The BBC is launching its News Sponsorship Scheme for 2003. The scheme, now in its fourth year, awards around 14 students on Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC) accredited courses full funding for their post-graduate diplomas in broadcast journalism, plus bursaries to help with living expenses during their course. Each student is also allocated a senior BBC journalist as a mentor, and is offered four weeks paid work experience in an area of network news.

The aim of the BBC News Sponsorship Scheme is to attract new and diverse talent into BBC News around the UK, while enabling students to fund their post-graduate course at a time when higher education is becoming increasingly expensive.

"News programmes serve every community across the UK, so it's important that we recruit widely to make sure our trainees and staff reflect a wide range of backgrounds and experience," said Richard Sambrook, BBC's director of news."

Almeena Ahmed is one of last year's successful applicants, and is studying at Cardiff School of Journalism. "I'm young; I'm Asian; and I'm Welsh. It's these qualities and my background that I believe brought my own uniqueness to the scheme. Being part of the scheme has been an enormous challenge and opportunity. Having a BBC mentor has been invaluable, and I'm looking forward to my work experience in the summer."

ARE YOU ELIGIBLE?

Anybody applying for one or more of the following BJTC courses will be eligible to apply for the BBC News Sponsorship scheme:

· Bell Institute of Higher Education, Hamilton
PG Diploma in Broadcast Journalism
· Bournemouth University
MA Multi-Media Journalism
· Cardiff University
PG Diploma in Bi-Media Journalism
· City University, London
PG Diploma in Broadcast Journalism
· Falmouth College of Arts
PG Diploma in Broadcast Journalism
· Highbury College, Portsmouth
PG Diploma in Broadcast Journalism
· London College of Printing
PG Diploma in Broadcast Journalism
· Nottingham Trent University
MA/PG Diploma in Television Journalism
· Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield
PG Diploma in Broadcast Journalism
· Sheffield University
MA in Broadcast Journalism
· Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent
MA in Broadcast Journalism
· University of Central England, Birmingham
PG Diploma in Broadcast Journalism
· University of Leeds, Centre for Journalism
MA/PG Diploma in Broadcast Journalism
MA/PG Diploma in Radio Journalism
· University of Central Lancashire, Preston
PG Diploma in Broadcast Journalism
PG Diploma in Online Journalism
· University of London, Goldsmiths College
MA in Radio
· University of Westminster
PG Diploma in Broadcast Journalism

For further information about the BBC News Sponsorship scheme, please contact BBCTrainees@bbc.co.uk or apply online at http://www.bbc.co.uk/jobs/e58897

ABOUT BBC TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

BBC Training & Development is the world's largest broadcast trainer. In 2002 it delivered 37,943 trainee days and provided 3,706 courses for over 18,500 people both within and outside the organisation. It has also supported 302 trainees, and runs e-learning courses for BBC staff on learn.gateway, the BBC's online learning intranet.