ABOUT nine journalists have attended the three-day PACMAS Training Skills Development Workshop that commenced in Honiara on Tuesday.
They represent the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation, Solomon Star, Paoa FM, Sunday Isles, Tavuli TV, Island Sun and Indepth Solomons.
The training is designed to enhance facilitation skills for the Foundations of Journalism course, with participants required to deliver presentations and complete a survey to help personalise the training.
PACMAS trainers Caroline Winter and Rita Narayan are conducting the training for members of the Media Association of Solomon Islands (MASI).
Speaking at the opening at the MASI office at NPF Plaza on Tuesday, MASI President Ofani Eremae said the workshop forms part of the association’s efforts to develop its human resources.
“You are the future of this industry,” he said.
“We want leaders like you to be able to pass on skills to our young and upcoming journalists. You have now joined the industry.
“We have a very young industry with those who are working in it. It is a privilege to work independently and with authority,” he said.
Eremae said MASI is fortunate to have Winter and Narayan deliver the training to local journalists.
PACMAS Project Director Kate Seymour said the program is something Rita has been working on for several years.
She said the curriculum was developed after consultations across the region.
“They said we’ve got all these new journalists coming in all the time and we need to keep this level up because when their quality is not good, our reputation is harmed.
“So we built this program so that everyone could encourage their young people to have a baseline quality of journalism, understand why they’re a journalist, what their job is and how they could go about starting to do it,” she said.
“It would not cover everything — obviously they will need leadership guidance and mentoring — but this curriculum was put together to provide a baseline. The program is based on what we give to the cadets coming into the ABC,” she added.
The workshop will conclude on Thursday.
Photo caption: Members of Media Association of Solomon Islands (MASI) that attend the PACMAS Training Skills Development Workshop in Honiara from March 3 to 5.
