Our heritage

The NCTJ was established to run the newspaper industry's training scheme, following the findings of a Royal Commission on the Press. In the early days, indentured trainees studied at colleges of further education and were examined in the General Proficiency Test.

From 1965, ‘block release’ courses were introduced and an experimental ‘pre-entry’ course was run. Year-long pre-entry courses were developed further, followed by 18 and 20-week fast-track postgraduate courses and the accreditation of journalism postgraduate degree courses. The old ‘Prof Test’ was modernised and became the National Certificate Examination (NCE).

In November 1968, NCTJ shorthand consultant Harry Butler wrote: "“We have on our hands a shorthand breakthrough which should solve longstanding shorthand problems. I have never known a shorthand system that can produce such good results in so short a time.”

The NCTJ went through challenging times in the late 1980s and 1990s when some newspaper groups withdrew from the NCTJ to set up their own training schemes or chose to transfer to the National Vocational Qualifications, which at the time attracted public funding.

Since 2003, the NCTJ developed its operations, structure and governance including a professional awarding body function, Student Council, focus groups and forums. Now a charity, it has an influential board of trustees and directors.

The Journalism Diversity Fund was launched to wide acclaim and is administered by the NCTJ. Thanks to the financial support of the industry, more than 440 bursaries have been awarded to date.

It was decided that the fictional newspaper, the Oxdown Gazette, which was used by the NCTJ since the 1970s as a setting for its journalism exam papers, would no longer be used. This would allow the NCTJ to use a wider range of scenarios to test a broader range of skills.

At this time, major changes to NCTJ qualifications were made and the newspaper industry united in its support for the training body. The National Vocational Qualification training scheme run by some newspaper companies was merged with the NCE in 2007.

The Leveson inquiry was launched into the culture and practices of the British press following the News International phone hacking scandal. Taking swift action at the time of the inquiry, the NCTJ introduced the compulsory ethics and regulation module into the Diploma in Journalism qualification.

Following an extensive review, the National Qualification in Journalism (NQJ) was launched, replacing the NCE as the senior qualification for reporters.

The apprenticeship standard for junior journalists developed by a trailblazer group of employers, was approved by government.

The first online exams were sat by Diploma in Journalism students, using the online exam portal Cirrus, as the NCTJ began to transition away from paper-based assessments.

The essential journalism exam, which was introduced on the online Cirrus assessment platform, was recognised at the inaugural International e-Assessment Awards, winning the category for best use of summative assessment.

The NCTJ developed a new qualification in international journalism, covering the core elements of being a practical journalist operating in an international arena.

The NCTJ partnered with Facebook and local news publishers to create new community reporter roles in newsrooms around underserved areas in England, Scotland and Wales. The scheme supports community reporters to achieve the Diploma in Journalism or the NQJ.

The option of sitting exams remotely, using cutting-edge proctoring platform Proctorio, was introduced to students in a move to innovate and adapt amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

The apprenticeship standard for a senior journalist was launched, with candidates completing the National Qualification in Journalism (NQJ).

The NCTJ launched the Journalism Skills Academy (JSA) with the support from the Google News Initiative. The e-learning platform offers journalists a one-stop-shop for developing their skills.

The NCTJ takes over copyright of Teeline shorthand from the Teeline Royalties Partnership, removing licence fees and making it available for the public benefit.

The Journalism Diversity Fund was honoured with a special award for diversity and inclusion from the Press Awards