Reporters beat industry trend
UCLan journalists gain employment in an industry full of turmoil
Newspaper journalism students at the University of Central Lancashire are winning through despite the turmoil in the industry.
After securing shifts over the summer Kevin Rawlinson has landed a staff job with The Independent. He joins alumnus and Press Gazette Young Journalist of the Year Mark Hughes who’s The Indie’s Crime Correspondent and another Preston “old boy” news editor Olly Wright. James Illingworth has a contract on the sports desk at Reuters and Tom Collins is a Press Association staffer at Howden.
Alex McGowan has a staff job with the leading Fleet Street celebrity agency Famous Features and regularly has bylines in the News of The World, Take-a-Break and Heat. Aidan Hanratty has been working as sub for a Dublin outfit. Jenny Foulds has a contract with the Lennox Herald in Dumbarton. A little nearer home and three other postgrads David Mercer, Beth Taylor and Philippa West have staff jobs with regionals in Lancashire. David and Beth are at the Wigan Evening Post and Philippa is with the Burnley Express. Matt Monaghan landed a short term contract with the Lancashire Telegraph after finishing his course.
It’s a similar picture with the undergrads. Two of our sports mad students, James Gordon and Jon Bell, have joined the Manchester online outfit FastWeb Media. Hayley Merrick is with the Chorley-based web outfit Inspia where she’s working with Andy Barton another alumnus. Rachael Meredith is working for New Energy Focus. Com the London-based business to business website.
On the newspaper front Charlotte Wareing is on staff at the Chorley and Leyland Guardian while Jon Saunders headed for his home county of Hertfordshire with the Hemel Hempstead Gazette. Sophie Wyllie returned to her East Anglian roots as a trainee reporter with the Lynn News. Richard Blackledge who picked up the award for best student newspaper journalist at this summer’s graduation has a contract with the Sheffield Star, while Michael Broomhead is working for his hometown paper, The Buxton Advertiser.
“This gives us an employment ratio of 60% in the most difficult newspaper market for a generation. Their success is down to their own hard work and talent coupled with the dedication of everyone who’s taught them. Leading Fleet Street journalist Michael Williams (Sunday Times, Independent on Sunday) also brings an extra dimension to the students learning,” said Delwyn Swingewood, Course Leader MA/PG Dip Newspaper Journalism and third year print route leader. “It’s also good to see employers recognise that our students are well equipped for the digital sector which is largely due to the expertise of Andy Dickinson who is recognised as one of the best teachers in the industry.”
Our former students did well in this month’s O2 Media Awards for Greater Manchester and Lancashire. Natalie Banks who’s with the Chorley and Leyland Guardian, was young journalist of the year in the weekly category. Rob Dawson, who was on the 2007-08 postgraduate course and is at the Stockport Express was runner up. Former postgrad Catherine Pye was young journalist of the year (daily) for her work at the Lancashire Telegraph. And Joe Robinson who graduated with an upper second in 2006 was runner up.
29 October 2009
