Recruitment has begun for a new scheme which will see 82 community journalists employed in regional newsrooms across the UK.

The community news project, administered by the National Council for the Training of Journalists and funded by Facebook, will see reporters join five regional publishing groups to serve currently under-reported communities.

Applicants with no previous journalism experience are being sought, alongside journalists who are currently in training or who hold the NCTJ’s Diploma in Journalism.

Those who have already achieved the diploma will be employed at a higher salary, and will work towards the NCTJ’s National Qualification in Journalism for community journalists.

Those who do not hold the diploma will work towards that instead and will be employed as apprentices.

Two of the five groups involved, Newsquest and Reach plc, are now advertising the roles for which they will be taking responsibility.

Newsquest is advertising for 23 roles, while Reach is advertising for 28 roles.

A reporter working with Reach’s My London website will have specific responsibility for Kensington and Chelsea, the borough which it has been claimed went under-reported in the run-up to the Grenfell Tower disaster.

In a piece on its website explaining the new role to candidates, the NCTJ said: “As a community reporter, your main role will be to engage with people in specific communities to curate, collate and create content relevant to them.

“You will build and act as the point of contact for online communities by engaging with and seeking out content either written by you or from members of those communities.

“You will also receive industry-leading digital journalism training for you to then share into your newsrooms, as well as the gold-standard NCTJ journalism training to become a fully-trained journalist.”

The organisation added it is “especially keen” to hear from people who believe they can help make newsrooms more representative of the communities they serve.

The full breakdown of roles on offer is as follows (one reporter vacancy unless stated)

Newsquest

Glasgow titles, 2 reporters
South Wales Argus, 2 reporters
Bradford Telegraph & Argus, 2 reporters
Bournemouth Daily Echo
Southern Daily Echo
The Argus, Brighton
Lancashire Telegraph
Essex Echo
Southern Daily Echo
Swindon Advertiser
Reading Chronicle
The Leader, North East Wales
Western Telegraph
Carlisle News & Star
Hereford Times
Bucks Free Press
Northern Echo
Worcester News
Oxford Mail
News Shopper, South East London

Reach

Birmingham Live, 2 reporters
Chronicle Live, Newcastle, 2 reporters
Liverpool Echo, 2 reporters
Manchester Evening News, 2 reporters
Wales Online, Cardiff, 2 reporters
Wales Online, Swansea
North Wales Live, Colwyn Bay
Surrey Live
Plymouth Live or Devon Live
Nottinghamshire Live
Somerset Live
My London, Kensington and Chelsea
Stoke on Trent Live
Cornwall Live
Teesside Live
Derbyshire Live
Bristol Post
Cambridge News
Lincolnshire Live
Gloucestershire Live
Hull Live
Leicestershire Live
Coventry Live