Johnston Press promotes ethnic diversity with student bursaries

Johnston Press has awarded bursaries for five students from ethnic minority backgrounds to take journalism courses.

It is the second year in a row that awards have been made by the regional newspaper publishing group.

Three recipients of last year’s awards have already secured journalism jobs with Johnston titles.

The
awards have been made for students to attend courses at universities
and colleges that are accredited by the National Council for the
Training of Journalists.

The scheme was launched after a staff
survey within Johnston Press revealed that the ethnic and social
demographic mix of editorial teams in some centres was “out of balance”
with the communities the papers served.

Johnston Press’s director
of HR Malcolm Vickers said: “We are delighted to be working towards
employing a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. These
bursaries form an important part of this strategy.”

The group is
also launching an initiative to identify staff in each of its
publishing companies who will act as “diversity champions”, with
responsibility for surveying current staffing levels and finding ways
for group titles to develop closer employment links with the
communities.