Journalism Courses in the UK

An increasingly large number of young people, as well as many others long established in occupations as diverse as medicine, the law, the armed services and numerous trades and craft industries, are being attracted to careers in the media. It is not surprising, therefore, that degrees and diplomas in media studies and especially journalism courses are now the most sought-after by students in the UK.

Student enrolment numbers on media courses have rocketed from about 3000 10 years ago to well in excess of 40,000 for current courses. The courses have had a mixed reception by the media industry. Generally they have been criticised for being too academic and theoretical, rather than vocational and preparing people for the workplace with relevant practical skills.

Journalism, in particular, is mostly learnt and "fine-tuned" on the job, although increasingly there is a mass of underpinning knowledge like law and the structures of central and local government, as well as learning shorthand for speech reporting, which are best ideally taught before employment on journalism courses that are industry approved pre-entry courses.

The National Council for the Training of Journalists undertakes all training on behalf of the newspaper industry in Britain, and accredits nearly 30 universities and colleges in Britain which teach its syllabuses and whose students sit various NCTJ qualifying preliminary exams.

The particular strength of the NCTJ system, and therefore advantage to students, is that it is a system based on current industry need and practise which is run by the industry for the industry.

Editors and other senior journalists throughout the country make input as subject board members ensuring up-to-date relevance and also act as assessors and interviewees for the final National Certificate Exam, usually taken about 18 months to two years after beginning employment and which is a test of all-round basic competence.

The Council's management body - it is a registered charity - comprises representatives from all side of the industry (employers, editors and unions) as well as Higher and Further Educational institutions. The NCTJ has a deservedly high reputation for excellence, and its system of training has been copied overseas, in particular in Australia and New Zealand.

In fact the NCTJ celebrated the 50th anniversary of its foundation in 2001 and appropriately has recently been awarded the Government's coveted "Investor in People" award for high standards of excellence and service.

So if a career in journalism interests you then why visit the National Council For The Training of Journalism's website: www.nctj.com for more information.