Ed
Henderson

What is it about NTU that made you want to study here?

"It has a good reputation and a high standing amongst Universities offering media and journalism courses."

How did you find studying at NTU?

"It was brilliant. My overall experience was very positive. Nottingham is a great city with lots of opportunities and the first class facilities and teaching on offer at NTU complements this very well."

Would you recommend NTU and your course? Why?

"Yes. My course was the best NCTJ journalism course in the country at the time, and has just been awarded the title for the fifth year running!"

What were the key features that attracted you to your course?

"The facilities and course structure. CBJ is arguably one of the best student news rooms in the country and practical “news days” were regularly held to prepare us for work in industry."

Did you undertake any work experience as part of your course?

"I was given the opportunity to work for Notts TV alongside my final year studies. This was difficult but rewarding. It gave me a chance to put all the skills I learnt in years 1 and 2 into practice at a professional level, for a sustained period of time (9 months). Working for Notts TV five days a week, every other week, (alternating with a week of normal University study) my role was to populate their news website with original multi-media content. Work included writing features and news stories covering a range of topics in Nottingham e.g. crime, health, education, human interest stories, new bar/pub openings. It was a great opportunity to put my skills into practice and learn from the Notts TV Online Editor, Chris Breese, who taught me a lot."

What are you currently doing now that you’ve graduated?

"I am currently on a 12 month graduate internship working in the NTU Press Office. My housemate saw the advertisement for it and told me I should apply! I thought it was a good opportunity to get more experience on the public relations side of things compared to the journalism experience at Notts TV and through my degree. The main focus of the NTU Press Office is to raise the profile of the University and the work and expertise of our academics through media exposure both nationally and regionally. My role specifically is to support the press team in their work and also look after PR opportunities for The Hive, NTU’s enterprise centre based in Maudslay. If students or staff have a business idea the Hive can offer support and expert advice to help make it a reality."

How does your current role utilise skills you learnt during your time at NTU?

"The skills I learnt from my degree are all invaluable to my work in the press office. Understanding the quality of writing needed, writing to deadline, conducting interviews, organisation and planning are all part of my role. It’s also essential that I am able to know what makes a good story, can use interviewing skills to gather the info for that story and write copy in an engaging way to increase the chances of the journalist I am pitching to covering the story. Once this internship is finished, I will have just under a year’s worth of experience working in journalism and a year’s experience working in PR in the Press Office so I feel well equipped to pursue a career in either."