Reach, the UK’s largest commercial publisher, has created its first standalone training scheme to improve the diversity of its newsrooms.

The publisher said it wanted to improve representation of minority ethnic journalists and those from less privileged social classes with the new scheme, called Reach Boost.

It will pay for journalists to train for their NCTJ diploma while in full-time employment, earning £19,000 and £20,000 once they are qualified, in the London and south east region.