From: "Nivard Ovington" <ovington1@sky.com> > Perhaps your clock man was just a very slow learner <g> > > I would agree that the norm was 7 years, I have heard of shorter, > three or five years but not longer than seven > > Nivard Ovington in Cornwall (UK) > > Normally I would have agreed with you June, but yesterday I had the > horologist in to estimate for repairing my long case clock. He was telling me that the length of > an apprenticeship for his profession was 10 years! Maybe the time varied with the > profession. > > Chris> When I joined the Halifax Evening Courier as a junior reporter straight from grammar school in 1956 I had to sign indentures for four years, at the end of which I had to take the examination of the National Council for the Training of Journalists (I passed with flying colours, naturally, and left almost immediately for pastures new). Perhaps the apprenticeship period had been reduced by the 1950s or even earlier. And anyone who says they didn't know that journalists had to be apprenticed and trained is likely to incur my wrath! These days I believe you can't get a job even on a local weekly without a degree in media studies, though I once heard Andrew Neil say that when he was editing The Scotsman and the Sunday Times if he got an application from someone with a degree in media studies it went straight into the wastebin! He was right, of course. Journalism is one of those things that you only learn in what, for want of a better cliche, is called the University of Life. -- Roy Stockdill Genealogical researcher, writer & lecturer Newbies' Guide to Genealogy & Family History: www.genuki.org.uk/gs/Newbie.html "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." OSCAR WILDE

At 17:44 01/06/2012, roy.stockdill@btinternet.com wrote: >When I joined the Halifax Evening Courier as a junior reporter straight from grammar school .... Sad to see the Courier is ending daily production and going weekly. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-18212700 Andy.

Very Sad Day At least one excellent journalist made redundant The people who will miss the daily paper most are the older generation who do not use the internet and therefore cannot see the daily on-line editions and updated news. We bought the first new edition yesterday and while it continues to provide local news I dont really like the way it is edited and presented. Being the first edition for the Jubilee Week end there was no report or picture of our new Mayor Cllr John Hardy, along with Mayoress Janet Hardy and DL Chris Harris when they attended the Guides Jubilee event at Riverside Park, Elland last Saturday. As I was there I know the Courier took a photograph.