Journalism training news
August 2 2008
New board to oversee mutli-media training
The National Council for the Training of Journalists has set up a Journalism Qualifications Board to plan and oversee the development of its multi-media qualifications.
The board met for the first time on Friday, July 25, at The Press in York. It is chaired by Donald Martin, editor of the Evening Times in Glasgow, and brings together all the NCTJ's chief examiners for each journalism discipline. More members are being recruited to ensure the interests of industry, training providers, trainees and students are fully met.
At the meeting, Donald said: "I want this board to take a completely fresh look at the structure, content and assessment of journalism qualifications we offer to ensure they continue to meet the demands of modern newsrooms.
"Innovative training and qualifications are crucial to help accelerate the effective transition newsrooms are making from single to multi-platform publishing.
"With demands increasing for multi-skilled journalists and new developments in technology, the NCTJ has broadened its range of qualifications, modernised its assessments and integrated the testing of on-line journalism skills. However, the debate continues about balancing new and old journalism, what should be core and optional, and how people can be trained with the right skillsets - and mindsets."
He said these were some of the challenges the Journalism Qualifications Board would confront to ensure aspiring journalists and those already working in the industry were given the right opportunities and recognition.
The subject areas under the board's remit include news gathering, writing and reporting, media law, public affairs, sub-editing, sports journalism, magazine journalism, shorthand, photography, online and video journalism. The board will be responsible for the overall structure and content of both the preliminary Certificates in Journalism and the National Certificate Examinations.
Donald won his first editorship at the age of 24, and has since worked as editor of the North West Evening Mail, deputy editor of the Cambridge Evening News, chief sub and production editor at the Reading Evening Post and group editor at Thames Valley Free Newspapers. He edited the Evening Express in Aberdeen for eight years before taking his current position.