Practical experience gives students an edge
Phillip hopes to become a professional entertainer, while Christine is living the dream of becoming a journalist. Plenty of hands-on experience gives the students at Volda University College a flying start to their media careers.
Turn up the volume and get comfortable: It's half past two, and you're listening to 🎵 Radio Volda's afternoon broadcast!🎵
Behind a soundproof door, amidst glowing buttons and next to a giant microphone, we find 21-year-old Phillip in his right element.
His voice needs a good warm-up because in a little while, Phillip will be hosting a radio show. A fellow student performs a final check of the equipment. Ready? For the next hour, the afternoon broadcast is going live and the students oversee everything.
– What's strange is that I don't really get nervous about these things. I'm just excited to do what I love the most, Phillip smiles.
He is in his third year and final year of the BA in Journalism at Volda University College (VUC). Every autumn, for six weeks, the students have their internal practice. During which they operate their own fully functional media house with radio broadcasts, daily TV shows, and an online newspaper.
– All the hands-on experience gives you a sense of mastering the craft and you build confidence that this is something you can pursue as a job. Personally, I've always been drawn to the entertainment industry, and here in Volda, I feel like I'm confirming the passion I have for bringing joy to others, says a passionate Phillip. He has no doubt about his goal:
– I'm going to become an entertainer. I believe Volda is the best place in Norway to further this ambition, both through all the people we meet, the practical learning we receive, and how closely we're supported with evaluations along the way.
From the city to Volda to live out childhood dreams
As a journalist, you must be an observer and be curious about the world. A good story can present itself suddenly and you might have to compete to be the first to serve the breaking news, in competition with other media outlets striving to do the same. But often, a good story hides behind a chance conversation or within dry documents you must dig into like a detective – often in close collaboration with colleagues in an editorial team.
In other words, there are many types of journalists. Perhaps this profession suits you better than you thought?
Throughout the three years of study, students learn a bit about everything before choosing which media they want to specialize in. While Phillip has chosen radio, fellow student Christine (22) aims to become a TV journalist.
– It's been a dream of mine since primary school to become a journalist, and everyone has said that I should study in Volda. I also love outdoor activities, and I had heard about the great student community here, so Volda was perfect, says Christine.
The high expectations she had coming to the small student town in Western Norway have been met:
– The cultural offerings may not be quite like in the city, but the surroundings and the student community make up for it. And the education: I feel like I have an advantage when Volda is on my resume, Christine smiles.
She agrees with Phillip that the practical training is the best part of the studies.
– It's very reassuring to feel confident and know that 'I can do this' before you start in a new job.
Motivated students work together for the best results
The welcoming and open community is something that students in Volda often are particularly pleased with. For journalism students, this also involves cheering each other on—a camaraderie they gladly reap the benefits of in the media industry for the rest of their careers.
– The strong sense of unity is probably largely due to the fact that we work very closely together. We really want this, and we want everyone here to succeed. So, when it might have been tempting to have a quiet day at home, you don't, because you know someone is waiting for you with something you're going to achieve together. We want to bring out the best in each other. It's a unique environment, Christine smiles.
Many of the journalism students also spend a lot of their free time exploring their creativity in one of the many student media outlets, where they really let their creativity have free rein.
– School is very important to me, but equally important are all the other platforms we can gain experience through in Volda, such as the Student-TV and -Radio, where I am very active in various roles. I have had my own radio show and TV-show in these student media, explains Phillip.
Teachers with know-how and industry connections
At the Journalism Department in Volda you will find academic staff with prior industry experience and lots of enthusiasm for media studies. The person in charge of the internal practice, Associate Professor André Folkestad, is for example an active documentary film maker. He is keen that the students' internal practice should be realistic and versatile.
– We try to make it as similar to working life as possible. The students have a shift plan with different roles. The roles are rotated and students must work well independently and as a group. We have great faith that this practice prepares them for taking on a job in an editorial team after their studies.
Folkestad also highlights all the sharing of experience along the way, both through meetings with potential employers and close monitoring from the teachers all the way.
– We evaluate daily both what the students produce, and the way we collaborate, to guide them in the right direction. It's also important to place expectations where they should be: everything from arriving on time at work to delivering a piece of work.
Volda University College has for several decades been a leading talent factory for Norwegian journalists. The reason why the small town college in Western Norway manages to maintain this position, Folkestad believes, is about more than just state-of-the-art equipment in the stylish premises of the VUC media studies.
– I believe the most important factor for success, which we might be unique in delivering, is that our students get to produce and publish a lot and in competition with the local and regional media. They continuously experience what it's like to work with content in a professional manner, with us teachers acting as the responsible, quality-assuring editors. It's fun to see when they have stories competing with professional media outlets in the region. The learning curve of the students from the first semester until the final year is steep, but we are both proud of and pleased with how well prepared they become for working life.
Media houses full of former Volda students
Getting a foot in the door of the media industry is valuable when the students soon will face a tough job market. That's why the BA in Journalism in the final year also include an external practice in national news outlets such as NRK, TV 2 and VG. These large media houses also visit Volda to attract the students to apply for external practice with them.
– Volda is the best school to attend. I felt very secure when I entered 'big TV 2' after studying here, says TV 2 journalist Mari Five, who is back in Volda where she herself studied to attract more Volda students to choose the same employer. Her colleague Camilla Island agrees:
– The internal practice here in Volda is actually surprisingly similar to working in TV 2, with the same type of meetings and workday.
Phillip is currently pondering where he wants to apply for his external practice but is thrilled with the visit from all the media houses.
– There's something special about meeting those who were in my shoes a few years ago, who can say a lot about the opportunities in the profession, so this is something I really take to heart.
The TV 2 journalists, at least, have no doubt that Phillip has chosen the right place to study:
– I had my best three years in Volda, and I have never regretted choosing to study in a small town instead of studying in the city, Mari smiles, and Camilla agrees:
– In the TV 2 newsroom, we talk about Volda every day, I'm not kidding—we talk about Volda every single day, says the former VUC student.
