Training local voices. Deploying local power.
Our career-ready training program for aspiring journalists is rigorous and focused on practical, experience-based learning. We believe that people of all backgrounds and all educational levels can be successful community journalists with the right training. Career Lab is designed to ensure participants graduate with the skills necessary to serve their community and the newsrooms nominating them.
See Career Lab in action here.
Career Lab advances our belief that journalism thrives when it’s rooted in local communities — created by and for the people you know and care for. In every town, there are people who have curiosity, drive, interest and the capacity to build connections across their community.
They just need training.
Career Lab is:
An immersive, career-ready training program designed to equip aspiring journalists with real-world skills.
Filling a critical gap in journalism education to give people access to training and the opportunity to support their community and pursue new goals.
Building capacity so local newsrooms can grow community engagement and trust, and create a sustainable business.
Nominate
Candidates are nominated by their local newsrooms, community groups, or they may self‑nominate—reinforcing diversity, enthusiasm, and community-rooted talent.
How It Works:
Learn Hands‑On
Over 12 weeks, participants receive training in reporting fundamentals, local storytelling, ethics, audience engagement, and deadline management. Class will take place over video conference and cohorts can be demographically and geographically diverse. Reporting assignments will be based in each participant’s local community.
Placement or Pipeline
Partner newsrooms may hire graduates for paid roles ranging from full‑time to part‑time to freelance. Those who self-nominate bolster their job hunt with a clip file.
Paid Training
We offer a learning stipend to help cover time spent in training.
What Newsrooms Gain
Access to trained, locally invested journalists, fresh voices with skills to deepen coverage and greater capacity for community engagement. Newsrooms are encouraged to publish stories produced during training and will receive salary offsets when employing Career Lab graduates.
Who Is This For?
Career Lab is for newsrooms seeking trained, locally grounded talent and for aspiring reporters of all backgrounds and education levels.
Meet Career Lab’s Editorial Director
Katina Paron is the editorial director for Journalism New England’s Career Lab. She is training and curriculum lead of the Journalism for All initiative for Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York and the editor of teen fellowships for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. She was a senior project editor on The Trace’s award-winning gun violence series produced by youth reporters, “Since Parkland.” Katina is the author of “A NewsHound’s Guide to Student Journalism,'' a graphic novel approach to teaching new reporters. Find her on Instagram @DearTeenJournalist.
This program offers participants the opportunity to grow into a new career while they support the community journalism their town relies upon. And having trained — ready on day one — to report on town happenings, builds newsrooms, enhances coverage, and strengthens the local news business model by connecting newsrooms with trained local talent.