The Age is inviting aspiring and early-career journalists to apply for 12-month journalism traineeships in its Melbourne newsroom, with applications closing on Sunday, October 18.
The programme will begin in February and offers trainees the chance to develop breaking news and digital reporting skills alongside the masthead’s reporters and editors. There is also potential for a permanent role at the end of the traineeship.
Applicants are being sought for their curiosity, writing ability, news judgement and enthusiasm for journalism at The Age. Experience or skills in breaking news, data journalism, multimedia production and visual storytelling are also encouraged.
Patrick Elligett, editor of The Age, said the organisation took its responsibility to support emerging journalists seriously.
“It’s important for our masthead, our industry and our society that we continue to produce reporters with the standards of rigour and quality The Age strives to uphold,” he said.
Among those to have completed the programme is Angus Delaney, who became the newspaper’s state political reporter in July after joining one of five trainees in the 2024 intake.
Delaney said the experience helped him build the skills needed to pursue political journalism, including learning how to break news across different parts of the newsroom.
“It was an opportunity to learn from the best journalists and editors in Australia, and build my experience on how to break news stories across a wide range of departments in the newsroom,” he said.
He highlighted being assigned to Parliament House in Canberra during last year’s federal election campaign as a particular achievement. “The Age has really allowed me to pursue my passions, and now I get to report on the biggest issues affecting our state,” he said.
Hannah Kennelly, who was part of the same intake, now works as a sports reporter at The Age. She said the traineeship offered experience across different areas of journalism and mentorship from senior newsroom staff.
Kennelly has since travelled to Scotland to cover the Commonwealth Games and described reporting from the Spa Grand Prix in Belgium, where she interviewed Oscar Piastri, as a career highlight.
The Age, which says it reaches 5.28 million readers each month, publishes journalism covering politics, sport, business and culture. Applicants must already have the right to live and work lawfully in Australia.
Cover letters and story pitches must be original and written by the applicants.
