THE Guernsey Press has joined with the newly-formed Press Association Training to launch its own in-house journalism training diploma.
The 12-month programme covers all aspects of journalism training including shorthand, with the law and government syllabus tailored to the Channel Islands.
To gain the diploma, trainees must attend a series of classroom modules with regular copy clinics, collect a portfolio of evidence for external assessment, work in the newsroom for at least 12 months and pass examinations in shorthand at 100wpm, government and law.
The diploma is based on the award-winning training schemes in Hastings and Newcastle which have been acquired by PA.
Guernsey Press editor Richard Digard said: “We have sent our trainees to the Editorial Centre in Hastings for a number of years and been very impressed with the results.
“We realised that all of our journalists would benefit enormously from this training, so asked the centre to help us set up our own scheme.”
The Press is putting ten trainee journalists through the first course, with a further ten seniors also taking the course from September.
The Editorial Centre, now part of Press Association Training, runs a similar scheme for Thomas Crosbie Holdings, publishers of the Irish Examiner.
The training on the Guernsey scheme is delivered by Peter Sands, director of PA Training, consultant Robin Thompson and Guernsey Press assistant editor James Falla.
Sands, who has had a long relationship with the Guernsey helping it turn compact in 1999, said: “Finding the right staff in Guernsey has always been a challenge, so the paper has decided to grow its own. It is a huge step forward and typical of the creative spirit found over here.”
The scheme is supported by The Guernsey Training Agency. Chief executive Richard Condor said: “The introduction of the diploma in journalism course at the Guernsey Press has been a truly innovative and visionary initiative.
“Having seen the course in action, it is obvious that the quality of materials, the expertise and commitment of the lecturing staff and the sheer enthusiasm and energy of the students makes for a unique and truly exciting learning experience.”
The Press Association’s training divisions, The Editorial Centre in Hastings and the recently-acquired Trinity Mirror centre in Newcastle, have joined to form a new training company, Press Association Training.

Caption: Peter Sands (centre) and James Falla (far left) with the first intake of Guernsey Press trainees.