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September 2012 News

Police raid homes after newspaper exposes drugs trade

Scottish daily passed dossier to officers

Journalism training boss admits unfair trading offences

College chief ordered to compensate students

Mitchell hits back in weekly paper interview

Under-fire chief whip launches attack on nationals

Former JP boss to chair environmental business

The former chief executive of Johnston Press has been appointed to a new role heading a business specialising in providing environmental information. John Fry, who also led regional publishing group Archant for nine years, stepped down as JP boss last

Row erupts over Johnston Press cover price rises

Regional publisher cuts margins say newsagents

Regional daily steps up bid to oust football boss

Sky Sports commends newspaper’s ‘bold’ move

Essex weekly recruits 20 new columnists

All-male paper ‘did not represent readers’ says editor

West Midlands weeklies rapped over ‘model cop’ story

Watchdog voices ‘deep concern’ over handling of complaint

Society of Editors condemns teacher anonymity law

Legislation is due to come into force on Monday

Home-loving former journalist loses cancer battle

National newspaper sub rejoined hometown paper

YouTube tribute as Trinity Mirror axes North West weekly

Video showcases memorable headlines from paper’s history

Dyson calls on Sun to lay off Mitchell

‘Time to move on’ says former regional editor

Club’s anniversary spawns supplement series

Nine monthly pullouts planned to mark milestone

Sports journalist in Amsterdam to Berlin cycle challenge

Funds raised for two charities

Local press is ‘gold standard’ for UK media – Hunt

PCC boss speaks out as Clegg backs statutory regulation

Journalism Diversity Fund receives £100k donation

The Newspaper Licensing Association has made a £100,000 donation to the Journalism Diversity Fund to help the budding reporters of the future. David Pugh, managing director of the NLA, presented a cheque on behalf of national newspaper publishers at an

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.