Further education forum welcomes broadening of NCTJ remit

Plans to broaden the NCTJ’s remit were well-received by heads of journalism and course leaders from further education colleges a recent training forum.

The plans, which involve the development of qualifications and training for all journalists, have been developed in response to media convergence and demand for multimedia rather than sector-specific initiatives.

A major discussion item at the forum, held on Friday 29 January at the Guardian News and Media, was about funding for FE courses and the implications of the new multimedia qualification structure.

It was agreed it was in the best interests of colleges, students and the industry for courses to adopt the new syllabus and assessments for multimedia journalists as soon as they are available.

Sue Campbell, who represents further education interests on the NCTJ board of directors, said: “The FE Forum was a very positive meeting with a pleasingly good number of FE colleagues. The new look multi-platform qualification was well received and I have no doubt, knowing the sector, that colleges will move quickly to embrace what are necessary changes to the curriculum when they are finalised. I’d like to thank colleagues for their typically positive can-do approach to ensuring their graduates are fully-equipped for the modern world of work.

“Funding continues to be a thorny subject for FE colleges and the forum also discussed the somewhat complex issues surrounding accreditation. A huge amount of work is going on around this by the NCTJ and the colleges will of course be kept in touch with progress.”

The next forum for NCTJ course providers will be the Higher Education Postgraduate Forum which will take place on Friday 25 June.