The 18-month course will see six young people joining newsrooms at the Bradford Telegraph & Argus, York Press and The Northern Echo, in Darlington, says Newsquest.
In Bradford, Ellie Clayton will be joining the sports desk as an apprentice sports reporter and Saira Ahmed will be working in the newsroom as an apprentice news reporter.
For Ellie, journalism runs in the family – her aunt, Emma Clayton, is one of the T&A’s award-winning features writers.
Saira has recently finished a media studies course where a three-minute film she made about Skipton market was picked up by the local council and used as a marketing tool.
Lucy Acklam will be a news reporter apprentice on the York Press and Joseph Richardson joins the Press sports desk.
Lucy is a former actor with a number of film and television credits, including Hollyoaks and BBC Crimewatch.
Joseph is a graduate in modern foreign languages from Newcastle University. Fluent in French and Spanish, he edited the university’s multilingual magazine and was instrumental in launching an online version.
The apprenticeship scheme is aimed at candidates who want to develop a career in journalism by combining learning at college with on-the-job training. Apprentices will study for the NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism at Darlington College, spending one day a week in the classroom and the other four in the newsroom.
Georgia Banks, 19, and Paige McDermott, 21, were selected for the Northern Echo apprenticeships.
Georgia said: "I chose the apprenticeship route because I was unsure if university was for me and felt I'd learn much more in an on the job role. I'm really looking forward to starting."
Newsquest editorial development director Toby Granville said: “The Newsquest apprenticeship scheme is a fantastic opportunity for wannabe journalists to follow their dreams without needing to go to university.
"It’s an exciting career and this scheme means it can now be open to everyone with the right skills and talent - regardless of their academic background.
“I’m delighted to welcome our first six apprentices – and look forward to many more award-winning journalists in the making joining us in the months to come.”
