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

Sheilla Mamona - Current Trainee, ITV News Central

For a long time, I didn’t believe I was the ideal candidate for this traineeship. English is my second language, and for years I let my accent convince me that TV journalism isn’t for me. But here at ITV, my accent has become an asset.

Three months in, I’ve already secured a TV package with a piece to camera that I’m incredibly proud of. I’ve realised that feeling like a unicorn in this business isn’t a weakness, it’s a strength. Bringing my cultural differences and lived experience to the newsroom allows me to champion parts of our society that often go unheard.

The team at ITV Central have been the biggest cheerleaders and champions to my growth. My advice? Embrace what makes you different. Be a team player, but also advocate for yourself. I feel so lucky to wake up everyday excited to work. 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 visit different ITV newsrooms and learn from the very best in the industry. Workshops include scriptwriting, digital skills, mobile journalism, producing a report, and even having a go at presenting and live broadcasting - skills that I 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 writing articles for your region, 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.

I applied for the weather role a few months after completing the traineeship - having been inspired by the mock programme you produce during your final week as a trainee. Here, I had the chance to have a go at presenting the weather. It’s not something I would ever have considered beforehand, but I enjoyed it so much I realised it could be a great role for me. The traineeship was also instrumental in helping me to secure the weather role. I had never done a live broadcast in my newsroom, but when I applied for the job I was able to showcase the mock presenting, live and weather broadcasts I’d done as part of the traineeship. Without this, it would have been difficult to demonstrate that I had the potential to perform well in this area. I was nervous about applying, having only just finished the traineeship. However, after a chat with one of the training leads, I felt more confident and received lots of practical tips for the interview and how to prepare.

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've been 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 is 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.