As reported by the Newspaper Society: The Duke of York was speaking to an audience of local and regional newspaper editors about the benefits of apprenticeships for employers at the Society of Editors' regional conference near Birmingham on Monday.
The Conference also heard from a series of senior figures from across the industry including Liverpool Echo editor Alastair Machray, The News editor Mark Waldron, The Citizen editor Jenny Eastwood, digital innovation editor Trinity Mirror Regionals Alison Gow, Evening Standard managing editor Doug Wills, Cumbrian Newspapers editor David Helliwell, Trinity Mirror Regionals editorial director Neil Benson, Derby Telegraph editor Neil White, Johnston Press editorial director Jeremy Clifford and Southern Daily Echoeditor in chief Ian Murray, president of the Society of Editors.
The Duke of York spoke about the potential benefits for local and regional newspapers of taking on apprentices in newsrooms, telling editors: “You have a very important role not just in your own organisations to think about what you need but you have a role to catalyse and to campaign on behalf of young people in your various areas that you have an audience.
“And that’s just as important to make it possible and to make other small and medium sized businesses understand the worth of having an apprentice.”
Speaking of the “local solution for a national problem” of creating more apprenticeships, the Duke of York said to editors: “Each and every one of you has a different part of the country and there different sets of circumstances that apply in your part of the world. Apply those as best you can on to how to employ or take an apprentice or encourage apprenticeships.
“There is no point in somebody in London telling you this is the way it’s going to be because it doesn’t work locally.”
NCTJ chief executive Joanne Butcher spoke about the creation of the first apprenticeships in journalism – a scheme which is currently being piloted by local media publishers Archant London and the KM Group as well as other media organisations.
In a session on sport, Jenny Eastwood and Mark Waldron spoke of the success of recently relaunched sports titles the Pink Un and the Sports Mail for The Citizen and The News respectively.
Alastair Machray spoke of the importance of football coverage for the Liverpool Echo, divulging that the paper had a 30 minute one-to-one telephone conversation with Liverpool FC manager Brendan Rodgers each day.
Neil Benson spoke about Trinity Mirror’s newsroom 3.1 initiative which will see newsrooms publish digital first, a greater emphasis on forward planning, and cooperation between commercial and editorial staff.
Jeremy Clifford spoke of the success of an increased amount of user generated content in the Bourne Local and the Pocklington Post which had resulted in a rise in ad revenues and web traffic.
Ian Murray spoke of the successful price increase of the Southern Daily Echo which had resulted in a 20 per cent increase in sales revenue. Neil White spoke of the huge audiences for Derby Telegraph products which reach 120,000 people each day.
