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By Richard Parsons, Director of Training
The great and the good – and the people who deliver journalism training from universities, colleges and commercial centres like News Associates – gathered in Glasgow on December 4 and 5 for the annual NCTJ Skills Conference.
Of most interest to most of us, I suspect, is the proposed new qualification structure that will allow NCTJ-trained journalists to work across all platforms in print, broadcast and online.
It will affect all the key disciplines we teach, including shorthand, and, following further consultation with editors, tutors and trainers, the whole thing will go live next September across a cross-section of centres.
Here at News Associates, we hope to be among them as we feel that there is no time to waste in preparing the journalists of tomorrow for a very different newsroom to one that existed even five years ago.
We would also like the opportunity to prepare people for a career in radio and TV, as well as our traditional areas of print and online.
So, what’s in store for the trainees of 2010 and beyond?
In News Writing, the current four-part exam will become three-part, with candidates having to make decisions about which platform to publish on (ie print or web) as well as how to write and follow up a story.
Their portfolio of work will have to include a video clip - that will no longer be optional - and our tutors are already preparing for how they can best teach this discipline.
Public Affairs will come down to one exam, covering local and national government, but there will be an additional reporting project, to source and write a news story or feature with PA relevance, eg on a council matter or something related to an MP.
Law looks more complex and there is clearly still a lot of discussion to be had about how best to teach this.
The current proposal is to make court reporting just an option, but the News Associates view is that we absolutely have to teach this to trainees if they are to be prepared for a newsroom. So, we would adopt it as a core subject.
The NCTJ also wants to prepare people better for broadcast by teaching greater knowledge of the somewhat complex Ofcom regulations.
We have no problem with that but would not want to see it form part of a further exam. One interesting proposal that came out of discussions was that it might be taught as part of PA. I wonder if that idea will have any legs - I’m certainly not against it.
And, finally, Shorthand, where the idea is to introduce a key quote into the current four-minute passage.
Candidates would be expected to recognize that quote (showing good news sense) and get it down verbatim. Remember that the current exam allows you to make up to 10 errors at 100 words per minute and still pass.
There will be some adjustments, I’m sure, before the final draft is ready but one thing’s for certain - this will happen in September 2010 and we want to be among the lead centres teaching the new syllabus.
If you want to read more, visit the NCTJ website.
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