About
News UK
Welcome to News Academy
Our mission at the News Academy is to invest in the future of journalism, to help and inspire the next generation of those who might one day work in our industry. The News Academy works with 14 to 25 year olds who are passionate about becoming the next generation of journalists.
We are creating a national talent agency for News UK titles to find and train the best young journalists in the UK. To do this, we offer a mix of masterclasses and training, career advice and support, plus work experience, internships and for the best, paid work at Times Radio, Virgin Radio, talkSPORT, TalkTV, The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times.
We believe that a vibrant news industry is vital for a mature democracy. Our mission is to secure a sustainable future for that distinct, high quality independent journalism.
Sarah Gallo, EVP Chief People Officer
"At News UK, we partner with many outreach programmes to ensure that we are part of the solution to the diversity challenge in journalism. Not only is it vital that we provide opportunities for all, we are consistently inspired by the talent that comes to us for internships and apprenticeships, with 80% moving into full time roles. Telling the stories that matter most is at the heart of what our brands do, and broadening our pool of journalistic talent helps us achieve this day after day."
Creating a pipeline for talent
OUTREACH
To ensure talented young people from a variety of backgrounds are inspired to aspire to careers within our industry, we invest significant sums each year in delivering outreach programmes in communities.
Here are some of the partners we are proud to work with to discover the next generation of superstar journalists:
The Black Collective of Media in Sport
Each year we participate in BCOMS’ Masterclass programme with top journalists offer tips and advice in events held in London, Manchester and Sheffield. Previous speakers include Sun Sport Editor Shaun Custis, The Times Chief Football Writer Henry Winter and talkSPORT Presenter Darren Bent. Watch the video here.
The Disability & Journalism Forum
When it came to recruitment of journalists with disabilities there were no groups in existence to support organisations like ours - so we created one. The first-ever conference highlighting the impact people with disabilities make on the journalism industry was launched in March, supported entirely by News UK.
The accessible event saw leading disabled journalists and experts come together to discuss a variety of topics from how to better attract and retain talent to how neurodiversity can benefit newsrooms.
The social mobility charity work with schools and colleges to inspire ambitious 16-18 year old students, those in Year 12 upwards, to access our scheme, which can ultimately match them with prestigious and motivating employers.
Their process is a vital support for students who may not ordinarily be able to access to this kind of opportunity.
News UK work with Talent Tap to provide two fortnight-long summer schools for students in London and Manchester.
Aziz Foundation
The Aziz Foundation is a family charitable foundation established to nurture confident, articulate public leaders of Muslim background who are able to critically engage with public narratives and address the social challenges facing British Muslim communities and wider society.
News UK provides internships for Aziz alumni as well as running journalism bootcamps to inspire the next generation of talent into the industry. Watch the video here.
NCTJ Journalism Diversity Fund
News UK is one of the industry’s major backers for the fund which awards bursaries to people from diverse backgrounds who need help funding their NCTJ journalism training.
We have also provide work experience and mentoring to JDF alumni and have proudly sponsored the NCTJ Awards three years running.
We also work with the NCTJ to provide our interns with a Certificate of Foundation Journalism, an entry-level qualification equivalent to an A-Level.
We are proud to be a partner for this community platform celebrating and connecting Black journalists and those aspiring to work in journalism and media.
We hold masterclasses and networking events throughout the year as well as promoting our job opportunities through this fantastic network.
We are proud to be working with The John Schofield Trust, which is working hard to improve social mobility in UK and Irish newsrooms through its mentoring schemes for early career and apprentice journalists, and for undergraduate journalism students.
We are particularly proud to be working with them on their Journalism Cares initiative for care-experienced journalists from all sectors of the industry. It will support their career ambitions with a skills-focussed programme which includes mentoring from experienced journalists.
The Raheem Sterling Foundation
Through his charitable organisation, Raheem Sterling is dedicated to helping those from disadvantaged backgrounds break down barriers to success, find their voice, and realise their true potential in the world.
News UK works with the RSF to deliver classes on podcasting, sports writing and presenting to young people in Brent, North London, and Manchester aged 14-18. This year we are expanding the programme to provide paid work experience opportunities to youngsters who participate in the initiative with the aim of improving their employability. Check out the video here.
