30 November 2011

Ulster Hosts Two-day UK Journalism Summit

Belfast is making the news today as the Stormont Junior Minister Jonathan Bell has welcomes the National Council for the Training of Journalists' (NCTJ) annual conference to Belfast.

The NCTJ is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year and the Journalism Skills Conference marks the culmination of the year's celebrations.

Opening the conference Junior Minister Bell said: "The NCTJ's Journalism Skills Conference brings together decision makers in journalism's education, training and industry sectors.

"This dynamic conference provides the opportunity for discussion about the latest issues associated with developing professional journalists across all media sectors.

"It is also a milestone year for professional journalism training with Belfast Metropolitan College and North West Regional College joining the University of Ulster in delivering the new NCTJ Diploma in Journalism.

"The addition of these courses demonstrates real commitment to quality journalism training and education in the region," he said.

The two-day conference is supported by Belfast City Council, the European Commission in NI, the Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau, the University of Ulster, Belfast Metropolitan College as well as leading media outlets across Northern Ireland.

The National Council for the Training of Journalists was established in 1951 and delivers the premier training scheme for journalists in the UK and there are 68 NCTJ-accredited journalism courses across the UK - three of which are in Northern Ireland.

The MA Journalism Course at the Coleraine campus includes a number of NCTJ modules as part of the one-year postgraduate degree, for example.

(BMcC)