Huge step into the future for Standard graduate trainees

Journalists who graduated from the Standard Group Academy yesterday.

Twelve journalists yesterday graduated from the Standard Group Academy, a prestigious training programme that takes young and budding journalists through several months of intense multimedia training at the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications.

The graduates were selected from 220 shortlisted candidates last year, after which they embarked on a six months rigorous multimedia training at the university. The multimedia training, sponsored by Standard Group, was combined with a concurrent mentorship programme, under which the trainee journalists were paired with mentors, including senior editors and experienced journalists at the Standard Group, to guide and advise them.

With the training, the journalists are set to transform content creation at the company. 

“The programme is designed to create visionary leadership and enhance capacity to discover innovative solutions to current and future problems, focusing on local and addressing global issues,” said Soraya Shah, the Senior Broadcast Manager at the Aga Khan University.

At the university, the graduates were trained by a seasoned team, with many of the trainers being respected and seasoned journalists with experience reporting in Kenya and globally.

Standard Group Human Resources Director Nicholas Siwatom termed the graduation of the journalists and their subsequent entry into the company as a new phase for the Group.

“We have been taught a lot on different platforms and we are confident that we will deliver in all these platforms. This is the best curriculum,” said Emmanuel Too, one of the 12 graduates.

Wilfred Ayego, one of the parents of the graduates, hailed Standard Group for offering opportunities to young people and using a fair recruitment process.

Standard Group Executive Editor and Head of News Kipkoech Tanui expressed confidence that the training offered to the budding journalists has prepared them for the difficult task ahead, in an era where journalists are increasingly held to account by the public and as the Standard Group moves towards 24-hour content production.

Standard Group Editor-in-chief Ochieng Rapuro reminded the scribes about the great responsibility that comes with journalism.

The graduates will next week start reporting for different platforms at the Standard Group, including print publications, television, radio and digital.