Journalism students are on the ball with work experience at Wolves

The University of Wolverhampton multimedia journalism undergraduate degree students are studying in the new £5 million Screen School at its city campus in Wolverhampton.

They have been accredited to work on Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Premier League International Cup campaign, giving them access to the Molineux press box as Wolves Under-21s took on their counterparts from German team, Wolfsburg, in December.

The students live-tweeted the match, filed online reports within minutes of the final whistle and gathered material for TV and radio.

They chatted with fans as they arrived at the stadium and interviewed manager, James Collins and player, Jack Scott, pitch side at the end of the match.

Course leader, Gareth Owen, said this sort of experience is vital preparation for a career in journalism.

He said: “It’s one thing, practising skills in the classroom, but there is nothing quite like doing it for real. These students had to work quickly as part of a pool of professional reporters and needed to think on their feet during post-match interviews. And there’s nothing like the experience of typing out copy in sub-zero temperatures.

“They did themselves, and the University of Wolverhampton, proud.”

Benedict Ferriby, one of the students who took part in the work experience, said: “I found the night very eye-opening. I have always had an interest in sports reporting from a young age and to finally get an opportunity like this in the environment of a Premier League Football Club meant it was an amazing experience.

“It was also very demanding regarding the quick turnaround of publishing work, but I feel that if I was given this chance again, I would only improve.”

Unfortunately, the team did not have a home win to report on.

Wolves lost the match 2-0 despite a strong second-half performance.

This is the first tie up between Wolves and the university’s journalism course with many more such events in the future.

The university officially opened its new Screen School in March, an extensive refurbishment project at its city campus in Wolverhampton that has seen £5 million invested in new facilities for students studying for digital arts and media production courses.