Welcome to the ITV Academy News Traineeship for 2025-2026

 

ITV News delivers high quality and trustworthy coverage attracting record audiences across a growing number of platforms. We are offering you the opportunity to join our national and regional news teams as a trainee journalist.  You will be taught all the skills you’ll need to work in one of our multi-media news operations.  We’re looking for people who can demonstrate a commitment to journalism, have great story ideas and are ambitious. 

 

This is a great opportunity to begin your career with ITV, Britain's most popular commercial broadcaster.  You will be learning from talented people who want to share their skills and experience with you.  It’s a fast-paced and challenging environment so you should be ready to work hard and to high standards.  You will be well supported with regular feedback and guidance.   

 

This is a nine-month programme starting on Monday, 29th September 2025 and we are looking for 12 talented journalists, seven of whom will work in one of our English Regional newsrooms in ITV Anglia (Norwich); ITV Central (Birmingham); ITV Granada (MediaCity, Salford); ITV Meridian (Whiteley, Nr Southampton); ITV Tyne Tees & Border (Gateshead, nr Newcastle); ITV West Country (Bristol); or ITV Yorkshire (Leeds). Two trainees will be based in our national newsrooms; one for ITV Cymru Wales in Cardiff and the other for UTV in Belfast. Two trainees will be working in our Network newsroom based in London, and one trainee will be based in our Jersey office for ITV Channel (St Helier).

 

The ITV Academy News Traineeship is providing trainee journalist opportunities for those who are looking to start their career in News and is particularly keen to receive applications from those who are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled people and those from lower socio economic groups as we recognise that individuals from these groups are currently underrepresented in our industry. 

 

You will receive a salary of £29,034 per annum (£21,776 over 9 months) and five weeks paid annual leave pro-rata during the scheme, plus public holidays. A very high percentage of those who graduate from the programme have gone on to secure permanent roles across our regional, national and international news teams, both in front and behind the camera and ITV more widely, although there are no guarantees of continued employment beyond the 9 months.

 

Am I eligible to apply?

We’re particularly interested in talented and enthusiastic people who have committed themselves to a career in journalism, either through their writing, work experience, academic choices or their career so far. If you’re looking to change your career and you can demonstrate a genuine interest in Journalism, your application will be welcome. You will need to provide evidence of having a GCSE in English Language 4/C or above, as well as being able to evidence your genuine interest in news output.

                                                                                                                           

You will need to be over the age of 18 by 29th September 2025. Our development programme involves attending short periods of training in other parts of the country so you must be prepared to travel (ITV will provide accommodation and travel costs). You need to be based in the UK, Isle of Man or Channel Islands and have the right to work here, as ITV News does not sponsor work permits for its traineeship schemes.  

 

Should you secure a permanent role with ITV News following on from the traineeship, you should be aware that the role of a production journalist involves early, late and weekend shifts, which requires you to be in a position to get to and from work outside of normal working hours when public transport may not be available. 

 

Newsrooms are busy and pressurised environments, involving live news production, which often requires colleagues to make quick decisions under pressure. We also need people who are able to use their initiative and, particularly for editorial roles, know what information might be required and how to research it. 

 

We need to test these abilities at the interview stage to understand how candidates will react when operating in a pressurised environment. This is a fundamental requirement of the role. We will always consider any request for reasonable adjustments as part of the interview process, for example sharing key themes when that is requested in connection with a neurodivergent condition, whilst still ensuring that we are able to test a candidate's ability to operate in the specific environment of a newsroom.

 

What’s next?

Applications can only be made for this scheme online. However, ITV is an inclusive employer and if you require this information in an alternative format, please contact newstraineeship2025@itv.com 

NB: This address should only be used for this purpose and no general queries or personal information should be sent to this inbox. 

 

As part of the application process we are asking you to record two short 60 second clips which can be recorded on a phone  to be sent as one link and uploaded. (If you would rather tell us in writing or are unable to produce a clip, that’s fine and you will be able to provide a written statement instead). If either of these methods are unsuitable, please contact newstraineeship2025@itv.com

 

Full details will be provided within the application form on what we’d like you to cover in your clips. A top tip for uploading a link would be: to create a youtube account (or equivalent), record the clip by using a mobile/tablet/laptop device or desktop, upload the footage to Youtube to generate a link and then include the link in your application form. Don’t forget to state your name clearly at the start of the clip.

 

Your application will be assessed in two stages which are clearly outlined on the application form. If you don’t get through the first stage, your second stage answers which are mainly scenario and writing based tests will not be considered. 

 

The scheme goes live on Wednesday 5th February 2025

 

We reach millions of people every day, that’s why having diverse talent and being an organisation where colleagues feel included is crucial to us. We have various networks who celebrate and support our colleagues. We try to embed an inclusive mindset in everything we do. 

 

ITV strongly encourages applications for this role from candidates with a disability and as a Disability Confident Leader, if you meet the minimum criteria for a role and you have declared that you have a disability, we’ll guarantee that your whole application will be considered (i.e. you will reach the second stage of our process). Regrettably we may be unable to guarantee an interview for all disabled applicants due to the volume of applications.

 

We're happy to discuss any additional support you may need during our application process as part of our reasonable adjustments approach, for example completing the application in Word format. So we encourage you to get in touch with us if you require additional support... our email is newstraineeship2025@itv.com

 

The minimum criteria for the traineeship are for you to demonstrate:

- that your experience to date shows you have a strong interest in news and a commitment to a career in journalism  

- that you can bring an original perspective and have creative ideas

- that you are detail orientated, with good spelling, language and grammar skills

- that you are able to critically analyse a programme or piece of text and draw out the key themes

 

At ITV, we appreciate the use of technology for research during the application process. We understand that AI tools, including ChatGPT, can be valuable resources. However, we value authenticity and expect applicants to showcase their own thoughts and experiences.

 

Applications that appear to be directly copied from AI-generated content may be subject to rejection. We believe in a fair and authentic assessment process, and your individuality is key to standing out in our selection.

 

If shortlisted, you will be invited to an online assessment day on either Tuesday 22nd, Wednesday 23rd or Thursday 24th April 2025. Please note that ITV News is not able to accommodate additional interview and assessment dates.  

 

Closing date for applications:  Sunday 23rd February (23:59).