THE vast majority of graduates who have gained a Diploma in Journalism from the National Council for the Training of Journalists are quickly getting jobs in the industry, new research has revealed.
Says a NCTJ spokesperson: “The independent research, Destinations of NCTJ Diploma in Journalism Students, was commissioned by the NCTJ and designed to provide comparable results to the graduate destinations survey conducted by the Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA). Mark Spilsbury designed the research and authored the report, with BMG Research undertaking the fieldwork.”
Among the findings:
* 96 per cent of those who attained the gold standard in the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism – A-C grades in all NCTJ exams and 100 words per minute shorthand – told researchers they were working, when questioned, within six-to-ten months of finishing their NCTJ-accredited courses. 86 per cent of them said they had secured a journalism-related job.
* Overall, 82 per cent of those who had completed the NCTJ diploma were in work, compared with 70 per cent of leavers from higher education courses across all subjects.
* Gold standard diploma students fared best, with 96 per cent in work, compared with 90 per cent of those who passed the diploma, and 72 per cent of those who had not completed the diploma.
* Print publishers are the most likely first-job destination: 30 per cent of those who were working had jobs with newspapers, followed by magazines (11 per cent), online or digital (nine per cent), television (seven per cent) and radio (four per cent). Of the rest, six per cent are working in public relations and 35 per cent in other sectors.
* The majority of the jobs (58 per cent) are full-time or open-ended, with a further 13 per cent on contracts of 12 months or longer. Gold standard diploma graduates fared best, with 68 per cent of them in a permanent job.
* Among those with a job in journalism, the research found 77 per cent felt that having their NCTJ qualification was required (37 per cent said it was a necessity, 40 per cent that it was an advantage).
* 77 per cent reported the Diploma in Journalism prepared them well for employment – and this rises to 96 per cent for those with the gold standard and 85 per cent for those completing the diploma.
* The median salary for NCTJ Diploma in Journalism graduates is £15-20,000, less than the £20,500 figure for higher education graduates as a whole.
The research was based on a survey of 205 individuals who studied for the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism on an accredited course and were contacted within six-to-ten months of completing their studies.
Source: ‘Destinations of NCTJ Diploma in Journalism Students’, commissioned by the NCTJ, published July 21 2015. Read the report, here.
