SkillsFest is our day-long set of training sessions aimed at giving journalists – both students and professionals - the tools they need to better do their job.

The next SkillsFest will take place on Saturday, Jan. 27 starting with sign-in and coffee at 9 a.m.; and sessions beginning at 10 a.m. in room 116 of the Central King Building at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark.

The event is co-sponsored with The Vector, NJIT's student newspaper. Cost for NJIT students is $10 (covers the cost of lunch), with the option of purchasing an SPJ student membership.

Presenters are: David Bergeland, an award-winning photojournalist who teaches multimedia skills at Rutgers-Newark; Renee Ernst, a producer for the social publishing unit of CNN; Carla Astudillo, a data journalist for the Star-Ledger and NJ.com; and David Sheingold, the data and computer-assisted reporting specialist for The Record. 

Here's the schedule: 

• 9-10 a.m.: coffee and registration
• SESSION 1 (10 to 11:15 a.m.):  Multimedia skills with Dave Bergeland
• SESSION 2: (11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.): Data visualization with Carla Astudillo
• LUNCH (12:30 to 1:30 p.m.): Possible brainstorming and newspaper swap of student newspapers
• SESSION 3 (1:30 to 2:45 p.m.): Useful social media skills with Renee Ernst
• COFFEE BREAK (2:45 to 3 p.m.) 
• SESSION 4 (3 to 4:15 p.m): How to use Microsoft Excel spreadsheets as a reporting tool with David Sheingold.
• WRAP UP: (4:15 p.m.): Presentation of certificates; fill in evaluation forms