Reach PLC and University of Central Lancashire announce journalism collaboration
A partnership in Lancashire between one of the UK’s top journalism schools and the UK’s largest multimedia publisher has been confirmed.
The University of Central Lancashire and Reach PLC will be combining to offer structured placements to journalism students.
Reach PLC has recently launched Lancs Live — a county-wide news, sport and what’s on website — and will be working with UCLan to offer journalism students the opportunity to hone their digital newsgathering skills.
Students on the BA (Hons) Journalism, Sports Journalism and MA Journalism course will rotate through Lancs Live to gain experience at the Walton Summit office, also home to the Northern production hub of the Daily Express, Daily Star and celebrity magazines such as OK! and New, before stand-out students are invited back for longer placements as part of their course.
Julie Freer, UCLan’s Journalism Academic Lead, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Reach PLC in this partnership. Journalism at UCLan has a long and successful history of working with industry and work placements are a core part of our programmes, but this partnership offers us a structured relationship that promises to help our students develop their skills in a real-world environment.
“The partnership will become an integral part of the courses, benefiting students at both undergraduate and post graduate level.”
As part of the partnership, Reach PLC editors and journalists from its North West titles and across the group will speak at guest lectures at UCLan and act as guest editors on newsdays run by the course.
Editor (Digital) for Reach Regionals, and UCLan alumni and leader in residence for journalism, Ed Walker, said: “I received my grounding in journalism from the course at UCLan, so to be able to help set up this partnership and give something back to the university — while also helping support our ambitions in Lancashire — is great.
“Many journalists, and editors, in our newsrooms studied at UCLan, or Preston Poly as it was, and the course is held in high regard.
“We hope this partnership will ensure students are being upskilled in the latest digital newsgathering techniques and getting exposure to working at the cutting edge of digital storytelling alongside our Lancs Live team.
“This partnership builds on other successful relationships and partnerships our titles have across the country with local journalism schools and universities, and we will also be looking to work with journalism training providers to ensure their courses are equipping graduates with the skills they need to succeed in our newsrooms.
“Those who really shine during these placements will be given the chance to come back for longer placements in their second-semester which are an established part of the course. And those who really impress will have the opportunity to do freelance paid shifts at Lancs Live and the wider Express newspapers hub at Walton Summit as well.”
The partnership, which was announced at UCLan’s first Leaders in Residence event on Thursday 14 March, will formally begin from September 2019.
