The college team set to take over the running of the Post got their first taste of life at the paper this week, with two days of exclusive mentoring.
The 12 students from Barking & Dagenham College were given an insight to life behind Barking and Dagenham’s well-loved paper as part of our ongoing Create Your Future partnership.
After a tour of the newspaper’s Ilford offices, the group explored the tools at their disposal in the world of 21st century media before matching up their skills and interests with the various roles needed to produce a successful news title.
“I really enjoyed it and felt like I learnt,” said fashion design student Emillie Rix.
“I’m much more excited about the project now.
“At first I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t understand everything, but I feel really inspired now.
“It was also great to get a first taste of the office because it just made everything feel real and professional.”
The next day the students went into more detail, getting to grips with the software and exploring what makes an interesting story and an eye-catching front page.
The creative juices were soon flowing and the group also began planning their own stories before pitching their ideas to the rest of the team in a news meeting.
Although the sessions provided the students with a lot to get their heads around, they relished the challenge and are looking forward to producing their own edition of the paper.
The students will return to Post HQ this week, with the takeover now less than a month away.
The Post’s news editor Ramzy Alwakeel, who led the sessions, is confident the group will rise to the challenge.
“It was good to meet the group after reading so much about them,” he said.
“They’re definitely a talented and enthusiastic bunch with some exciting ideas about how to make the Post their own, so it’ll be great to see them in action.
“Hopefully we won’t all be out of a job afterwards.”
Read More
Create Your Future: Students who will take over Barking and Dagenham Post revealed
Create Your Future: Maggie Philbin urges students to weigh up all the options
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here