Lack of training investment is ‘utter madness’

Twenty-six journalists who graduated with diplomas accredited by the Editorial Centre have been presented with their awards.

The Hastings-based centre, formerly run by Westminster Press, is celebrating its 25th year of training journalists this year.

Famous old boys and girls include David Yelland, former editor of The Sun, Andy Coulson, editor of the News of the World, John Sage, editor in chief at Teletext, Sharon Hendry, editor of Sun Woman, and Rebecca Hardy, former editor of The Scotsman.

At the annual diploma lunch Peter Sands, director of the centre, told his former trainees, now all seniors, not to forget their responsibility to invest in the next generation and to ensure that they got the same opportunities.

“It strikes me as utter madness that, as the skills requirement has grown colossally, some employers have invested less and less in their people,” he said.

The trainees who received their awards last week were: James Clements (Bucks Free Press); Nick Pearson, Catherine Hole (Evening Post, Bristol); Toby Allanson, Sarah Rest, Rachel Symonds (Herts and Essex Newspapers); Emily Hall (Kent Messenger Group); Victoria Cook (Somerset County Gazette); Marc Cooper, Paul Wilson, Colette Jackson (Western Gazette); Will Hawkes (Kentish Times); Aliya Frostrick (Somerset Standard); Christian Lockyer (Mid Somerset Newspapers); Nik Shelton, Emiko Priest, James Fuller, Laura Matless, Jane Denny (Cambridge Evening News); Naomi Cassidy (Romford Recorder); Vivien Lambe (Woking News & Mail); Matt Chorley (Taunton Times); Edward Keating, Rowena Speirs (Weston & Somerset Mercury); James Pearce, Clare Green (photography diploma) (The Bath Chronicle).