We’ve done the double! News Associates crowned top NCTJ journalism course again

News Associates was named the UK’s top NCTJ journalism course and the top fast-track course at the 2016 Journalism Skills Conference in Portsmouth.

It’s the second straight year News Associates has completed the double.

In addition, four News Associates graduates won prizes at the Awards for Excellence, which honour the best trainee and student journalists in the country.

Sara Oldfield was recognised as student journalist of the year – her stunning exam results beating more than 1,500 others from accredited courses across the UK, ensuring she followed another former News Associates alumni, George Gigney, last year’s winner.

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Elsewhere, Lucy Pasha-Robinson won student top scoop with Richard Amofa winning student sports journalist and Ross Lawson was crowned trainee sports journalist of the year.

News Associates’ September 2015 Diploma in Sports Journalism course achieved a 100% gold standard pass rate in NCTJ examinations.

It’s the fifth straight year a News Associates course has topped the national league tables for fast-track courses.

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“It’s great to have the achievements of another stunning crop of journalists validated by the National Council for the Training of Journalists,” said News Associates managing editor James Toney.

“I’m hugely proud of every trainee who poured their energies into gold standard qualifications, something that only one in three have achieved in recent years.

“However, special mention must also go to Rachel Bull, Andrew Greaves and Holly Manj and all their training staff for their amazing dedication to offering the very best journalism training in the UK.

“You will find our trainees making their mark on the front pages of our national newspapers, presenting and reporting on Sky News, working internationally for some of the most respected names in journalism from Reuters and Agence France Presse and producing cutting-edge multimedia features for Vice and Huffington Post.

“Their success is a source of endless pride. As is the fact they started their journalism journeys with us.”