Participants in the 'Creative Skills for Social Media' workshops, hosted by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau, SGMB, for the personnel of Sharjah government departments, stressed the importance of such programmes in enhancing the skills, performances and creative abilities of participants.

The workshops, which concluded on Tuesday at the Al Majaz Amphitheatre in Sharjah, were held in the context of the Sharjah Executive Council Resolution No. 01 of 2017 on regulating the use of social media by government agencies and employees. A social media user guide has already been issued for Sharjah government departments as part of the emirate’s smart communication policy.

The workshops, held over two weeks, were attended by the staff and representatives of 60 Sharjah government entities. It tackled the mechanisms of developing creative social media and communication skills of employees, especially those operating the official accounts of government departments, to improve the quality of work and maximise benefits.

The training workshops by the SGMB, the media and communication arm of the Sharjah government, explored both the theoretical and practical aspects of training and were aimed at developing the participants' skills, methods of discussion and exchange of experiences. They also measured the interaction of the public as well as the contributions of government agencies within their official accounts.

The workshops also dealt with official social media accounts and discussed ways to evaluate and develop them regarding competitiveness, e-publishing strategies and using new media features in times of crises.

Popular networking site LinkedIn also participated in the training workshops. Its presentations underscored the importance of professional and social networking aimed at employers and practitioners in different sectors worldwide.

Tariq Saeed Allay, Director of the SGMB, lauded the outstanding participation of Sharjah government entities in the series of workshops on social media and networking. He pointed out that new media has become one of the main pillars of government entities in communicating with the public and plays a significant role in the performance, quality of work and reputation of institutions.

"The Sharjah Government Media Bureau has been working to support all media sectors and government entities in the emirate, which reflects positively on the media content in general and is part of constant and fruitful co-operation and engagement between the bureau and various government organisations," he said.

Allay thanked all the heads of Sharjah government departments and entities for their enthusiastic participation in the workshop series. He vowed to continue the bureau’s constant efforts to engage all public bodies as part of efforts to enhance government communication.

Participants in the workshops, representing various government entities, lauded the role played by the bureau in hosting such specialised courses to enhance the skills of the Sharjah government staff.