Journalism Diversity Fund awards training bursaries

Six aspiring journalists have been awarded bursaries by the Journalism Diversity Fund to complete NCTJ-accredited training courses.
Megan Bramall, Rebecca Fielding, Zoah Hedges-Stocks, Elizabeth Jackson, Darius McQuaid and Layth Yousif were successful in securing bursaries to help them complete their journalism training.

They will be studying NCTJ-accredited courses at News Associates Manchester, Liverpool Community College, Press Association London, Up to Speed Journalism Training, The University of Sheffield and Lambeth College.

Interviews took place at the offices of the Brunswick Group in London on Friday 21 June.

The panels, whose members included Will Gore, deputy managing editor, Evening Standard, i and The Independent; Daniel Keel, news editor, News Shopper; Geoff Martin, editor-in-chief, Hampstead and Highgate Express; and Laurie Tucker, day editor, Sky Sports News; and quizzed interviewees on their passion for journalism, financial need and diversity.

The announcement brings the total number of bursaries awarded this year to ten, with two more opportunities to apply for funding in 2013.

Bursaries are awarded four times a year to students studying an NCTJ-accredited course. They are awarded to students from socially or ethnically diverse backgrounds and can help them cover the cost of course fees and living expenses.

The third group of bursaries for the academic year September 2013/August 2014 are now open for applications. The deadline is Wednesday 17 July at 5pm.