Chief Whip Michael Gove MP headlined the one-year anniversary celebration of News Academy - an initiative from News UK that has helped inspire more than 4,000 aspiring journalists.

The event was opened by CEO Mike Darcey and included presentations from students who are perusing careers in journalism after being involved in the programme through a range of conferences, school visits and online competitions.

The event marked the opening of applications for the 2015 News Academy Summer School. Under the guidance of some of Britain’s leading journalists, the 2015 cohort will create and publish their own newspaper. To see how last year’s student publication, SHIFT, was put together, watch the video here.

In its first year the News Academy has already received endorsement from senior political figures including Prime Minster David Cameron, Mayor of London Boris Johnson, as well as Education Secretary Nicky Morgan and Shadow Education Secretary, Tristram Hunt.

Michael Gove said:

Journalism is a vital part of a democracy, so it is excellent to see News UK giving young people a chance to develop their skills under expert guidance from some of the very best in the industry. In the age of social media there is a lot of speculation about the future of journalism, but as long as there are programmes such as News Academy, the profession will remain in rude health.

Mike Darcey commented:

We are proud that staff from across the business have already invested so much time and effort in the News Academy. News UK is firmly committed to delivering world–class journalism and distinctive content, and this initiative enables us to help and inspire the next generation of those who might one day work in our industry.

The event concluded with the launch of the News Academy’s exciting plans to get youngsters involved in reporting key issues during the General Election campaign, by producing original content from across the UK in the month prior to May 7.