A TEAM of Grimsby Institute students are working with the Grimsby Telegraph to give them first-hand experience of journalism.
It is the second group of multi-platform journalism degree students to have a regular placement in the newsroom.
They are going out into areas of North East Lincolnshire to pick up stories, shadowing staff reporters and photographers and creating videos.
Course leader Emma Lingard said: "The media industry is getting harder to get into, especially now that employers are expecting more journalists to have multi-media skills so they understand how to write and perform for newspaper, radio, TV and online.
"The course the students are on is accredited by the Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC), and is seen as one of the best journalism courses in the UK.
"The placement with the Telegraph is a perfect opportunity for anyone wanting to be a journalist to gain some hands-on experience.
"It's been great, too, to see the confidence of the students develop over the weeks they have been in the newsroom so far. Working alongside the professionals has boosted it tremendously.
"One of the students from the first group who took part, Richard York, now has a job reporting at the Telegraph, so it proves how useful it is in real terms."
Telegraph news editor Lucy Wood added: "This is a fantastic opportunity for the student reporters to find out what working for a busy daily newspaper is all about."
The students will be with the Grimsby Telegraph until the end of April, so keep looking out for their work.
If you have a story for the student reporter team, e-mail newsdesk@grimsbytelegraph.co.uk with 'Student Reporters' in the subject box.
Editor's Comment There is nothing as vital as giving young students real life work experience. In this ever competitive world, young people must be allowed to prove their worth on the 'shop floor'. Those who are determined, with the right potential – both in skill and personality – will gain a massive advantage when it comes to looking for full time employment. Even if the company they have not carried out work experience for has no vacancies, there will be positive recommendations and references available. Word of mouth is a wonderful thing when it comes to employment! In schools now, the placement of students on work experience is no longer a mandatory requirement – a great shame, but a move that will inevitably lead to a lack of focus in that area. And so in most cases it will be up to the students themselves, or their parents, to ensure that this happens. Its importance should not be underestimated – a capable and knowledgeable young member of staff will win hands down in the employment stakes. *Are you a firm that takes on work experience or did you get your job as a result of spending time at a company? Follow the editor on Twitter @michellelalor
