Higher Occupational Certificate: Sport Journalism

The purpose of the Higher Occupational Certificate: Journalist is to prepare students to
become Sport Journalists. A Sport Journalist originates and pitches content ideas,
collects and analyses information for journalistic use and creates and delivers
content for an array of journalistic purposes in a variety of formats and on
various media platforms.
Our comprehensive programme and specialised sport elective: Sport
Journalism is tailored to prepare students to function effectively in
the sport and fitness industry, by empowering them to:
- Originate and pitch content ideas for media use.
- Collect and analyse information for journalistic use.
- Create and deliver content for a variety of journalistic purposes and formats.

Journalists play an important role in society by keeping
the public informed about developments, events and
issues that affect people’s lives. They investigate stories,
provide critique and educate the public. They carry the
responsibilities to convey the information in a balanced
and accurate manner. The historical qualification in
Journalism has enjoyed considerable uptake since its
registration and covers online/digital journalism and
includes an understanding of social media in journalism and
the involvement of readers/users in setting news agendas
and providing feedback.
This occupational qualification will meet the sector’s needs for
journalists entering the profession as general reporters and who can
operate on various platforms such as radio, television, print and on-line.
Journalists must be able to generate stories in text, video, still image and
sound. Typical learners will include those who are in a journalism environment,
school-leavers who wish to pursue a career in journalism or college or university
graduates who want a hands-on experience of the newsroom.