Skip to main content

Dates announced for Guild’s 2020 journalism training award

By 14th November 2019July 27th, 2023No Comments
NewsTraining

The British Guild of Agricultural Journalists and John Deere Limited have announced the dates of the next training course for aspiring agricultural journalists.

The course will run from Sunday to Tuesday 5-7 July 2020, plus three days’ work experience to be arranged for successful applicants.

Now in its 30th year, the course is designed to support one of the principal aims of the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists – that of promoting schemes for the provision of suitable entrants into agricultural journalism.

The John Deere Training Award is primarily aimed at graduating students keen to find full-time work in the agricultural media, and at journalists or public relations staff who already have less than 12 months’ practical work experience.

There are 10 full places available on this annual five and a half-day course, which is in two parts.

The first two-and-a-half days are held at John Deere’s headquarters in Langar, Nottingham, and a local hotel.

They involve lectures by experienced journalism training consultant David Mascord, with practical exercises that cover the main media sectors, and guest speakers such as Tim Relf of The Operative Word.

A separate minimum three-day placement sees each of the selected full course members given practical work experience at one of a range of specialist magazines, newspapers and PR consultancies across Britain.

At the end of the course, each person has to write a news story for judging by an expert panel.

The winner receives a £250 cheque and the handsome John Deere trophy, with an informal presentation taking place later in the year, usually at the Guild’s Harvest Lunch in London in October.

Those interested in attending the course, who must be studying and/or resident in Great Britain, have until the end of March 2020 to return a completed application form, available as a PDF file or an editable Word document.

For further details of the 2020 training course, download the course poster and/or contact course organiser Steve Mitchell of ASM Public Relations on 01926 818762 / 07717 213182 or at steve@asmpr.co.uk.

The training course at Langar and course accommodation in Nottingham are free of charge, although successful applicants are expected to cover their own out of pocket expenses.

Preference will normally be given to students graduating this summer and looking for work, as it is common for full-time positions to be available in both journalism and PR every year at or around the time the course takes place.

For a full list of award ‘graduates’ since the first course in 1991, including many well-known names currently working in the agricultural media, please take a look at the Roll of Honour.