AddThis SmartLayers

October 2008 News

Cumbria group rolls out new hyperlocal sites

Sites allow users to create own content

Weekly beats nationals to murder case exclusive

London paper gets only interview with brother of smoking row victim

Bid for Scottish one-two in regional writers' award

Freelance takes on his editor in race for personal finance prize

More misery for rail passenger?

The staple complaints of over charging and overcrowding on Britain’s trains looks set to get worse, according to a new report. The National Audit Office has warned rail travellers that taxpayer subsidies will most likely but slashed cut from £811m

TV campaign to launch new-look daily

Birmingham Post goes tabloid from next week after 150 years

Devon daily launches TV chatshow on website

Express and Echo poaches popular football show

Northern Echo editor stands by controversial vicar

Reverend keeps columnist role after gay jibe on personal blog

Five jobs at risk in North-West shake-up

Redundancy threat at Bolton News and sister weeklies

Hollywood star to speak at journalist's memorial

Sharpe actor will join hundreds to celebrate the life of Adrian Sudbury

Munich journalist's collection goes under hammer 50 years on

MEN football writer’s matchday programme could fetch £20,000

Slow demise of the local language

Traditional UK regional dialects are dying out, according to new research. Experts believe that people struggling to understand geographical quirks of the English language are contributing to their demise. Whereas European parlance such as ‘Hasta la vista’ and ‘weiner’ has

Christmas before Halloween

Christmas seems to come earlier every year. The Gloucestershire town of Coleford has snowmen and seasonal lighting around the town a full two months before Christmas. The local council said it relies on volunteers putting up decorations in their freetime

Rover returns to take up teaching role

Freelance travel writer is university’s latest signing

Entries flood in for new regional press awards

02 hails “fantastic response” in Yorkshire and Humberside

Reporters raise hundreds after Great North Run

Press hacks across the country completed half-marathon course

Editor who brought down government to retire

Time to “Packet” in for former regional press man

Tips on choosing a journalism course

Emma Clark, former marketing and communications manager for the National Council for the Training of Journalists, offers her advice on choosing between journalism courses.
Recently I've attended numerous careers fairs around the country, meeting students of all ages keen to break into journalism - whether that be in newspapers, television, radio or magazines. And of course, all students want to know which journalism course they should go on and whether they need NCTJ qualifications.

A quick look at the trainee job ads on HTFP demonstrates the importance of gaining the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism. Many adverts require candidates to have, or be awaiting results for, their NCTJ Diploma.

Trying to break into the industry without it makes a tough task almost impossible. With the rise in tuition fees, choosing the right journalism course is even more important than ever and students need to be sure they are learning the vocational skills required by employers, enabling them to hit the ground running when they enter the newsroom.

Employers know that an NCTJ-trained applicant will be able to find and construct stories, understand media law and ethics and be able to take down an accurate shorthand note when required. And contrary to popular belief it is not just the regional press looking for these skills, but nationals, online and broadcast too. Recent Sky Sports News schemes, for example, have been looking for practical skills including a minimum of 100wpm shorthand.

Student journalists can complete their NCTJ training in a number of ways - FE colleges and independent centres offer the Diploma in Journalism as fast-track and academic year courses, while universities offer it as part of undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications. All of these journalism courses lead to the same NCTJ qualifications and meet the same standard, allowing students to pick the one that's best for them.

It's no secret that the NCTJ has an exacting standard, and this applies not just to the qualifications but also to the course provider. All NCTJ-accredited courses have to work incredibly hard to meet the requirements in the same way that students have to work incredibly hard to achieve the gold standard. This ensures the NCTJ logo acts as a meaningful kitemark for quality journalism training.