A FORMER Northern Echo journalist who has spent several years training future generations of reporters will retire.

Jon Smith, a former features editor and chief sub-editor of The Northern Echo, has taught hundreds of student journalists at Darlington College.

Mr Smith, 64, from Barningham, Teesdale, County Durham, began his reporting career with the Shields Gazette before he joined The Northern Echo and then The Times.

Since he moved to Darlington College, he has been responsible for guiding hundreds of aspiring reporters through a variety of courses.

He has been a senior examiner with the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ), the author of an NCTJ guide on reporting and a leading trainer for Newsquest, the publisher of The Northern Echo.

His dedication was recognised by the industry body at a skills conference in Glasgow when he was presented with an award for outstanding contribution to journalism training.

He said: “The technology has changed beyond all recognition.

In my early days, it was typewriters and hot metal, but the equipment now is absolutely cutting-edge.

“Intrinsically, though, things have not changed that much. We are still all about equipping journalists with the core skills they need – making them aware of media law, local and national government, and their shorthand writing. I do not think that will ever change.

“The students nowadays are fantastic because they have to cope with so much more. I admire them for adapting to the technology, like audio and video, and taking everything on board so well.”

The college’s fast-track NCTJ newspaper journalism course was also named the top performer in the country at the Glasgow ceremony.

It followed excellent results achieved by students completing the 20-week course.

Course leader Sue Kelly said: “It is tremendous for Darlington to have been recognised as the best in the country. The award underlines the college’s reputation for training budding journalists to a high standard each year.”