Part-time multimedia journalism diploma – News Associates Manchester

Our unique approach to part-time training means you don’t have to put everything on hold to complete the essential NCTJ qualification. We understand your studies have to fit in around demanding work, earning an income, family commitments, and perhaps even having a social life.

Our flexible approach makes this possible, with lessons on one weekday evening (offered both in person and remotely) and all day on Saturdays (in person only), with shorthand lessons offered on Monday evenings (remote only).

As well as timetabled lessons, we will ensure we equip you with the experience, skills, and impressive portfolio to walk into any journalism job.

If breaking news hits we scrap the timetable and get you working as journalists for our in-house publications Mancunian Matters. Just recently our trainees covered the death and funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III’s coronation, as well as multiple local and general elections, and much more breaking news.

Working closely with national news organisations including The Times and Sunday Times, The Telegraph, the Financial Times, The Sun and Yahoo, we have a huge number of talented alumni who have landed jobs in everything from news and features to foreign affairs and showbiz.

Our impressive job record is matched by our excellent exam results – 46 per cent of all gold-standard journalists who trained in the UK in the 2019-20 academic year studied with us.

News Associates’ practical and dedicated approach to teaching sets us apart from other training providers, earning us the Innovation of the Year award at the 2020 and 2022 NCTJ Awards for Excellence.

NCTJ elective modules offered:

  • Data journalism
  • Journalism for a digital audience
  • Media law court reporting
  • PR and communications for journalists
  • Public affairs for journalists
  • Shorthand for journalists

Job destinations of recent graduates include:

  • BBC News and Sport
  • Grazia magazine
  • Sky News and Sky Sports News
  • TalkSPORT
  • The Athletic
  • The Guardian
  • The Times and The Sunday Times
  • The Wall Street Journal
  • VICE

 

Learning how to condense wording, select snappy clips and not get sued are all skills I wouldn’t have had without the NCTJ. I started my first job at VICE while I was still training part-time, but they were so supportive and understanding of the workload and I think respected me more knowing I was clearly dedicated to becoming a journalist. The NCTJ earns you a lot of respect from editors.
Helen Thomas, VICE News

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