U of MN Announces Partnership with Minnesota Newspapers
U of M partners with Minnesota Newspapers to help revitalize industry
Minnesota Job Skills Program grant will be used to retrain newspaper staff
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL ( 2/24/2009 ) — The University of Minnesota School of Journalism & Mass Communication (SJMC), in partnership with the Duluth News Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press, has received a $238,000 Minnesota Job Skills Program Grant to help newspapers revolutionize their business model and to thrive in an increasingly Internet-based industry. In addition, the university and the newspapers will contribute $469,330 in-kind funds, bringing the total project budget to approximately $700,000.
The project will offer a series of training programs for staff in the advertising and editorial operations of the newspapers, both of which have undergone considerable downsizing in the past year. It is believed to be the first job training grant to help the news industry with the assistance of a journalism school. The goal of the partnership is not only to train employees with new technical, computer-based skills, but also to reassess the way in which news and advertising is delivered.
