Working at Notts TV put me on a pathway to a career in journalism

LAST week, my time on the Notts TV 'pathway' scheme came to an end. To the average reader, that might not mean much.

- By GEORGE PALMER-SOADY

But for many former students like myself, working at the local news channel has been a real game-changer.

Since 2014, Nottingham Trent University has partnered with Notts TV on the scheme, which essentially offers an eight-month internship to journalism students alongside their final year studies. It provides real, on-the-ground industry training but also the experience of working in a professional newsroom setting.

Yet while many former 'pathways' have no doubt felt a similar sense of reflection as their time at the channel came to an end, what makes our cohort slightly different is that we're the last to ever complete the scheme.

And we're not only the final bunch of students to work at Notts TV - we're some of the last people to work at the channel in its existence.

In February came the shock announcement that Nottingham Trent University - Notts TV’s primary owner - would not apply to renew the channel's Ofcom licence, effectively shutting the channel down with a final day of airing in November.

The instant outpouring of support from public figures, organisations and fellow journalists across the county following the announcement affirmed why the channel has meant so much to people over the years.