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March 2009 News

Councils urged to keep notices in local papers

Fight for Manchester authorities to up press spending

Former regional hack launches own PR firm

Ex-journalist refuses to let redundancy get him down

Tributes to editor who took title to the top

John Downing spent lengthy career in Norfolk

Jobs campaign launched during redundancy dispute

Paper aims to keep city working as it axes jobs

Publisher launches interactive business directory

Trinity site will enable users to rate local firms

Reporter to cycle from London to Paris

Mission to help African children’s project

Regional journalists fighting cuts go national

MEN chapel takes out full-page ad in The Guardian

Reporter pushes pain barrier in 200-mile bike ride

Hack helps raise cash in memory of murdered honeymoon couple

Paper banishes bad news to the web

Print edition to contain “uplifting” stories only

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Waste company warning after newspaper exposé

Environment Agency investigation followed Echo revelations

Runaway bull gets reporter on the moo-ve

Video footage shown on regional TV

Tindle imposes group-wide pay freeze

Weekly publisher latest to halt pay rises

Sports editor's career goes into extra time

New venture for sports chief while editor also says goodbye

'Action man' photographer dies aged 77

Dave Lolley spent 34 years with south coast daily

Editor hits back in custard eggs-clusive row

Story generates scores of website comments

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.