The Thomson Foundation has been a global leader in media training for over 40 years.

Thousands of journalists and communications professionals are proud to have trained with us. And many of our alumni have risen to the top in TV, radio, print or photojournalism. Others have made their mark with NGOs, governments and in the private sector.

But we’re always looking forward, combining the latest technology and online techniques with inspirational trainers who make a difference where it’s needed most. That’s the trademark of a Thomson course.

The Thomson Foundation runs two types of course:

PUBLIC COURSES. Open to all eligible participants. A great example is the 2010 series of month-long courses featuring TV, radio, online and photojournalism, plus a course for Future Leaders. These courses attract high-calibre professionals from around the world, who benefit not just from outstanding training but the opportunity to network with an international peer group.

You’ll find an updated list of public courses on the Current Courses page. But if you don’t want to miss anything, we recommend you sign up for our email updates.

CUSTOM COURSES. These courses are tailor-made to meet specific training needs, often delivered in-house as part of our consultancy services. They span every aspect of traditional and emerging media.

In fact, many Thomson Foundation courses are custom-built for media organisations or in collaboration with governments, NGOs or commercial clients. Some are high profile. Others you won’t read about here because they are delivered in sensitive circumstances or for commercial reasons.

Here’s a taste of Thomson Foundation custom courses:

• Covert video training for Burmese citizen journalists, who went on to feature in the 2010 Oscar-award nominated documentary Burma VJ

• Multimedia training programme (online, video, audio, photography etc) for newspaper journalists in Abu Dhabi

• How to plan and manage a media operation, for broadcast executives, oil company communications chiefs and public sector managers in Egypt

The scope of Thomson Foundation’s custom courses is only limited by tomorrow’s media demands.
Contact the Thomson Foundation today to find out how we can help solve YOUR organisation’s training needs.

Funding

The Thomson Foundation works in many countries where expensive training simply can’t be afforded. Although we operate on a not-for-profit basis and keep costs as low as possible, regrettably we can’t pay course fees.

When possible, we work with funding partners and sponsors to subsidise courses. Commercial media organisations, of course, usually pay for staff training and we are always keen to speak to organisations who can help support our mission.

We receive many inquiries from individuals seeking training, but without funds. Our advice is to first seek the support of your employer. There may also be other local organisations willing to offer sponsorship.