WHETHER it’s the latest insight from COP26, or a report from Ukraine, the past few weeks and years have shown us just how vital journalists and the media are in keeping us up to date.

Reporting on global events as they happen, there has never been a more important time to be learning about the importance and impact of media.

This is clear to see at Glasgow Clyde College, with strong uptake of our journalism, media and digital communications courses and a real appetite from students to learn both on and off-campus.

We offer a broad range of courses, from Media and Communications, and Practical Journalism, to Digital Film and Television, and those studying with us benefit from the excellent articulation agreements we have in place with top Scottish universities.

This process allows students who complete their HND media degree courses to progress straight into third year at university – including at Glasgow Caledonian University, University of Stirling, Queen Margaret University and Edinburgh Napier University.

Many students find this appealing as it means they can keep pace with their peers as well as benefitting from the very practical, industry-focused approach we offer at college.

To give learners a taste of what “communications” is like in a busy newsroom or TV set, we place real importance on offering industry expertise from the people who now excel in the sector.

Over the past couple of years, we’ve welcomed a broad range of experts from across the sector, including STV’s Westminster correspondent Kathryn Samson, Big Issue editor Paul McNamee, Newsquest’s editor-in-chief Donald Martin, photojournalist Angela Catlin, and director of comms for Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland Lawrence Cowan.

Equally, we place massive importance on-field experience – with students encouraged to engage with media in all its guises both within and outwith the walls of the college.

At COP26, we hosted a three-day live event which involved a number of our HND students, reporting on key stories from the global event.

Taking students “behind the camera”, we’re also set to host a professional film set workshop at our Cardonald Campus. Film director Alex Withers, who worked on Mamma Mia 2, will talk to the students about all things production and direction.

In terms of extra-curricular media activity, we’ve also seen some great recent success stories from our students. Working with local radio, HND Media and Communications student Susan Sutton hosts a weekly chat and music show on Sunny Govan, while Dawn Campbell, also studying this HND, heads up a 70s/disco show on East Community Radio.

Additionally, one of our HND Practical Journalism students, Ashleigh Keenan-Bryce, who has volunteered as a journalist with Perth’s Heartland FM, was recently selected to join the BBC’s prestigious apprenticeship scheme. Fighting off stiff competition from across the UK, Ashleigh became one of only 27 students to be welcomed onto the scheme.

With both international and local communities increasingly relying on journalists to keep them up to date with the latest news, the role of the media has never seemed so important.

Therefore, it is a real privilege to see the next generation of this industry passing through the halls of Glasgow Clyde College, all with a passion for factual reporting, storytelling and communication.