ITV Academy News Traineeship 2027: What is it really like?

Sheilla Mamona - Current Trainee, ITV News Central

English is my second language and for years, I let my accent convince me that TV journalism wasn't for me, believing I wasn't the 'ideal' candidate for a traineeship at ITV - whatever 'ideal' means... But here, my background has been welcomed from day one.

Since joining, I’ve produced TV bulletins seen by hundreds of thousands of viewers and delivered multiple TV packages with pieces to camera that I’m hugely proud of. Being a unicorn in this industry is my biggest superpower. Bringing my lived experience into the newsroom allows me to highlight stories and communities that often go unheard.

The team at ITV Central has championed my growth every step of the way. My advice? Embrace what makes you different, back yourself, and be a great teammate! I feel so lucky to wake up every day loving what I do - this really is the opportunity of a lifetime.

Amelia Beckett - class of 2022-2023

I joined the ITV News traineeship in 2021 as the trainee for ITV Calendar. It was my second time applying, so I was delighted to be accepted. It was an amazing year learning the foundations of working in TV news from inspiring colleagues across ITV News, while also having the support of my fellow trainees. I was encouraged to pitch stories, which I then had the opportunity to report on myself. That ultimately led to my first on-screen job as the Lincoln reporter six months later. There, I honed my skills, built my contacts and started working on longer-form investigations, including a three-part series and ITVX documentary into police failings in cases involving the murders of women.

The investigation went on to win two RTS Yorkshire awards and three ITV News awards, and I’m incredibly grateful to ITV Calendar for supporting me to pursue such an important story. I went on to produce a number of further investigations, including into road deaths linked to nitrous oxide and the Bradford grooming scandal, while also getting the chance to present ITV Calendar. In January, I successfully applied for an attachment as Northern Correspondent at Good Morning Britain, which is now my full-time job. I feel incredibly grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had since joining ITV, and I’m sure they wouldn’t have been possible without everything I learnt and the confidence I gained through the traineeship.

Lily Carter - class of 2022-2023

During the traineeship you have the opportunity to meet colleagues from different ITV newsrooms and learn from the very best in the industry. Workshops include scriptwriting, digital skills, producing bulletins, and learning live broadcasting skills which I still use on a daily basis today. The traineeship is a safe learning environment, so you can try things out without worrying about how it might affect a real programme. Then, when you return to your own newsroom, you can put these skills into practice in a working environment. Before you know it, you’ll be creating content for digital, planning stories or producing late bulletins - and feel so much more confident due to the training you have received. Even now, when I get stuck scripting a report, I refer back to the techniques I learned during the training.

You finish the traineeship with new skills, practical experience, plus an ITV family and support network for life - I could not recommend it enough!

Mattie Reynolds - current trainee, ITV Cymru Wales

The ITV News Traineeship is a brilliant scheme which equips you with all the skills you need to be a successful journalist at ITV. I joined the traineeship without a journalism degree and have been amazed how quickly I was given responsibilities for the output in Wales. After only three months, I was solo on the late shift. This means I am in charge of producing the late bulletin on my own. This involves writing the scripts, cutting the pictures, finding stories, making the running orders, and timing the bulletin to go out live. I felt really supported in learning these skills, which meant I could quickly do this solo.

The opportunity to be in Wales during a crucial election year was amazing. As someone who is really interested in politics, I volunteered to go to the overnight count at the Caerphilly by-election. After only being in the job for a month, I managed to use my mobile journalism kit to interview politicians and get shots of the night which went out as part of our coverage. I have also got to work on our political programme where I interviewed party leaders in the Senedd about their reaction to our exclusive poll.

I would encourage anyone to apply for the traineeship, even if you feel as though you don’t have enough journalism experience. The constant opportunities to learn mean someone who has limited experience, like me, quickly gains the skills needed to succeed.