Jack Grey, a Junior Journalist on an apprenticeship scheme run by Cardiff and Vale College in partnership with BBC Cymru Wales and ITV Wales, has been shortlisted for a Top Scoop Award by the National Council for the Training of Journalists.
“It’s very, very good to be nominated as these awards run throughout the UK so it’s great to see my name up there,” Jack said. “And also to see a name from Wales is good because there’s not many of us on the list.”
Jack is one of the first cohort of the Digital Journalism apprentices in a programme delivered by the College with the BBC Academy and ITV Wales. The 23-year-old from Swansea was one of the first on the scene when the statue of merchant and slave trader Edward Colston was pulled down in Bristol during one of the protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd in America last summer.
“I was at the protest in Bristol in a personal capacity and things started to get a bit heated,” Jack explains. “I got my camera out and filmed the statue getting pulled down.
“I tweeted the footage, saying it was from the BBC, and then I got flooded by requests to use it from all over. It was a bit overwhelming – I spent the rest of the afternoon dealing with emails and sending out copy.
“It was good to be part of something that’s since gone around the world.”
And as a result, the NCTJ has shortlisted Jack for Top Scoop in its 2020 Awards for Excellence, which will be announced this month.
Jack feels that his apprenticeship has been an excellent introduction to journalism – an industry in which it is notoriously difficult to gain entry.
“The lecturers and tutors have been really good and it’s also been good to work and learn at the same time,” he says. “It means that what you have learnt is in the context of an actual job – most of the people who are involved have worked in journalism, some at senior levels, so you do get to benefit from their experience.
“When I finish this course I will walk into a job in journalism and I know I feel my skills will be adequate for the job.”
The course has definitely given Jack the opportunity to embark upon a career in the media, something he thought would not happen
“It’s always something that I’ve been interested in but I never considered journalism as a viable career – I thought maybe screenwriting or something like that,” he explains. “Then I came across the apprenticeship that the BBC was offering and I thought I’d give it a go.
“I definitely wouldn’t want to do anything else now – it’s good that they have schemes like this so people who don’t have degrees or master’s degrees can get involved – people like me.”
Cardiff and Vale College Deputy Principal Sharon James said: “We’re all so thrilled by the fact that Jack is a finalist for Top Scoop in the NCTJ’s Awards for Excellence. The Digital Apprenticeship we run in partnership with BBC Cymru Wales and ITV Wales is designed to help people find a career in journalism who might not have had the opportunity otherwise – and Jack’s quick thinking and professional behaviour during the summer shows it’s having results.
“Well done to Jack and well done to everyone who works on the programme – this is a testament to all of your hard work and commitment.”
