Newsquest is celebrating an 80 per cent pass rate by its trainees in the recent National Certificate Examination.

A total of 61 trainees from the group took the Spring 2003 exam with 48 candidates - 80 per cent - passing.

Nationally 156 candidates, out of a total of 286 candidates, passed the exam with Newsquest accounting for nearly a third of this figure. The national pass rate was 55 per cent.