As part of our commitment to students’ futures, we strive during the course of each academic year to incorporate not only visits from university admissions counsellors but also workshops on careers. For example, In April each year, we invite members of the UWC RCN Council to deliver workshops on their areas of professional expertise.

On Monday 25th August, the College invited two visitors to our campus to run workshops on journalism and humanitarian work.

James Lamont, Managing Editor of London’s Financial Times, kindly interrupted his family holiday to talk to students about the world of journalism. Drawing on more than 20 years experience of reporting around the world, he told us of the great shift that is happening in newsrooms around the world as urgent accommodations are having to be made as news is being consumed at an accelerating rate on mobile devices. In the face of a demand for free digital content, James spoke optimistically of how quality, and news reported ‘without fear or favour’ (in the motto of the Financial Times), will always attract a readership willing to subscribe. While acknowledging himself as being somewhat resistant to change, it wasn’t hard to hear the quiet excitement in his voice as he reminded us that news is no longer exclusively delivered by the daily newspaper, but is an immediate global conversation we can all participate in.

For those of our students interested in a career in journalism, he spoke about the qualities a journalist in his world must possess – integrity, curiosity, a willingness to ask questions that don’t always have simple answers, and a love of truth. Could that be a shorthand description of a UWC student?

Many thanks to James for his inspiring talk, and to Larry for persuading his brother to speak to us.

On Monday evening, Paul Bloomfield (Managing Director of Rosetta Consulting) gave an introduction to his career path which has taken him from the position of lawyer in both the music and the insurance industries to presently responsible for global communications and public relations for a selection of Foundations. He has a strong commitment to charitable and humanitarian projects – he is a governor of the Sir John Cass Foundation, one of the oldest and largest independent educational charities in Europe and is an active supporter of the St. John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital. He has organised a number of events for Prem Rawat events across the world including two at the European Parliament and the visit of Prem Rawat to RCN in May 2013. As part of his presentation, Paul showed the recently released film which both charts the visit of Prem Rawat to this College and explores the role of peace in today’s world.