Ten final year Journalism and Sports Journalism students at LJMU have had the opportunity to quiz industry professionals at a top-level networking event in central London.
They were guests at an annual reception held by the John Schofield Trust, a charity which works to provide industry mentors to early-career journalists from backgrounds which are often under-represented in the media.
This is the first time the organisation has partnered with students, and those involved all made the trip to the capital.
Among the speakers were Lewis Goodall, a former BBC journalist and now presenter of The News Agents podcast, and Sangita Myska, a presenter on LBC.
Journalism student, Ruby Smith, said: “The trip to London helped to boost my confidence in approaching professionals and asking for things like contact addresses and work placements. I really enjoyed it, and feel like I got a lot out of the networking and overall experience.”
Another Journalism student, Mackenzie Argent, agreed, saying: “It was great to meet lots of other young journalists, as well as network with some amazing established professionals. It was my first time at an event like this, but it was a really good experience and gave me the confidence to put myself out there as a journalist.”
Polly Sharpe, senior lecturer at LJMU, added: “This was a fantastic opportunity for these students to make contact with journalists working at the top of their game. For many it was their first time in London and it’s brilliant to see them inspired to work towards realising their dream of getting into the industry.”