Trainee journalists sitting their National Certificate Exams next week can use a unique free support service to help their preparations.

Industry trainer Cleland Thom will be offering personal advice up until April 7 - the day before the NCE.

Journalists sitting the exams can e-mail him with questions - free. Trainees wanting to use the service should e-mail cleland.thom@tesco.net

Cleland, who runs CTJTS Ltd: "Trainees sitting the NCE don't always have someone to turn to for advice during the week before the exams, even if they have been on a refresher course.

“They often run into problems with law or have other questions about ther exams.

"Now they can e-mail me with any difficulties or for advice. This may make the difference between a pass and a fail."

Cleland has run, or taught on, more than 30 NCE refresher courses over the past 13 years, and has marked hundreds of mock papers.

He added: "With NCE pass rates rarely above 55 per cent, trainees need all the support and help they can get."

CTJTS is one of the UK's largest training organisations, and trained more than 600 journalists during 2004.