Students put their journalism skills to the test at the Liverpool Echo

Birkenhead Sixth Form College students from across different courses have visited the Liverpool Echo where they pitched their exciting story ideas to the one of the country's leading regional newspapers.. 

Students studying A Levels in English, Film and Media Studies spoke to the Editor, Maria Breslin, and went on to tour the newsroom and took part in workshops with industry experts.

Excellent feedback was received by all of the budding writers, who showed confidence and talent in the daunting task of pitching to a real editor. 

The visit was arranged as part of the College’s student mentoring scheme with Howard Littler, who also attended. Howard is an ex- Birkenhead Sixth Form Student who is now Fellowship Manager at John Schofield Trust. This charity exists to increase the diversity of newsrooms through extensive mentoring and other opportunities for a variety young people.

Maria Breslin, Liverpool Echo Editor, praised students Jack Dane, Jack Hilton, Poppy Howard, Shakil Ahmed and Callum McKenzie on their research and ideas, as she gave them advice on how they might develop their stories for a professional newspaper and how to pursue a career in journalism. 

The team of students then participated in workshops with some of the Echo’s top reporters: Rebecca Koncienzcy, MyWirral Editor; Steve Graves, Executive Editor Digital and Sam Carroll, Sports Content Editor. The professionals were impressed by the students’ ability to seek out a good angle in a range of topics that they had investigated independently – from the trials and tribulations of Everton Football Club to captivating insights into the city’s LGBTQ+ icons. 

Julie Edwards, Head of Film and Media Studies, said: “It was an absolute pleasure to see how our students established such a good rapport with the Liverpool Echo editorial team straight away. They had obviously spent considerable time researching their pitch ideas - and their energy, passion and diligence was clear to everyone they met. The students all have a great passion for writing and, undoubtedly, have an exciting future ahead of them.”

Click the titles of these courses to find out more about studying English, Film or Media A Levels at Birkenhead Sixth Form College.