Local-media careers campaign reaches 11,000 young people

More than 11,000 young people have met local-media professionals through a six-month careers campaign designed to widen who can imagine working in journalism. Inspiring the Future of Local Media has reached over 100 schools, mainly across North West England.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport says newsroom volunteers introduced pupils to reporting, production and commercial roles. The same announcement confirms £6 million of grants for 50 local-media organisations and seven infrastructure bodies.

Education and Employers, which delivered the campaign with industry partners, originally aimed to reach 10,000 pupils by connecting schools with up to 250 volunteers. Participation shows the target was exceeded, although it does not yet reveal whether pupils entered training or jobs.

For now, the strongest result is access: thousands of children have heard directly from people doing work they may never have encountered, making local journalism a more visible and attainable choice across many different newsroom roles.

Sources

• Department for Culture, Media and Sport — Government backs local journalism with £6 million funding
• Independent supporting source