Program Overview

Senior Journalist Apprenticeship

Overview

Are you a journalist looking to take the next step in your career? This Level 7 Senior Journalist Apprenticeship course, led by experienced journalists from across industry, will open up future prospects by equipping you with the skills and knowledge needed to progress into a senior role in the media.

You'll spend 20% of your time (one day a week) refreshing your current skills and learning new skills and 80% (four days a week) in your workplace. You'll also be equipped to take the NCTJ National Qualification in Journalism (NQJ).

You'll study online with a blended mix of learning including lectures, practical workshops, seminars, and industry placements. You'll also have regular tripartite meetings with an academic coach and a workplace mentor to track your progress toward your NQJ and your apprenticeship assessments.

The course will cover key developments around digital publishing and brand awareness and include full training in media law and editorial leadership.

Why us?

• This course is led by experienced journalists who have worked across industry for the likes of Grazia, The Mirror, Private Eye and The Economist
• We have a long history of training journalists who have gone on to work in leading roles across digital, print and broadcast media
• We maintain contacts with leading players from across industry, to give you the best insight into the modern media landscape
• The University of Sunderland's apprenticeship provision has been rated good by Ofsted (July 2024)
• You'll be equipped to take the NCTJ National Qualification in Journalism (NQJ) as part of the course
• Receive full training in media law and editorial leadership
• The University of Sunderland is 1st in the North East for how teaching staff make the subject engaging. (National Student Survey, 2024)

Course structure

This apprenticeship is work-based so there is a strong element of practical learning and project work. You'll mostly study online with a blended mix of learning including lectures, quizzes, workshops, seminars, and brainstorming sessions. You'll also have regular tripartite meetings with an academic coach and a workplace mentor to track your progress toward your NQJ and your apprenticeship assessments. There will be in-person inductions to introduce you to your tutors, learning materials, and resources.

Core modules:

• Journalism Portfolio Develop an advanced ability to generate story ideas, interview people from different contexts, write in a variety of styles, and produce a range of audio and visual content. Develop your ability to use data and social media to tell stories across a variety of platforms in a way that demonstrates the expertise, authority, and trustworthiness of you and your employer.
• Digital Brand Publishing Develop advanced skills in digital publishing. Continue to engage with analytics, search engine optimisation, and social media to understand how to find the audience for your content and grow that audience. Learn the latest techniques in telling stories with text, photography, video, audio, and interactives. Explore the latest developments in data journalism – including how to find data, interpret it, and bring it to life with compelling storytelling and visualisations. Use social media to curate content and sources ethically and legally, and take steps to ensure verification and transparency to build trust in your journalism.
• Brand Awareness Gain an advanced awareness of media brands, in both digital and print, and learn how to develop a brand, and engage, and grow a target audience. Develop an understanding of the key commercial concerns faced by UK publishers and the different methods editorial teams use to monetise content, build brand awareness, and adopt additional revenue streams.
• Editorial Leadership Develop the management skills required to work as a senior journalist or editor, including mentoring and developing junior staff, chairing editorial conferences, delegating tasks, and decision-making regarding your brand. Learn how to pitch and present ideas to editorial executives, advertisers, and brand partners.
• Media Law and Ethics Gain up-to-date knowledge of defamation, privacy, copyright, and confidence law, the Contempt of Court Act, and court reporting restrictions and how to challenge them. Learn how to apply the Editors’ code regulated by Ipso, to content to ensure it is ethically compliant. Learn how to protect confidential sources, take senior responsibility for freelance content, and how to mentor other journalists to work in a legally and ethically responsible way.

Facilities

This course is taught online with a blended mix of learning including lectures, quizzes, workshops, seminars, and brainstorming sessions.

Entry requirements

We don’t currently display entry requirements for Ireland. Please contact the Student Admin team on or .

While individual employers will select apprentices for a place on the course, you would usually be expected to have completed a period of more than 12 months on the job, or have a regulated Diploma in Journalism qualification, a degree in any subject, or have completed the Junior Journalist Apprenticeship.

Apprentices who begin their training at age 19 or older are no longer required to achieve English and Maths qualifications in order to complete their apprenticeship. Employers now have the discretion to determine whether these qualifications are necessary for their apprentices' roles. They may choose to include them as an entry requirement or integrate them into the training programme if considered relevant.

To search for apprenticeships offered by employers in your area, go to: gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship

Fees and finance

Larger organisations can use their apprenticeship levy and government top-up to pay tuition and professional fees of higher apprenticeships. For smaller employers, the government pays 95%, with the remainder co-invested by the business.

For a discussion around your specific requirements please call or email .

This information was correct at the time of publication.

Career ready

This course will prepare you for a role as a senior journalist and in roles such as digital editor, content editor, features editor, news editor, audience relationship manager, video journalist, and senior reporter.