(From left) Byron Buckley, president of the Press Association of Jamaica; Klao Bell-Lewis, 2001/2002 Fair Play awardee (Print); and Dr Claudette Cooke, vice-president, human resource development and public relations at Jamaica Broilers Group, view some of the entries at the Fair Play Awards ceremony at the Hilton Kingston hotel yesterday. - Peta-Gaye Clachar/Staff Photographer

The Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) is to establish the Jamaica Press Institute to provide job-related training for members of the media and advertising industries.

Speaking yesterday during the Jamaica Broilers' Fair Play Awards luncheon, PAJ President Byron Buckley said the training programmes are expected to improve the knowledge, skills and attitudes of media practitioners.

Buckley told the gathering of media practitioners at the Hilton Kingston hotel that the curricula will be developed based on training needs analyses carried out across media houses.

The PAJ president said media houses or other organisations could engage the services of the Jamaica Press Institute to develop and deliver customised training programmes.

Buckley said the institute would be launched during the observation of Journalism Week, November 30 to December 6.

November start

However, the training programmes will begin early November. Some of the programmes include advanced news-writing techniques, business reporting and newsroom administration.

Meanwhile, Nationwide Radio- Digital AM was presented with the Jamaica Broilers Fair Play Award in the electronic category for the breaking story 'Behind the Wrecker Racket'.

Ingrid Brown of the Jamaica Observer won in the print category for her entry 'Death of a Town, Gobay's Rebirth'.

Second place went to CVM's Glenford Campbell, Michael Pryce, Sonya Stewart-Perkins and Racquel Reece for their feature 'Kissing Tomorrow Goodbye'.

The award for third place went to the Sunday Herald's investigative team for its work on 'Probing the murder of the JUTC chairman'.

RJR's Earl Moxam received a certificate of commendation for his feature, 'Jamaica's Political Journey'.