A second regional daily has opened up its newsroom to serve as a classroom for students at a journalism training centre.
The Southern Daily Echo has teamed up with Portsmouth’s Highbury College to run a ‘classroom in the newsroom’ based at its Southampton headquarters.
Starting this September, the 2016 one year Diploma in Journalism will mix training alongside extensive work experience at the Echo.
For the past three years, the college has run an NCTJ-accredited ‘classroom in the newsroom’ at Portsmouth daily The News, and this programme will also continue.
Echo editor-on-chief Ian Murray in the newsroom
Echo editor-in-chief Ian Murray said: “I’m excited the Echo is fully involved in continuing this fine training tradition as we prepare today’s students for the exciting multi-media world we operate in.
“The classroom in the newsroom will provide an amazing opportunity for real-life, hands-on training. There’s no better way of learning the skills of the trade.”
The diploma covers the essentials of journalism and includes reporting, public affairs, media law, court reporting, video broadcasting, and shorthand.
Highbury and the Daily Echo will be applying for the course to be NCTJ accredited.
Paul Foster, programme leader in Journalism at the college, said: “There’s no doubt that employers see this classroom in the newsroom as a fantastic grounding in the art of writing, publishing and broadcasting.
“We have a high rate of employment amongst our students who complete our journalism courses. In the past few years our Highbury students have progressed onto magazines, radio and TV stations, newspapers and news agencies.
“Other students have used the course as a great way of gaining work experience and securing a place at university.”
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Wow! This sounds brilliant and a quick check on the Highbury college website reveals that it only costs…
19-23 Tuition Fee: £1799
24+ Tuition Fee: £2850
So that’s right kids sign up and pay to be FREE labour in a large multinational company… so that you too can complete a course and EARN less than the average UK wage…. while PAYing off your college debts working for err…
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Yep, great idea. More free/cheap labour. Helps keep the management bonuses up. What is happening to the industry I was proud to be part of?
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I knew Hoskins would be here flaunting his off the peg cynicism and embarrassing focus on facts (what journalism college did you go to, Percy?). These young people are being trained in one of the noblest professions to wield the trusty sword of truth… holding the powerful to account… shining armour of integrity…anyone got a job? .. make mine a treble… etc etc.
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Oh Gus I hate finding myself on the side of the moaners, I really do. I love my trade but I can only hold my head in my hands and beg for the day when these idiots decide to move their circus onto another pitch.
It is the sheer lack of imagination followed by blind panic and then the wave of redundancies, office closures and restructures – oh and occasionally there is a relaunch as the paper attempts to be relevant to someone, somewhere but always manages to be relevant to nowhere anywhere.
I watched as a local paper that I had worked on relaunched, cutting out not only the dross but anything that resembled news. It was designed by children with ADHD. Senior local politicians all told me how they had given up reading it because it said nothing, had no surprises.
I tried once to make a difference, sales went up, we were nominated for awards… so obviously I was given the boot. And that’s why I despair, what we have at the top aren’t necessarily the best people, we have the ones that are best company men (I’d say and women but you don’t see too many of them).
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