Former editor of The Sentinel Sean Dooley has been appointed to the National Council for the Training of Journalists as an independent ombudsman.
Dooley will oversee the quality and fairness of the body's qualifications and will chair the NCTJ Quality Assurance and Standards Committee which has been recognised as an awarding body by the Qualification and Curriculum Authority.
This recognition will help secure Learning and Skills Council funding for further education colleges to deliver their courses.
NCTJ chief executive Joanne Butcher said: "I am delighted that Sean Dooley, the inspiration for so many young regional newspaper reporters, is our independent ombudsman overseeing the transparency and fairness of our qualifications."
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