Entry routes into journalism will be on the agenda at a debate into the future of industry training.

Panellists have been announced for the ‘State of Training’ discussion, which will be held as part of this year’s Society of Editors Virtual Conference.

PA Media’s director of media training Bridgid Nzekwu, pictured, will appear on the panel along with Sam Cooper, journalism course leader at the Sheffield College and a former journalist at Sheffield daily The Star.

They will be joined by Sarah Brown, Facebook’s head of northern Europe news partnerships and Will Gore, head of partnerships and projects at the National Council for the Training of Journalists, whose remits include Facebook’s community reporters scheme and the NCTJ’s Journalism Diversity Fund respectively.

The panel will explore issues of entry routes into the profession, the demand for ongoing professional development, the impact of Covid-19 on training requirements and the need to support diverse entrants into work,

The debate will be chaired by SoE president Alison Gow, audience and content editor for Reach plc North West.

It will be held in conjunction with the NCTJ on Wednesday 2 December at 6pm.