The editor of a regional daily has handed over his seat for a day to an apprentice as part of a campaign to help young people into work.

Brian Aitken from Newcastle title The Journal has thrown himself into a drive to find 100 apprenticeships in 100 days by trading places with a young engineering apprentice.

He swapped his editor’s chair with 20-year-old Liam Rogerson who is carrying out a three-year apprenticeship with Newcastle University’s School of Marine Science and Technology.

The day was held as part of a campaign launched by The Journal and Teesside sister title the Evening Gazette to encourage companies to create 100 apprenticeships for young people.

Brian Aitken, left, is pictured with Liam Rogerson and James Ramsbotham, chief executive of the North East Chamber of Commerce.

During the role-swap, Brian found out about the inner workings of wind turbines and wave simulation tanks, while Liam was introduced to the world of deadlines, headlines and fonts and helped to choose what went on the front page of the paper.

For one edition, Liam chose to splash with a story about the county council considering replacing charity collection bins at recycling centres with bins of their own and for the other, he picked an article about the main sponsor of a controversial academy deciding to withdraw – with both having a picture story about the trial of two alleged accomplices of Raoul Moat.

Brian said: “While at the university, I was able to help test different wave conditions on a hull developed for a catamaran and was absolutely blown away by the kind of high-tech work being carried out right under our noses.

“The day reminded me how important it is to help North East businesses find and train the right people.

“I am determined that The Journal’s campaign to find 100 apprentices in 100 days will play a key role in that.”

And Liam said his day at The Journal, which took place as part of National Apprenticeship Week, had given him an insight into how the newspaper was put together.

He said: “There is an incredible amount of work that needs to be done before an edition can go to press and it was interesting to get a feel for all the different departments that are involved, including the news desk, production and the features department.

“It did make a career in journalism look exciting, but I’m not sure I would be happy with the long hours.”

The two papers launched their apprenticeships campaign in partnership with the National Apprenticeship Service to boost the local economy and help young people take their first steps on the career ladder.

It comes after a number of regional titles have held similar successful campaigns to create apprenticeships.