New accreditation chief appointed
The NCTJ has appointed the Essex Chronicle’s community editor as its new head of accreditation.
The NCTJ has appointed the Essex Chronicle’s community editor as its new head of accreditation.
Glen Oldershaw will be responsible for implementing the NCTJ’s accreditation scheme to ensure that courses continue to meet the industry’s exacting standards as well as the demands of a rapidly changing and converging media. He will take up his new role in March 2009 and will be based at the NCTJ’s offices in Newport, Essex.
Stephen Chambers, who stepped down from the role last year, is to remain with the NCTJ as its editorial consultant.
Commenting on the new appointment, NCTJ chief executive Joanne Butcher said: “Our accreditation chief is responsible for managing the vital partnership between the NCTJ and those course providers within universities, further education colleges and private centres delivering our syllabus. Glen clearly has the skills and determination to develop further the NCTJ’s reputation for excellence and I look forward to welcoming him to our hard working and talented team.”
Glen, a graduate of the University of Aberdeen, began his journalism career in magazines before training as a newspaper reporter at Harlow College and the Braintree office of Newsquest Essex, gaining the National Certificate Examination in 2001. He was a reporter and sub-editor on The Braintree and Witham Times and Evening Gazette and chief reporter of the Halstead Gazette. He left Newsquest to further his career with the Essex Chronicle. As community editor he is responsible for the news content of the largest selling weekly newspaper in Essex, named best weekly newspaper of the year (paid for) in the East of England Media Awards last month.
Speaking about his appointment, Glen said: “I’m very excited to be taking up my new role with the NCTJ, an organisation which opened up a world of opportunity for me when I completed one of its accredited courses. I’m determined to maintain the NCTJ’s position as the trusted benchmark of training courses for journalists.
“The media industry is facing exciting, changing times and journalists are now managing long-established brands away from traditional forms of news distribution to a multi-media platform. My job is to ensure journalists are equipped with the skills needed to meet this demanding environment.”
