Facebook has set up a £4.5 million fund to create 80 jobs in local newspapers around the UK over the next two years.

Newspaper companies and the National Council for the Training of Journalists will run the pilot scheme designed to bring more local reporters to communities.

Recruits will have varied levels of education and experience and the NCTJ will steer and assess training.

Called the Community News Project, it could be extended if successful.

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Newsquest, JPIMedia, Reach, Archant and the Midland News Association have joined the scheme.

The goal is to boost newsgathering from towns and villages "which have lost their local newspaper or beat reporters".

The Herald:

Nick Wrenn, head of news partnerships at Facebook, above, said: "Local newspapers keep people up to date on everything that's going on in a community, but also play a vital role in holding local councils and institutions to account.

"We recognise the important role Facebook plays in how people get their news today, and we want to do more to support local publishers."

Sian Cox-Brooker, strategic partner manager at Facebook, said that local news "is also the best way of finding out what is going on in your community".

She said: "At Facebook we know that it is what people want to read."

The news comes as the Cairncross Review, under the chairmanship of Dame Frances Cairncross, is looking at how to sustain high-quality journalism in a changing market.

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Toby Granville, editorial director at Newsquest, parent company of Herald and Times, said: "This initiative will mean that we can dive deeper into our communities to engage with them about what matters most at a more granular level.

"These new journalists will be able to help fill a void of rich content while establishing new audiences in otherwise untapped areas and help build a sustainable future for community news."

The NCTJ and publishers will focus on recruiting trainees from a range of backgrounds, designed to reflect the diversity of local communities.

Joanne Butcher, chief executive of the NCTJ said that community journalists will have access to a full training programme from the NCTJ while working.

She said: "Trainees without the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism will receive training to achieve the qualification, while those who have passed the diploma will work towards a new National Qualification in Journalism for community journalists.

"They will also have access to a range of training from Facebook focused on digital newsgathering skills."

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She added: "We are very proud to support the sustainability of quality local journalism by overseeing the recruitment of additional local news journalists from diverse and inclusive backgrounds and by ensuring they are properly trained and qualified."

Karyn Fleeting, head of audience at Reach PLC, said: "Community news is shared widely on Facebook, on pages and in community groups, and this collaboration will help us reach communities which don't currently benefit from in-depth community news.

"We think it will be good for journalism, good for our newsrooms and good for the local communities we serve."

Laura Adams, content director at Archant, added: "We hope it can play a small part in boosting community engagement in towns, cities and counties across the UK, and open up new opportunities for the next generation of journalistic talent."

The application process begins next year but the NCTJ and publishers will visit to schools, universities and industry events across the country to talk about the project, and encourage more young people to think about a career in journalism.