UK newspaper partners with schools on 'digital diploma'

Posted by Emily Dilling on February 24, 2009 at 8:32 AM

The Teesside-based Evening Gazette, a UK regional daily newspaper, has teamed up with the local school consortium, Stockton Schools, to create a diploma in digital media, holdthefrontpage.co.uk reported Friday.

Set to launch in September, the diploma is considered to be the first of its kind in the United Kingdom, and is "intended to engage young people with digital media" by integrating practical training and hands-on experience into the traditional curriculum.

Students will publish articles addressing issues of local interest on the daily's hyperlocal Web sites. The experience is intended to teach students to write on deadline, publish online content and develop social networking skills, as well as professional experience. The diploma also offers an opportunity for the paper to encourage younger age groups to participate in reporting local news and contributing to their community's Web site, holdthefrongpage.co.uk reported.

The partnership between the newspaper and school will initially welcome 70 students, and is hoped will benefit both the publications and the students, giving them on-the-job experience.

"The students will benefit from our expertise and advice - and we'll benefit from their contributions," Evening Gazette Editor Darren Thwaites told holdthefrontpage.co.uk.