Newsclip hosts quarterly presentations in the country’s major cities. Each one deals with the latest media and technological innovations, presented in an easy-to-understand manner.

Past presentations to clients and other invited guests have included ‘The Media Landscape in a Recession’; ‘Mobile Marketing’; ‘The Shifting Media Landscape'; ‘Media Relations: A Reality Check’; 'Customised Media Measurement' and ‘The Future of Media Analysis’.

These presentations are complimentary and fully subsidised by Newsclip, with the intention of sharing the latest industry knowledge and trends with interested parties.

These events are presented by the Newsclip team and follow-up demonstrations can be easily organised with the team.

Where possible, presentations are followed by a workshop that shows delegates the practical 'how-to-do' aspect of the trends presented in the first session. Newsclip's own tools and applications are used to share this knowledge, meaning that a delegate can walk away armed with the knowledge and tools to perform specific tasks, such as media measurment.

Newsclip understands the importance of having its clients fully acquainted with all of its services - this is why we are dedicated to providing corporate training wherever and whenever necessary.

Through a simple booking process, one of our qualified and knowledgeable Client Support Consultants will arrange to visit your company and provide in-depth training on Gate5 as well as the many other services we offer. On the day of training, all employees attending will receive a useful training manual, and will view a comprehensive presentation presented by the consultant. If any other assistance is required, our Client Support Consultants are available telephonically to answer any questions you might have.

In addition to this services-focused training, Newsclip also offers clients the opportunity to have one of the quarterly presentations, or a customised version thereof, presented to their staff internally. This is also arranged on a booking basis, where the client requests a specific topic to be delivered to its staff, whether media-, communications- or marketing-related. 

On the sidelines of the quarterly presentations and seminars, the need was identified to unite the industry with region-specific publications that act as platforms for people to share information with their colleagues.

With this in mind, Newsclip introduced four exciting, custom-produced publications – GP Net, KZN Net, EC Net, and Cape Net; serving Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, and the Western Cape respectively.

These are compiled at Newsclip’s head office in Johannesburg, and are distributed monthly to an ever-growing list of interested industry players, including all past delegates of the Newsclip quarterly seminars.  

The newsletters carry regional-specific news, as well as questions and answers from communicators in that area.

In a recent interview, Newsclip was asked to respond to the media about graduate opportunities within the company. Here is what we had to say:

•  Does Newsclip currently recruite graduates? If so, what sort of numbers are we talking about annually?

 Yes, Newsclip is currently in the process of recruiting interns for 2009, who will become possible full time employees in 2010. Newsclip is a relatively small organisation, and is therefore  only able to accommodate a handful of graduates each year. We see it as imperative to take on students and expose them to the real working environment, with the intention of bridging  the academic divide, by coaching students to shift their mindsets from ‘students’ to ‘employees’.

•  Do we have any formalised graduate recruitment and development programmes?

 Newsclip has specific graduate recruitment and development programmes, which are periodically updated. As a media monitoring company, the programme involves a tiered structure  that exposes graduates to the media management environment, as well as communications; marketing and branding; writing; events; public relations; and additional business principles  and skills. Graduates undergo the standard interview process that any other candidate would undergo, and are accepted into the organisation on this basis. A list of key performance  areas are set out and mutually agreed upon, including a commitment to gaining knowledge across the organisation and ‘paying your dues’ during the induction period. Based on this  performance, they are assessed through a stringent performance management system and stand the chance of being employed at the end of the period.

•  What sort of qualifications do these graduates need and what are a few examples of the kind of career paths they can follow once they are in the organisation?

 Newsclip is a diverse organisation that offers multiple opportunities, once accepted into the company. Firstly, graduates need to demonstrate that they are able and willing to learn the  practical application of the theoretical principles they have been exposed to – even entry level candidates need to have some degree of practical knowledge. Coupled with this, they must  demonstrate during the interview that they would be a ‘comfortable fit’ with the organisational culture. Once the induction period is over, opportunities exist for further development in  Newsclip’s marketing ; sales; analysis; research; editorial; and consulting departments.

•  With an eye towards climbing the corporate ladder, are there any particular additional qualifications you would recommend for graduates – anything that can help them fast-track their  career in this sector?

 IMM qualifications and short business courses are always a valuable extra to any degree. Many employers look for practical skills and candidates who demonstrate not only technical   knowledge of their trade, but also broader business acumen and strategic thinking. Graduates need to be mindful in thinking out of the box and make ‘considered’ contributions, based   on the facts available. From experience, graduates are likely to make overarching, sweeping statements based on a single piece of information, that is then generalised to the whole.   From my perspective, technical skills are equally important to business skills.

•  What types of career paths are available to graduates entering this sector - ie: are there other related areas within the sector that may also appeal to graduates entering the marketing &  media arena?

 Many students who study media studies and journalism seem to end up in public relations and communications, while marketing students end up in marketing or public relations. There   are direct correlations between the various sectors, which are separated by specific technical skills. The variety in the industry is endless, and graduates are encouraged to choose their   roles based on personal preferences and areas of business where they see themselves fitting in for the long run.

•  Are there any specific ‘soft skills’ that might make a graduate more attractive to a hiring organisation?

 Most definitely - social and emotional intelligence are crucial to a well-rounded individual within any organisation.

 Important soft skills for Newsclip include, but are not limited to: the ability to develop a strategic plan; ability to multi-task and manage various tasks and deadlines simultaneously;   conceptual/creative ability; energetic, efficient; excellent people skills; an upbeat and enthusiastic attitude; excellent stress management; written and verbal communication skills and   experience; attention to detail; resourcefulness in solving problems; strong work ethic; team player; and strong organisational skills.