ITV journalist and broadcaster Mark Austin has been named as the keynote speaker at next month’s Journalism Skills Conference.

The conference is the year’s biggest journalism training gathering and takes place in Bournemouth on 27-28 November.

It marks a homecoming for Mark who began his career as a trainee on the Bournemouth Echo in 1976 before moving into broadcasting.

The conference annual dinner will take place in the Print Room, former home of the Echo printing presses.

As well as delivering the after-dinner speech, Mark will also present the National Council for the Training of Journalists awards for excellence for 2013.

Tickets for the awards dinner and the Journalism Skills Conference can be booked on the NCTJ’s website.