Loraine Davies, the director of Periodicals Training Council, visited magazine students to give them an insight into the magazine industry.

Having rushed from London and escaping her hectic schedule, Loraine began her talk by praising UCLan: ìI love this uni and I think this course is magnificent.î

Loraine revealed her career background is in finance as an insurance broker, rather than journalism. She later left to work for the National Healthcare Charity. Now the director of the PTC and a member of The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, she also goes round to various universities to speak to students and inspect the standard of their courses.

The PTC is the lead body for best practice in training and development for people management for the magazine publishing and professional media industry. They specialise in encouraging new talent by accreditation, hosting a Magazine Academy, PTC New Journalist Awards, masterclasses and giving careers advice.

Loraine clearly outlined the industryís many obstacles and strengths such as, the increasing number of journalists in the UK mostly based in London and the south east.

There are slightly more women than men in the industry, however most of these people are from a white, middle class background and the field is still lacking representation from ethnic minority groups.

In a discussion about her own choice of magazine, Loraine was delightfully frank. She said: ìIím not into reading about someoneís life whoís been on TV, but about someone whoís made a difference to the world.î

ìMy mum was a bit of a feminist and I used to read Cosmo to see if there was another side to it, although it told me a lot about sex – I grew up differently,î she added.

Instead of girlie magazines that discuss which celeb has the most cellulite this month, Loraine prefers to read publications like, Elle Decoration and described Octoberís issue of World of Interiors as ìgorgeousî.

Loraine painted a very clear and realistic picture of the ups and downs of the industry for the students, and her talk has made them feel even more determined and focused on reaching their goal – to get their dream career in journalism.

More info
MA Magazine Journalism
PTC

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