View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. News
March 5, 2014

National roll-out for scheme to offer non-graduates journalism apprenticeships

By Press Gazette

Some of the UK's biggest employers of journalists have signed up to a new government apprenticeship scheme and will work together to develop a new national set of standards for journalism trainees.

The "trailblazers" scheme is already running in other industries including aerospace, energy and financial services since last October and is being extended to journalism under phase two of the project.

Groups including Archant, the BBC, BSkyB, the Independent, ITN, Johnston Press, the KM Group, London Evening Standard and Newsquest, will take part and offer apprenticeships.

The National Council for the Training of Journalsits is working with the organisations to agree on assessments and how apprentices can gain senior status. The training body said it hoped to report to ministers in June and publish the standard a month later.

KM Group human resources and learning director Amanda Watts will represent the industry at a reception at Downing Street tomorrow to mark the end of the first phase of the apprenticeship and the launch of the second.

NCTJ chief executive Joanne Butcher said: "Through their recent work on the entry level apprenticeship, newspaper and broadcast employers are already in the driving seat of journalism apprenticeships, and are therefore the natural choice as trailblazers.

"We are pleased the government is determined to tackle the shortcomings of the current system. We needed an interpreter to help us understand the complexities and find a way through the bureaucracy. Hopefully these reforms will simplify the systems, cut through the red tape and give real purchasing power to employers."

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

Topics in this article : ,

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network