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Training body honours the best in the business

A journalism lecturer of 20 years has been rewarded for her outstanding contribution to training and education by the National Council for the Training of Journalists.

Amanda Ball, lecturer at Nottingham Trent University and NCTJ principal examiner, was honoured with the 2011 chairman’s award at the Journalism Skills Conference which was held at Belfast this week.

She was presented with her award by chairman of the training body Kim Fletcher at a gala dinner held at Belfast City Hall.

Amanda first started teaching journalism students in 1988 at Sheffield College. She joined the public affairs board in 1993 and became chair a year later.

She became the body’s first principal examiner and still advises on a wide range of quality assurance and standards issues.

Amanda Ball receives her award from Kim Fletcher

The top performing NCTJ accredited courses in five different areas were also awarded with the Press Association Training’s Newcastle-based Multimedia Journalism course being the best overall performer after 92pc of students achieved a C or above in the academic year from 2010-11.

Nottingham Trent University’s MA in Newspaper Journalism came top of the postgraduate results table with 60pc and the University of Kent topped 53pc of undergraduate students who completed the BA in Journalism and the News Industry.

Highbury College topped the table for the accredited fast-track courses at FE colleges with 31pc and the final award went to City of Wolverhampton College for the best performing accredited academic year FE course, with 46pc.

Chief executive of the training body Joanne Butcher said: “All our accredited course providers should be congratulated on achieving the high standards the industry looks for.

“At a time when resources are under pressure it is a challenge to maintain standards. NCTJ qualifications remain one of this country’s toughest tests of professional skills. They require huge amounts of skill, ability, persistence and determination – the very qualities editors want in their newsroom trainees.”