New course set to train new wave of journalists

Wales’ newest university has joined forces with a leading privately owned newspaper publisher to give budding journalists the chance to start their careers with an innovative journalism training package.

Glyndŵr University, Wrexham and NWN Media Ltd, based in Mold, North Wales, have created a new journalism training scheme to start in September.

NWN Media, publishers of newspapers across North Wales, Mid Wales and Cheshire including the Evening Leader, and the new university  - formerly the North East Wales Institute of Higher Education (NEWI) - have joined forces to set up the first journalism training centre in North Wales leading to National Council for the Training of Journalists’ (NCTJ) qualifications.

Janet Jones, journalism lecturer at Glyndŵr University, said the partnership with NWN Media would offer the best of both worlds to journalism students.

“The time at Glyndŵr University will cover lectures and practical workshops leading to the chance to achieve a full set of NCTJ qualifications.

“But in addition, under the partnership agreement, students have the opportunity to put all this into practice in structured work placements at one of the NWN Media titles for two days each week.

“We believe it is the first time a university and newspaper group have worked so closely together to produce such an integrated package of training for young journalists leading to the NCTJ qualifications.

“The partnership will combine the university’s academic expertise with the unbeatable practical experience of working within busy and demanding newsrooms,” she said.

Students on the Certificate of Higher Education in Print Journalism programme will have the chance to study all aspects of print and on-line journalism both in the classroom and in NWN Media’s working newsrooms.

Students will split their time on the course between Glyndŵr University, Wrexham, for lectures and one of NWN Media’s newsrooms in either Wrexham, Mold, Bangor, Colwyn Bay, Rhyl, Welshpool, Oswestry, or Chester.

The course will run for a year and will lead to students sitting the nationally recognised NCTJ qualifications.

The new course will also complement the new broader broadcasting and journalism degree programme starting at Glyndŵr University in September.

Students on the Certificate in Print Journalism will be drawn from either existing NWN Media trainee reporters or would-be journalists from across the region and beyond.

NWN Media editor-in-chief, Barrie Jones, said: “This exciting partnership between us as a news media company and an academic environment is the first of its kind and we’re very proud to be involved with Wrexham’s new university.

“This is the result of many months of planning and it is great news for North Wales to have such a prestigious course leading to the industry standard NCTJ journalistic qualification being available in the region.”

Anyone interested in finding out more about the journalism courses or studying on other programmes at Glyndŵr University should contact the Student Information Desk (SID) by email at sid@glyndwr.ac.uk or telephone (01978) 293439.