People, Recruitment & Training

Publishing runs on people, yet it is easy to invest in technology faster than in the staff who have to use it. As AI changes how the work gets done, the skills that matter most are the ones hardest to automate: judgement and the willingness to keep learning.

Getting good people in is the first problem. Graduate-only hiring has narrowed the pool, and some of the most successful schemes now recruit apprentices through blind, strengths-based selection, funded through the apprenticeship levy. Keeping them is the second, and pay remains the sore point. Journalism still pays less than comparable professions, and talented people leave because of it.

Fundamentally, all the frills and benefits in the world are not going to keep people working for you if the work is not rewarding, if people don’t have autonomy and you don’t pay them well enough.

Amanda Barnes Faversham House: our people strategy and why it's worked for us

Culture does the rest. Publishers recognised as good employers tend to train their managers properly, protect time for learning and treat wellbeing as part of the job rather than a perk. Hybrid working has made all of this harder, particularly for new starters who used to learn by sitting next to experienced colleagues. And with more work going to freelances, how they are treated is part of the picture too.

Below you'll find some of our best feature articles on people, recruitment and training in publishing, from apprenticeships and talent strategy to pay, culture, hybrid working and leadership, alongside our latest news and industry commentary.