The Future of Journalism Fellowship Awards

PA Media’s NCTJ Diploma in Journalism course is the foundation on which many successful careers have been built — and in summer 2022, five new journalism stars will take that first step as recipients of the Future of Journalism Fellowship Awards.

These new awards, funded personally by a high-profile journalist determined that newsrooms should better reflect the people they serve, will help aspiring journalists from under-represented backgrounds. Winners will study for their NCTJ Diploma in Journalism with PA Training, and also receive work experience and mentoring opportunities via Creative Access to help them land their first job and succeed in their new role.

Each fellowship award includes

• A fully-funded place on the prestigious NCTJ Diploma in Journalism course run by PA Media, the UK and Ireland’s national news agency.
• Work experience with national news organisations and broadcasters including Channel 4 News, Sky News, and PA Media.
• Mentorship provided by Creative Access, the leading social enterprise specialised in diversity and inclusion, throughout the programme and beyond to help fellows find their first jobs and thrive.

PA Training is proud to partner with our sponsor because we believe that the media should reflect society. That’s why we particularly encourage people from a diverse range of backgrounds to apply for these 2022 Future of Journalism Fellowship Awards.

The Fellowship Awards sponsor, who wishes to remain anonymous says: “Journalism has changed my life. But no newsroom I’ve been in properly reflects where I grew up or went to school. There are still too few working class, or Black, Asian and ethnically diverse journalists — and that means the stories we look to tell, and how we tell them are often too narrow.  

“Talk of diversity in newsrooms has become a bit of a corporate cliche but for me, it’s really only ever been about fairness, making newsrooms look and sound like the world we are reporting on.  I hope by sponsoring the Awards, a few more people who feel, as I did, that journalism is not for them, might change their mind.”  

Application criteria

The Future of Journalism Fellowship Awards are open to those from under-represented backgrounds who are passionate about a career in journalism, but who need support in making it happen.

We’re looking for future journalism stars who have the drive to make it in competitive newsrooms, and the commitment to make their training and work experience really count. We’re looking to see:

• A demonstrable commitment to journalism. This might be through student journalism if you’ve done a degree, or through pieces you’ve created for community, social or school programmes, for example.
• A real commitment to taking full advantage of this opportunity. We can give you everything you need to succeed but you will need to put in lots of hard work to make the most of it and score top marks. We want you to become the journalism leaders of the future.
• An open mind to pathways you might not have considered. Journalism is a varied career and we’re keen to hear from people who are interested in all its facets, and want to experience different newsrooms.

About PA Training’s NCTJ Diploma in Journalism

Accredited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists, this course teaches everything you need to get started in the newsroom and is the qualification that editors look for. Our former students go on to get brilliant jobs – you’ll find them in the nation’s leading newsrooms.

PA Training is the sister company of PA Media, the UK and Ireland’s national news agency. We’ve been training journalists for decades and setting high industry standards.

You’ll learn reporting, digital storytelling, video, shorthand, media law, and other tools that modern journalists need, and will also build a portfolio of work that will help you launch your journalism career.

You can read the press release for the launch of the Fellowship Awards here.

Questions?

Get in touch and we’ll answer any questions you have.

Or you can find out more about the courses here and about PA Training here.