Work experience
There is a huge disparity in the opportunities afforded to students outside of London and the South East. As a result we have focused our efforts on NCTJ-accredited universities and colleges, providing tours as well as two-week work experience opportunities with travel paid for.
We are proud to work with universities including Liverpool John Moores, the University of Sunderland and Leeds Trinity.
Mark Hudson, Head of Creative Diversity
"Following direction from our executive team, we created an effective pipeline so talent from a variety of backgrounds could thrive in careers across News UK.
"My job before joining the Diversity Team was as a Creative Director on our advertising team, where I had already been using the marketing funnel to help brands sell products. So we’ve taken the same approach to selling our careers..."
Creating a pipeline for talent
Since 2021 we have:
- Delivered more than 2,000 work experience placements with a focus on people from socio-economic, ethnicity, disability and female backgrounds with expenses paid
- Created 49 six-month paid internships to help talent from disadvantaged backgrounds. Most of this talent were in Job Centres as News UK was the first media organisation to partner on the Government’s Kickstart scheme
- Have created 85 two-year apprenticeships in the last two years with another 27 on the way in January 2024. Of these apprentices, 45% are from ethnic minority backgrounds, 63% are female, 15% are LGBTQ+ and 10% are disabled. Currently, 80% of our apprentices have moved into permanent roles at News UK, higher than the average national apprentice retention rate. Of the 20% we haven’t retained, most left as they were poached by rival media organisations.
AWARENESS: Use outreach programmes to inspire and excite young people from diverse backgrounds
CONSIDERATION: Equip those who are interested with more information about what jobs involve and what education & skills are needed to get there.
CLOSE: Have paid opportunities for talent to get their first step in the industry through internships and apprenticeships.
We are almost there with the launch of our new website and social media campaign planned for 2024 that will accelerate what has already been achieved.
But the feedback from the teams involved is clear. They are delighted with the people we have brought through, with 80% of our apprentices finding full-time roles.
We can confidently conclude that talent is spread equally across the UK but opportunity is not. Thanks to our recruitment funnel, we are finally levelling the playing field and reaping the rewards.
We have created an industry-first recruitment funnel to help talent from all backgrounds progress all the way to finding a job. Let’s start at the finish line and work our way backwards:
CORPORATE APPRENTICESHIPS
While our newsrooms are a big focus, we have also created innovative apprenticeships across our business to help make sure our teams are future fit. Our apprenticeships are two-year contracts, paid at £25,000 and will see you working towards an industry-recognised qualification for 20% of your time.
You will also receive support from a mentor, your peers and line manager specific to your individual needs to make sure you have the best chance of moving into a permanent role with us.
We are proud of the fact that 80% of our apprentices have moved into full-time roles with us.
JOURNALISM
Shayma Bahkt:
Former apprentice and Times News Reporter Shayma has won multiple honours this year including being named Young Journalist of the Year at the Press Awards.
Among her notable stories includes travelling to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia for the foreign desk where she uncovered the Kingdom-wide trafficking of maids through its biggest buying and selling website. She posed as a buyer and met with Saudi citizens and was able to find out details about the mistreatment of these domestic workers, their forced transfers and the pennies they were being paid.
Dan Kane:
Sports-mad Dan was named Apprentice of the Year by the National Council of Training Journalists and secured a dream job at talkSPORT.
Dan’s line manager said he “has impressed everyone with his professionalism, not least in his different rotations where his colleagues didn’t want him to leave.”
Michelle Harris:
Talented Michelle is close to completing her apprenticeship and aims to be The Sun’s first wheelchair-using reporter.
The driven single mum has impressed her colleagues and college tutors, scoring top marks in most of her assignments. She’s currently writing features for The Sun’s lifestyle section Fabulous where bosses say she brings new ideas and energy that they love.
Ja Vanie Stephens and Sophia Williams:
Non-graduates Ja Vanie and Sophia are The Sun’s first-ever photography apprentices. They have been sent on a variety of different placements during their apprenticeship including working in our studios shooting covers, learning how to make behind the scenes video and shadowing some of Fleet Street’s most experienced photographers.
Ja Vanie has found her passion in documentary storytelling and is now a Junior Video Producer, while Sophia is now the go-to photographer for the features picture desk.
