ACADEMY FOR DISABLED JOURNALISTS

Our first initiative is an innovative partnership with the NCTJ to provide tailored access to their Certificate in Foundation Journalism (CFJ). 

To be eligible for this course you will need to be in receipt of either DLA or PIP.

This course is an A-level equivalent qualification providing an introduction to journalism. It may be used as a first step for candidates considering a career in journalism or by those wishing to develop their journalistic skills for a specific purpose.  

The course will be delivered by NCTJ-accredited teaching staff and will be a mix of webinar-based tutorials and coursework.

The course will run over a 6-12 month period starting 13th May 2020. However, we will be able to extend the course if required up to 2 years to accommodate individual requirements.  We have worked closely with the NCTJ to devise a course which will enable students with a wide range of abilities to participate and gain a valuable qualification.

The structure of the online and webinar-based course includes 150 guided learning hours (which includes 40 hours of weekly webinars) and 100 hours of self-study (includes revision/assessments). You will be required to complete assignments throughout the course, that will be externally assessed at a pace dictated by each individual.  In addition to the weekly lessons and webinars there will be one-to-one tutorials at the end of each module.  All webinars will be filmed and made available online for anyone that misses a session. Access will be available for the period of the course.  

The first National Lottery funded Academy class is now fully subscribed and underway, providing our students with accessible and inclusive access to the CFJ course in a way never delivered before. 

If you're still interested in signing up to the Academy we do have further places available as per details below. 

Membership to the Academy, which includes a place on the NCTJ-accredited CFJ course and a range of other benefits, at a subsidised price of £575 inc VAT.

The true cost of this exclusive course alone is approximately £1,800 inc VAT per student.  

Partnering with the NCTJ has given the Academy the ability to provide direct mentoring and teaching support and to tailor the course for the needs of learners with a range of disabilities. These additional resources are not normally available through the NCTJ’s distance learning courses.  

Ability Today’s Online News Platform is the perfect place for our student’s brand new content to be created and published.  Our Academy will provide students with the unique ability to develop and hone their journalistic skills and deliver their content directly to our targeted audience.  

This is a great time to be preparing for life after isolation, and we will be providing our  students with the tools to report on the world after lockdown.   

Membership to our Academy will include the following benefits:

• Unique Access to The NCTJ Level 3 Certificate in Foundation Journalism
• Exclusive Webinar based tutorial content (40 + hours)
• Access to NCTJ’s CFJ Resource Portal 
• End of Module 30 minute 1 to 1 Tutorial
• Academy Membership Card
• Ability Today Press Pass
• Ability Today T-shirt
• Some financial support will be available to cover attending events.
• We are also working on providing discounts to our students at selected venues & events.

Course requirements:

• Laptop / Computer
• Internet connection
• Smartphone for audio recording and filming
• Zoom application for tutorials
• Word Processing software (MS Word / Google Docs)
• The NCTJ Level 3 Certificate in Foundation Journalism is suitable for those aged 16+ and educated to GCSE level 

To sign up to become a member of the Academy (ADJ) and enrol in the CFJ course please email info@abilitytoday.com with your details.

For further information on the Certificate in Foundation Journalism:

https://www.nctj.com/journalism-qualifications/Certificate-in-Foundation-Journalism

The qualification is designed to give a wide variety of uses within the community; whether as a community reporter or contributor, blogger or those wishing to use journalism as a way to draw attention to specific community issues.

It can be offered through a range of providers: schools and colleges; evening classes and short courses. Achievement of the qualification attracts a UCAS tariff of 16 points which may be used towards accessing higher education degree courses.

To gain the Level 3 Certificate in Foundation Journalism, students must complete five mandatory units and 6 additional units. The following options have been chosen by Ability Today in conjunction with the NCTJ as being the most appropriate for this unique course:

Mandatory units:

• Gathering information
• How to tell a news story
• Recording information
• Legal and ethical considerations for journalists
• Writing for digital media

Additional units:

• Using Video to tell a Story 
• Using Audio to tell a Story
• Taking Photographs Suitable for Publication
• Feature Writing 
• Writing for a specific purpose 
• Community Radio Newsgathering 

Successful study at foundation level is likely to give candidates a “head start” when it comes to studying for an apprenticeship and/or the Diploma in Journalism.