Class of 2008

Thirteen graduates from around the country have been selected for the 2008 Programme which is now called the Avusa Pearson Journalism Training Programme
They have all returned their signed contracts. We await their arrival in Rosebank on 21 January 2008. Here are their names:
Lekotjolo, Nkosana Prince - BA Pol Sci (UKZN/PG Dip Jour Rhodes
Guvi, Candy B. Soc Rhodes
Chilwane, Luphert BA UNISA
Moeng, Katlego Dipl Journalism Damelin
Molefe, Lehlohonolo BA Wits
Matsaneng, Lerato ND Journalism DUT
Mkhize, Vumani BSoc Sci (Media & Comm) Univ KZN
De Kock, Rochelle BA NMMU
Pongoma, Luzuko ND Journalism WSU
Thulo. Lebohang BJourn Rhodes
Moiloa, Tsebeletso B.Economics/Media Univ Free State
Uithaler, Jocelyn BA.Hons History/B.Phil Journ Univ Stellenbosch
Tsele, Lebogang B. A. Commun/Film Production UJ/Cons Dynamix

Another alumnus achievement

Sipho Masondo of The Herald/Weekend Post, alumnus of the Johncom Pearson Graduate Training Class of 2004 and survivor of the Port Elizabeth "Big Brother" households, has been accepted for a Journalism M.Phil at Stellenbosch University.
Congratulations to Sipho on his achievement.

Applications have rolled in...

...and some have gone straight to the spike.
It seems that the first recourse of many of the more than 120 applicants when faced with the admittedly prosaic, if not downright boring, title Young People and Transport was to type youth + transport into Google. Well, at least that counts as research.

There are now around 40 applicants on the first shortlist who showed some orginality or journalistic initiative or were scrupulous in attributing information and quotes or simply wrote clearly and coherently or took some care over their work.
We will now begin contacting those people to organise the first interviews.

To those who do not know what it is like to be a young person without transport imagine getting up at 4 am to take a 6 am bus to get to your 8 am class. One of the applicants wrote that she has been doing that for the past two years.

The application deadline was October 5, 2007.

Award Winning Alumni

Sbongile Dimbaza of Weekend Post and Tom Mapham of the Dispatch (Class of 2005) were both winners in the Eastern Cape regional finals of the Vodacom Journalism awards last week.Tom won in the news category, Sbongile won for his feature on cash-in- transit heists.
Just a few weeks before that Business Day soccer writer Mninawa Ntloko (Class of 2002)was picking up another sports journalist award.This time the Absa Cup award for Best Print Journalism.

Class of 2007

Advert goes out

The recruitment advertisement appeared in Sunday Times and Sunday World on Sunday.It was also in dailies today.
Applicants will find the application forms and essay topic on the Johncom Corporate website.

Birth of News Puppies

This is the first entry of the first blog of the Johncom Pearson Journalism Graduate Training Programme Class of 2008.