Encouraging young talent

LAST summer, as one of my first moves since being appointed editor of the Guernsey Press, we launched our first intern scheme.

In part, it was helping us out of a staffing problem at a peak time of the year. But also it was an idea to try to unearth the next generation of would-be reporters, to give the Guernsey Press a longer-term plan for the recruitment of staff.

If there were students at university studying journalism and we didn’t know about them, we needed to know why. Likewise, if there were sixth-formers who were considering journalism as a career, maybe we could mutually help each other.

The idea was that we would get some useful work from our interns, and they would gain experience in the industry. If it was to be of long-term use for us, then that would be great. If it was of long-term use for them in their careers, then that would be fantastic too.

We have seen a few people over the years who have passed through the Guernsey Press and gone on to much bigger and better things. I am always proud that we have been a stepping stone for them in their careers. Maybe they got their first byline story with us. Maybe they’ve still got the cutting from that edition?

The response to our appeals for interns was fantastic. We had something like 12 applications. We started interviewing – many of them had to be done over Zoom or Teams, given that the candidate may well have been in the UK – and soon came to the conclusion that how could we just select two or three for the opportunity, which was paid, by the way.

So we agreed to take everybody, for a minimum of three weeks, and see how they rolled.

Some absolutely shone, some perhaps realised that for whatever reason, journalism might not be the route for them. We were indeed fortunate that one of them, Emily Abreu, was intending on taking a gap year before university. When we realised that we could make this work for both of us, we had no hesitation in offering her a one-year contract in the newsroom, which she was keen to accept. She has gone on to great things and I look forward to seeing Emily’s career continue to develop.

That desire to encourage young talent has encouraged us to join up with Black Vanilla to create a combined three-day PR and journalism work experience course, offering students a window into the communications industry.

Black Vanilla ran its own two-day workshop for public relations last year. I was impressed with the idea. For us in a busy newsroom, it’s not always so easy to be able to take work experience students without feeling you are letting them down. Taking a leaf from the BV book seemed a good way to get around the issue, and create another opportunity to find and nurture new talent.

The proposal is a three-day immersive PR and journalism workshop, running from Monday 27 to Wednesday 29 June. Included is a day of journalism, at the Guernsey Press offices, where the newspaper is still printed.

The other two days of the workshop will be hosted at the Digital Greenhouse, featuring a range of presentations and discussions about the PR and events industry.

Sessions with Black Vanilla will include information on reputation management, media relations, social media, copywriting and content creation. A careers Q&A will also afford students the opportunity to understand the range of career paths they can take into the industry and the skills required for success.

Attendees will also have the chance to learn about creating local news stories curated from national headlines, and the difference between writing general news, features and sports reports with the Guernsey Press.

On day three, students will be given a brief to create a PR campaign with journalistic elements included. This will enable them to collaborate on a campaign focused on a big news story for Guernsey, producing headlines and news stories, an event, graphics and Q&As to prepare for the media.

At the end of the day, presentations will be pitched to a panel of industry professionals and Black Vanilla’s clients.

Black Vanilla director Nichole Culverwell said: ‘We always have a high demand for work experience and that has increased in recent years. Our scheme has evolved to afford a greater number of students the opportunity to gain necessary industry experience as they explore avenues within the workplace, and we are thrilled to join forces with the Guernsey Press this year to bolster our offering.’

Last summer’s interns programme, which culminated in an edition of the newspaper where I gave editorial control of the whole of the paper to the interns, was one of the most enjoyable periods we could have had in the newsroom, bringing a new vitality and zest into the building.

So I’m looking forward to seeing what develops from this course. Both for the Guernsey Press, and for the careers of potential young journalists of the future.

Anyone with any interest should look to sign up – you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain, including some pretty influential contacts.

u The three-day programme will take place from Monday 27 to Wednesday 29 June. Registration details and more information can be found at:

https://black-vanilla.gg/black-vanilla-and-guernsey-press-work-experience/

My intern experience

APPLYING for a Guernsey Press internship was the best decision I possibly could have made when coming out of sixth form last year.

It has been an extremely varied and rewarding experience where no two days are the same, and I can’t thank the newspaper enough for what has been a brilliant opportunity. Not only have I gained invaluable experience of working in a newsroom, but I have been introduced to so many fantastic people and have learnt more about my island and its community.

From day one, everyone at the Press made me feel instantly welcome and part of the team, where they have supported me through developing my confidence in both writing and speaking to new people. Working alongside other interns on the Pride of Guernsey Awards was the perfect stepping stone to prepare me for tackling larger stories and using my own initiative. I was absolutely thrilled when I was offered a year’s contract and have continued to enjoy coming to work every day.

Emily Abreu