Four apprentices from diversity background have been appointed with the launch of a new apprenticeship scheme by the London Evening Standard and Independent.
Speaking about The appointment, Ken Olisa, Lord Liuetenant of Greater London told the sponsors who backed the scheme, to vcelebrate this inititative, which is a media first.
The apprentices began two years of training which includes a 20-week fast-track NCTJ course. The scheme was launched with four partners – Goldman Sachs, The Peabody Trust, The Stationers’ Foundation and the NCTJ Diversity Fund – who helped fund the project.
Over 200 people applied for the editorial apprenticeships which were open to anyone aged over 16 who had not been to university.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan gave his “wholehearted support” to the Evening Standard scheme saying: “One area where there are clearly still some deep-rooted inequalities is journalism, with ethnic minority groups in particular significantly under-represented within the industry. In my view, just as we need to see our public services become more representative of the communities they support, it’s important that the people who work in the media reflect the communities they report on and the audiences they serve.”
He added: “I commend the Evening Standard’s commitment to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. I’m optimistic that this could be a real step forward for the industry and I hope other newspapers will follow suit. I’m in no doubt that it’s schemes like this that will start to make a difference – increasing diversity and helping to produce the next generation of world-class journalists.”
The apprentices started their NCTJ course at UCFB Wembley on Monday 30 January. They will then complete their apprenticeship with on-the-job training at the Evening Standard, The Independent and London Live Television.
