MEDIA RELEASE
The UK’s largest accreditation body for broadcast journalism training is teaming up with leading media companies to invest tens of thousands of pounds to help graduate journalists find their first jobs in the industry.
The BJTC’s new Placement Assistance Scheme has been introduced to tackle the challenges students face in funding crucial placements that are recognised as the first step to finding work in journalism.
Joining forces with Google News Initiative, the BBC and ITV News, the BJTC will offer students from its accredited courses, who also meet its social diversity criteria, a contribution towards the cost of placements.
“The BJTC recognises the importance of industry placements in the career development of journalists, and for this reason it’s an essential element of the professional training standards our accredited courses are subject to,” says BJTC Chief Executive Jon Godel.
“But we also recognise that such placements can create a financial burden for many students, and we don’t want to see anyone unable to take up a life-changing career opportunity because of a lack of funds.”
The State of the Nation Report found an increasing reliance on unpaid work as a point of entry for employment in the media, with more than 80 per cent taking up low-paid or unpaid internships to secure their first jobs. The same report also found that only 11 per cent of journalists are from working-class backgrounds.
The BJTC’s Placement Assistance Scheme aims to assist graduates in tackling those statistics.
“It’s essential that we see more diversity in newsrooms across the UK. That means a greater variety of students getting a foot in the door. We do not want any of our students to have to turn down a hard-won placement because they cannot afford to take it up,” said Mr Godel.
Typically students are left out of pocket during placements due to the cost of transport, accommodation and lost earnings. For some, this means it is impossible to accept placements outside of their local area, limiting their opportunity to compete for entry-level jobs.
“Through the Google News Initiative we’re supporting the BJTC to help the next generation of broadcast journalists gain valuable work experience and strengthen their digital skills,” said Matt Cooke, the Head of Partnerships & Training at Google News Lab.
Editor of ITV Regional News Guy Phillips says the broadcaster is delighted to support the scheme.
“It is important that every aspiring journalist has the opportunity to gain invaluable experience and to make their mark. We hope the scheme will help to expand the pool of talent we see coming into our newsrooms and, indeed, into the wider television industry,” he said.
The BBC says it’s looking forward to expanding its long-standing partnership with the BJTC, by contributing to the scheme.
“Diversity in our newsrooms is a top priority for us. We want to ensure that a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds are represented and that journalism is accessible as a profession to everyone,” said Katie Lloyd, Development Director and Director, BBC Young Reporter.
The scheme will begin in January 2020 and aims to help up to 250 students in its first year.
December 16th, 2019
Note to editors:
Further information can be provided by calling Helen Hurd on 0845 600 8789 or sec@bjtc.org.uk
BJTC Background
The Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC) is a non-profit educational charity working in partnership with all the main multimedia broadcast employers in the UK. Our current partners are BBC, Sky News, Channel 4 News, Reuters, ITN, ITV, Global radio, Associated Press, and the NUJ.
One of the largest independent journalism accreditation bodies in the UK, we currently accredit more than 50 courses at over 40 educational institutions.
Our Council members are made up of leading industry and training experts – working together to ensure students of BJTC-accredited courses receive the best training possible. Together they set the criteria for accrediting courses, then teams of professional journalists and tutors advise and inspect them.
Our accreditation standards are relevant and responsive to the operational demands of the broadcast industry and are based on direct and practical experience, ensuring BJTC-accredited courses are valued by teachers and students, as well as employers and employees.
