Students get the inside track on a journalism career

Picture: Students from Saffron Walden County High School with NCTJ staff at the New Granary.

A career in journalism beckons for seven students from Saffron Walden after visiting the headquarters of the National Council for the Training of Journalists.

The sixth form students from Saffron Walden County High School were welcomed to the New Granary in Station Road, Newport, by Joanne Butcher, chief executive of the NCTJ.

Joanne said: “We are delighted sixth form students from Saffron Walden County High School accepted our invitation to find out more about careers in journalism. We are a UK-wide organisation but are keen to play a role in our local community and to build links with local schools.”

The students were visiting NCTJ headquarters as part of the charity’s ongoing campaign to promote careers in journalism and quality journalism training.

Joanne outlined the role of the NCTJ in delivering the premier training scheme for journalists in the UK. Michelle Patient, NCTJ head of accreditation, explained the various job opportunities open in the media while Lyn Jones, NCTJ head of qualifications, outlined the structure and nature of NCTJ qualifications.

Glen Oldershaw, NCTJ head of marketing and communications and former news editor of the Essex Chronicle and the Essex County Standard, took the students through the qualities editors look for in news reporters and answered questions about the working life of a news reporter.

Student Lauren Troup said: “The NCTJ journalism careers seminar was an enjoyable and enlightening experience, allowing me access into the world of journalism and giving me a crucial insight into qualifications and career prospects.”

Chloe Byrne said: “The NCTJ career seminar gave light to how journalism works in the real world and I found it very useful because it was so in depth about this career.”

Jess Paterson said: “It was very useful, it gave me a lot of information about how to get into a journalism career. I now know more about to get where I might want to be in the future.”

Bethany McPeake said: “Its provided a valuable overview of the industry and we’ve learnt a lot about the different media sectors which a journalist could specialise in. I would recommend the seminar to anybody interested in learning a little bit more about a career in journalism.”

Catherine May said: “Having attended the careers seminar, I felt that a wealth of knowledge was being shared with me without overwhelming me. The session was informative and interactive making it more enjoyable than other media-related events that I’ve previously participated in. It was a great overview and insight into the journalism sector.”

James Newman said: “The seminar was very detailed and thorough, extremely well discussed and informative, it has helped me to choose and narrow down the choices.”

Kim Whippy said: “I found the talk to be a useful and interesting grounding into a career I initially knew little about. The range of topics covered answered any questions I might have had and it was great to learn more about the different opportunities open to a modern journalist. I very much appreciated the presentation.”

All the students were given information on NCTJ-courses, qualifications and the Journalism Diversity Fund and each was given a copy of The NCTJ Essential Guide to Careers in Journalism.