Social enterprise scheme tackles elitism in journalism

Catch 22 magazine, which is not connected to national youth charity Catch22, aims to give 18- to 30-year-olds lacking in journalistic experience a step into the profession.

Now 15 publishers including CYP Now publisher Haymarket, Trinity Mirror and Conde Nast, have offered their support to the enterprise, by helping aspiring journalists from low-income families enter the industry.

The move comes after the Unleashing Aspirations report, published by the Panel on Fair Access to Professions last week, highlighted that less than 10 per cent of those entering journalism have worked their way up through non-graduate, vocational, working-class backgrounds.

Tokunbo Ajasa-Oluwa, managing director of Catch 22, said: "From our experience, the industry is eager to engage talent that does not only come through the traditional routes, but before Catch 22 they did not know how to go about effectively accessing them.

"We aim to nurture young talent and replenish the UK media industry with a new generation of trained and already experienced young professionals who reflect multicultural Britain."

The enterprise offers young people free training in a 12-week academy programme and work on the Catch 22 youth culture magazine. The London College of Communication hosts the Catch 22 Academy four times a year.

John Micklethwait, editor-in-chief of The Economist, one of the new partners, said: "I am looking forward to meeting some of the talented young people whose potential Catch 22 is dedicated to unleashing."

Catch 22 launched in March 2007 aiming to stop the "catch-22" cycle of young people wanting to gain experience in journalism but being unable to because they don't have enough previous experience in the field.