From Dutch college and university education to courses, in-company trainings and talent programmes. In the Netherlands, there are many ways to become a journalist or to keep learning once you are in the business. But the world at large, especially the world of journalism, is rapidly changing. People consume news differently. There are numerous new, mainly digital possibilities. Business models change and, at the same time, the trust of journalism is at stake.

Moreover, education is in a state of continuous development. Training programmes are dealing with the need for flexibility and personalisation. ‘Lifelong learning’ is becoming more and more standard.

What do all these changes mean for journalism training programmes and the continuous development of journalists in the field? J-lab started a scenario study to provide answers to uncertainties journalism education is facing. The objective of this research is to get to various consistent, plausible but also radical scenarios that contribute to the debate about training current and future journalists.

For that purpose, 60 Dutch specialists in the field of journalism and education were asked about their vision on the developments in journalism education via online survey, conducted at the start of 2021. A literature study was simultaneously conducted to identify other views predominant outside of the Netherlands, about the future of journalism education. Based on the survey and literature study, the themes were clustered and ten ‘trend sessions’ were organised. During these sessions, experts discussed specific developments and trends in journalism education. This has led to four scenarios for the future of journalism education.