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September 2009 News

Editor Paul Horrocks to leave the Manchester Evening News

News chief to bow out after 12 years

Teenager heads for London 2012 as Echo smashes target

Regional daily achieves fundraising goal within days

DMGT to close pension scheme to new employees

Publisher moves to cut costs as life expectancy increases

Publisher gives away cash prizes to newsagents

Plus: Green award for local weekly and more news in brief

Gala dinner to mark college's 10th birthday

Proceeds of event to go to Journalists’ Charity

Media website buys up property portal

Entrepreneur Jaspan expands his North-West empire

Only way is down for Beeb

Ben Bradshaw’s speech to the Royal Television Society convention in Cambridge last night did not specifically mention the regional press, but there is no doubt that its content will have repercussions for the industry, in particular his comment that the

Experienced journalists need not apply

Are you an editor with 30 years’ experience in the regional press? Know the industry from back to front? Perhaps ready for a new challenge after years at the coalface? Well, the Press Complaints Commission doesn’t want to hear from

Reverse publishing boon from hyperlocal project

A couple of months back we covered the launch of the new LocalPeople.co.uk sites in the South West by Associated Northcliffe Digital. Now AND’s director of strategy Roland Bryan has given an update on how the initiative is going in

Editorial plan sparks fears for subs' jobs

Staff anxiety over Johnston Press initiative

Yorkshire editor to tackle half marathon

Whitby news chief raising funds for lifeboats at Great North Run

Daily signs another sports club sponsorship deal

Rugby club and newspaper become official media partners

Leave journalism to the journalists says editor

Anger over council’s plans for internet TV station

Midlands reporter picks up young journalist gong

Ethnic minority award scheme prize for Telegraph’s Cara

Entries open for annual web awards

Just over a month until the 14th Webby Awards deadline

Ex-regional editor launches new media consultancy

McGhee hopes to offer his 30 years of experience to business clients

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.