Welcome to the Up To Speed Fast-Track in Digital Journalism.
Take one minute to consider four questions:
- Can you risk signing up for any journalism course that does not teach you Shorthand?
- Can you expect to work as a 21st Century journalist without multi-media skills?
- Can you devote another full year of your life to academic study?
- Can you afford to spend twice as much as our fees to study for some MAs?
If the answer to all of these questions is "no", then Up To Speed is the place for you.
- If you pass your exams you will leave with the NCTJ Preliminary Certificate, the most respected qualification in British journalism,
- You will be taught in a busy multi-media newsroom environment by tutors with a full working knowledge and appreciation of modern digital journalism and heaps of experience in broadcast, print and online.
- You will have finished the course in less than six months, leaving you with the rest of the year to reap the rewards.
- Graduates, gappers and career-changers have all landed journalism jobs after taking our course.
Click here for more details of the Digital Journalism Fast-Track, or start sharing the Up To Speed experience through our social media sites.
Where do I sign up?
You can secure a place on our next Fast-Track course in four stages and we try to make it as easy as we can for you every step of the way.
Step 1: Application - you can apply online simply by clicking on the tab at the top of this page. We will get back to you as soon as we can.
Step 2: Entrance Test - to ensure that we recruit the best students, we ask everyone to take a short entrance test covering English, Writing and Current Affairs. You can take this by e-mail in an hour and we will give you the results on the same day.
Step 3: Payment - if you pass the test, we ask for a 10% deposit to secure your place. We accept most forms of payment and we also offer the opportunity to stagger your course fees in four staged payments while you study with us.
Step 4: Accommodation - we help you to find a place to stay using our network of friendly landladies and by directing you to flat-share web listings. Our courses run from 10am on Mondays to 4pm on Thursdays and so some of our students opt to stay in the Bournemouth and Poole area for three nights and travel home at weekends.
We welcome visitors to our training centre.
Latest News
Up To Speed Annie's 0 to 100 In Just 14 Weeks
Up To Speed student Annie Roberts found shorthand tough when she first started the course in February, but she was determined to get the better of it. And she has.
Annie passed the 100wpm exam at the first attempt after just 14 weeks.
"I'm just one of those people who hates to be defeated by anything and I wanted to prove that I could do it," said Annie.
But Annie's success in Shorthand has not come at the expense of her other studies. She received an A in her first Public Affairs exam.
TV Deal For Up To Speed Students
Up To Speed students will now have the opportunity to try their hand at television reporting and presenting thanks to a new partnership with Wessextv.com.
The television site offers streamed video content covering news, features and entertainment for viewers on the South Coast.
"This is an exciting moment for Up To Speed and a chance for our students to be involved in a cutting-edge television service through our friends at Wessextv.com," said Course Director Tom Hill, who has worked as a producer for BBC TV, Sky News and ITN.
Another Teenager Starts Her Reporting Career
Former Up To Speed trainee Jessica Bridgeman is really making her way in the world of journalism.
Jessica, 19, is about to start a one-month internship at Company magazine, but has already lined up a permanent job with a major news agency in Birmingham where she will be covering stories for a range of national newspapers and magazines.
Jessica beat off competition from almost 80 other applicants to land the Feature Writing job at Caters News Agency. She started Up To Speed's Fast-track in September after deciding not to take up a university place.
Click here to read more news articles.
