AddThis SmartLayers

November 2012 News

Editors in Leveson challenge to party leaders

O’Neill, Clifford and Huston take on Cameron, Clegg and Miliband

Northcliffe sell-off could be announced this week say reports

Deal may be completed before company’s annual results on Thursday

Former group editor bounces back in magazine role

News chief joins rival publisher

Publishers exit closure-threatened regional lobby service

Four jobs under threat from PA axe

Exempt regional press from statutory curbs say MPs

Midlands daily wins political backing over Leveson

Regional daily takes on Gove over job cuts

Paper launches petition on education cutbacks

Weekly’s journalists to star as extras in TV drama

Newsroom was location for filming

Steaming hot news from Bridlington

They’re a plain-speaking lot on the Bridlington Free Press. What more needs to be said?

Editor quits committee over story ‘kerfuffle’

‘I let competitiveness get better of me’ admits news chief

Former journalist loses cancer battle aged 45

Blog written about fight with kidney cancer

Newspaper steps in to save Christmas lights

Weekly provides funding for festive display

Columnist bids farewell to windowless office

Daily newspapers on move after 42 years

Council newspaper cost £500k a year, figures show

Spending reduced since publication taken online-only

Production editor completes skydive for hospice

More than £500 raised by journalist

Ministers fight regional daily over release of secret papers

Cabinet Office fights ruling that documents should be made public

Deadline approaches for survey into state of industry

A major survey which aims to discover the current state of the journalism industry closes on Monday. The National Council for the Training of Journalists launched a questionnaire last month which aims to find out what journalists think of working

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.