Teenager Chris Knapman is the envy of many would-be journalists, who spend their periods of work experience doing endless vox pops for the local paper.

He got to hurtle around in a £26,000 Honda S2000 sports car as part of his journalism course at Coombeshead College, a comprehensive school in Newton Abbot.

Chris (17) wants to be a motoring journalist when he’s completed a university degree. So he went to the best place near his school and did a stint on the Drive supplement of the Herald Express and Western Morning News. The placement, during which he test-drove the S2000, further fuelled his journalistic ambitions.

He will be one of the first students to complete the new course – the only one of its type in the country – for 16 to 18-year-olds.

Students work to gain internal certificates approved and signed by both the National Council for the Training of Journalists and Northcliffe Newspapers. The course also offers them the chance to get shorthand under their belt at an early stage – and trainees have the option of taking two national NCTJ-set exams as well.

Head of Sixth Form John Patton said: “It’s a very exciting move and we’re beginning to make real headway. We are attracting students from around the area, not just our school.

“We were discussing the possibly of some sort of journalism course at post-16 and found students tend to have to go straight into university for journalism and there seems to be a vacuum in the market place for 16-to-18 training.

“Training consultant David Scott has helped put together a course that the NCTJ has given its OK to, and he’s one of our lecturers.

“We have made close links with Truro College and Highbury College in Portsmouth, which both run journalism courses, and we’ve got one of our students going on to Highbury this summer.

The college is also working with reporter Sue White, of the Herald Express. And the links with the Herald Express and Western Morning News provide work experience placements.

As for Chris, he might still get the chance to get behind the wheel of another 155mph beast… because he’s got the second year of his course to go yet.

More information on the course is available from head of communications Moira Hindley on 01626 201800.

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©Northcliffe Newspapers 2000
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