to feedback and manage deadlines.
The format is intended to strengthen skills including decision-making, teamwork, time management and professional communication while allowing participants to track their development throughout the programme.
A final project will conclude the five-week academy, requiring participants to apply what they have learned and present their work in a professional setting.
NBK brings financial literacy into creative training
Financial education forms a significant part of the programme through NBK’s participation.
Participants will receive guidance on understanding the economic value of their skills, building professional identities, marketing services and managing opportunities generated through creative work.
The programme is also intended to help participants understand how content creation and media capabilities can be developed into businesses, freelance careers, employment opportunities or other sustainable income streams.
NBK Assistant Vice President for Public Relations and Events Yaqoub Al-Baqer said financial awareness is essential for helping individuals turn talent and ideas into sustainable professional opportunities.
The financial literacy component distinguishes ON Academy from programmes focused primarily on technical or creative skills by addressing how participants can commercialise and manage those capabilities.
Ooredoo emphasises responsible content creation
Professional ethics will also form part of the curriculum.
Ooredoo Kuwait Director of Strategic Relations and Public Relations Nasser Hamad Al Arfaj said developing successful media professionals requires more than creative talent, highlighting knowledge, discipline, responsibility and professional ethics.
The programme will therefore address the wider impact of content, including how words, images and messages can influence audiences and society.
Ooredoo is positioning the initiative partly around Kuwait’s established regional media heritage while encouraging participants to combine traditional professional values with new technologies and digital content formats.
Programme targets pathways from skills to employment
A central objective of ON Academy is to create a clearer connection between training and economic opportunity.
Participants will learn how to package and present their skills professionally, develop ideas and identify potential career or commercial opportunities.
That focus is particularly relevant as digital platforms continue to lower barriers to entering fields such as content creation, marketing and independent media production.
However, succeeding within those markets increasingly requires a combination of creative ability, technology skills, commercial understanding and the ability to build a sustainable professional presence.
The academy’s final project is intended to demonstrate participants’ progression from skills development towards practical application.
Why this matters
ON Academy reflects how digital skills programmes are evolving as AI and the creator economy reshape traditional definitions of media employment.
Training someone exclusively in journalism, broadcasting or marketing is increasingly insufficient when content production now spans social platforms, AI tools, digital marketing, personal branding and independent commercial activity.
Combining creative training with AI, financial literacy and business skills could therefore give participants a more realistic preparation for Kuwait’s changing digital economy.
The partnership is also notable because it brings together a telecom operator and a financial institution, allowing Ooredoo and NBK to address both the digital and commercial sides of building careers around creative skills.
Editor’s note
ON Academy is a relatively small-scale talent initiative compared with major infrastructure or technology investments, so its significance will depend heavily on outcomes rather than the five-week training period itself.
The strongest element is its emphasis on converting skills into economic opportunities. Training programmes often measure success through participation and completion rates, but employment, freelance income, startup creation and sustained professional activity would provide more meaningful indicators.
It will therefore be worth watching whether Ooredoo Kuwait and NBK develop ON Academy into a recurring programme and whether graduates receive mentorship, industry placements or commercial opportunities after completing the initial training. Those pathways would determine whether the initiative becomes a genuine talent pipeline for Kuwait’s digital media economy rather than a standalone skills programme.
