TWO NCTJ Journalism diploma students have landed jobs a week before the end of their course.

Stacey-Lee Davies is heading for the Northern Echo as trainee reporter covering the Teesdale area and will be based at the regional daily’s Bishop Auckland office.

Meanwhile Craig Nelson has won a place on a salaried internship programme with the UK’s  biggest independent features agency Medavia, based in Bristol.

Now in its fourth cycle, the two-month long programme is designed for exceptionally gifted graduates of NCTJ and Craig will be expected to find and write stories for its wire service.

Medavia sources and sells stories for magazines and national newspapers along with international media markets. Craig  will be guided by senior journalists through the process of sourcing and writing national news stories.

Both students are delighted to be going straight from their 34-week diploma course into work.

Stacey-Lee, 22, who did a work placement at the Echo during her 34-week course, said: “I can’t believe I’ll be working for The Northern Echo soon, it really is a dream come true.

“I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this without the teaching staff and the college and I really am very grateful.”

Craig, who has self-sourced a range of stories for the Hartlepool Mail during the course, said: “I’m really thankful that Medavia has given me the opportunity of this internship. Hopefully writing stories for a range of national and international magazines and newspapers will give me a real platform for my future work as a journalist.

“The NCTJ course has given me all the skills I need to work in such an environment and going straight into a paid internship like this straight after finishing the course is just what I need,” he added.

He will be following in the footsteps of former Darlington NCTJ student Sarah Fellows who has been freelancing for national magazines since doing the Medavia internship.

If you are interested in a journalism career, find out more about studying a NCTJ Diploma at Darlington College.

Students will study modules covering Reporting and Ethics, Media Law and Court Reporting, Public Affairs, Shorthand and Video Journalism for Online. They will build a portfolio and gain valuable work experience and contact with industry.