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June 2009 News

Ex regional press journalist joins Cabinet

Bradshaw new culture and media sec as Burnham moves on

MP accuses newspaper of 'gutter journalism'

Politician hits back over expenses scandal story

Publisher appeals for charity trekkers

KM Group supports bid to fund more cancer care nurses

Weekly paper sends reporter to Afghanistan

Guardian man to provide daily bulletins from Helmand

Donations top £40,000 in newspaper's cancer appeal

Specialist unit needs £250,000 for major overhaul

Reader's complaint over edited letter

Plus: Misleading NHS story, apology for funeral coverage – and more resolved complaints from the PCC

Scottish Sunday cleared of breaching code

Herald entitled to report complaint against Labour peer

Strong showing for BPM in Midlands Awards

Shortlist revealed for 7th annual celebration

National editors lined up for expenses row debate

Plus: New online bulletins launches, press campaign gathers support – and more news in brief

Editor hits out at council-run newspapers

Authority titles ‘forcing papers to cut resources’

Editors warned over Susan Boyle's privacy

PCC reminds papers about reporting singer’s health

PCC chair to give Society of Editors lecture

Peta Buscombe joins line-up for this year’s conference

noSWeat Journalism Training

Are you serious about journalism? … We are. For almost a decade we have been producing top quality journalists with graduates working on a large variety of publications including national, regional and local papers as well as numerous magazines and

Human rights accolade for Herald writer

Judges praise “compelling” piece of journalism

Printing plant to close with loss of 88 jobs

Bristol the latest casualty in closure programme

Web hits surge as news team works through night

Tyre blaze coverage generates 15,000 page views

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.