Uma Gurav:
Super-smart Uma is hugely passionate about creating a platform for women’s sport. Despite still completing her apprenticeship she already writes and edits her own section on talkSPORT.com and regularly appears on air giving updates on the Women’s Super League among other sports.
INTERNSHIPS
We at News UK recognise that for some people, starting a full-time role with a big organisation can be incredibly daunting.
Many people need valuable work experience to help boost their confidence and employability.
What are internships?
Six months paid work experience including a paid-for NCTJ Certificate of Foundation Journalism, a qualification equivalent to an A-Level
What’s the aim of internships?
To get the intern up to the level where they can secure an entry-level position or apprenticeship. For many reasons, some disadvantaged kids struggle to settle in a big corporate environment as their first job. The aim of this level is to give them six months to learn how to feel comfortable in their first job.
Has it worked?
Yes. More than half of our 49 interns have found full-time jobs with us, while most of the others have found jobs elsewhere. We work with interns at the end of the scheme to go through their CV, cover letters, create LinkedIn profiles and discuss their career next steps. We also support them with mentoring post-internship.
Was this related to the Kickstart programme?
Yes. We established internships by using the Government’s funding available under the Kickstart programme which has now ended. During that programme - aimed at jobless people aged under 24 - the government paid three days per week at minimum wage. We topped up the rest to make a full week of work and invested further in a Certificate of Foundation Journalism qualification. News UK delivered 42 internships under this programme, with around half of interns moving into apprenticeships, permanent roles or regular shifts afterwards. It proved a vital level in ensuring people from disadvantaged backgrounds could get the experience they need to be employable at our place.
We believe the scheme is so important that News UK has committed to investing £600,000 every year into providing these vital entry-level opportunities.
Are internships available to everyone?
No. We work on specific programmes each summer with charities and community groups. The best place to stay across the latest opportunities is our careers site: newscareers.co.uk.
I need an internship for my university course - can I have one? I don’t need paying!
Unfortunately we do not believe any more than two weeks’ work experience unpaid is fair on the individual. As a result we do not offer internships in this form at News UK.
The four interns who met then Chancellor Rishi Sunak tell what the News UK Internship scheme means to them…
George Moore, 24, Sport intern
“When I was made redundant due to Covid, I felt completely disillusioned with my prospects. But being on this internship means I’ll be able to bounce back, and all of us hope to be appealing candidates to future employers.”
Oonagh Baker, 22, Fabulous fashion team
“The breadth of opportunities on this internship meant I was able to find something that is right for me. Like a quarter of a million other young people, I will be able to get started on a career I can see myself in long term.”
Sante Koranteng, 23, Fabulous fashion team
“I am not a university graduate and most internships only want graduates, so I’m glad News UK does not discriminate. It’s brilliant I get paid while also enriching my CV and portfolio.”
Yasmin Choudhury, 21, on TV and Showbiz
“As a young Bengali woman, I believe this internship is essential in helping young people of colour, who are particularly hard hit by unemployment. It’s been a lifeline and will give me vital skills and experience.”
One of our former Kickstart interns Sharin Hussain was nominated for a Kickstart award. She also secured an apprenticeship with The Times and set up News UK’s first-ever Muslim Network.
“It was amazing to have been shortlisted for a Kickstart award that had over 4,000 nominations. To be one of the 15 finalists is a huge achievement and whilst I didn’t win, I wasn’t actually expecting to and didn’t need the validation either. My goal was to bring attention to the work I’m doing at News UK which was starting up the Muslim Network which is one of the first of its kind in the media industry.” Watch the video on Sharin's media industry beginnings here.
Emmagayle Harper, 27, Sun Letters Editor
"My internship with News UK gave me an abundance of practical, invaluable industry experience and newsroom skills that helped me to thrive and carve out a path in my dream career. My News UK colleagues and mentors were extremely supportive and encouraging in helping me get to grips with my role and the intricacies of working in a fast paced newsroom environment."
Zak Swindell, Video Assistant Intern, talkSPORT
"The internship scheme paved the way for me to achieve incredible things within the industry. If it wasn't for this scheme I wouldn't be in the position I am today."
