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Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Finn Macdiarmid.
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01:00It's called the Garden of Kent. It produces a huge amount of food, particularly fruit, for the whole country.
01:06And women at work. We celebrate our majority female news team ahead of International Women's Day.
01:12It's important to show that women do belong in these spaces, whether it's engineering, education, TV.
01:29But first tonight, an apprenticeship fair came to Maidstone Leisure Centre this morning, showcasing opportunities across the county for young
01:36people to get involved in.
01:37The traditional university route for young people, they say, no longer seems to provide the financial stability it once did,
01:44with many graduates adding they think they're settled with debt that they might never be able to pay off.
01:49So could apprenticeships be the future of higher education? Kent's Conservative MPs seem to think so.
01:56Megan Shaw went down to find out more.
01:57It's a busy day in the gym, but this time for education rather than exercise.
02:03Here at Maidstone Leisure Centre, the indoor sports courts behind me are usually full of netball players and basketball players.
02:11But not today, as 45 different employers have made their way to Maidstone to show young people the apprenticeship offers
02:19that are here in Kent.
02:20Employers from the NHS to Gatwick Airport offer apprenticeships for young people in Kent that allow them to gain industry
02:28experience alongside studying.
02:30As opposed to enrolling in an undergraduate degree programme at a university.
02:35This is the eighth year that me and my Conservative colleagues have hosted this apprenticeship fair, and it's really, really
02:43important.
02:44University is a good thing. It's great for some people, but not for everyone.
02:48It comes at a time when universities across the country are facing financial pressures, and more and more young people
02:55are wary of student debt.
02:57But can apprenticeships really replace the university experience?
03:01I think with less people going to uni, I think apprenticeships are a much more viable option.
03:06I believe a better alternative to university, as it gives you the same degree, just without the debt.
03:11It's a good option, right, but it's just quite competitive.
03:14The Conservatives have recently called for an overhaul of the student loan system they helped introduce.
03:20Under the Liberal Democrat Tory coalition that brought in £9,000 loans for the first time.
03:26Shadow Education Minister Laura Trott later affirmed that the party wants to stop government funding for so-called dead-end
03:34university courses.
03:36What I need to make sure is that actually those courses that young people go on are worthwhile.
03:41Because the problem is, is if you are leaving school and you think,
03:45Oh, I'm going to go study a creative arts course at a university, and I don't know that actually, that's
03:51not going to get me into the creative arts.
03:54That's going to end me up with thousands and thousands of pounds of debt, and no job.
03:59And it's just totally the wrong approach.
04:01So that is why we're shifting the system around.
04:03It won't be something that everybody would agree with, but I believe in it passionately,
04:07because I think it's the right thing for young people, and it's the right thing for taxpayers too.
04:10Their plan is to cut 100,000 university places and put this saved money into apprenticeships.
04:17The fantastic thing about apprenticeships is you can earn whilst you're learning.
04:21You have solid skills that you can use immediately in the workplace.
04:25There's always going to be a place for academic degrees, and that's wonderful too.
04:29But there's all sorts of different ways that people can learn after 16, after 18,
04:33and it's important to embrace all of them.
04:36But the Tories' plan overlooks that there aren't many apprenticeships in the creative arts
04:41to replace the degrees they want to cut, potentially leaving a gap for the young artistic talent of tomorrow.
04:48Megan Shaw for KMTV in Maidstone.
04:51And with apprenticeships making the headlines, we here at KMTV have some great news.
04:56The KMTV Academy has been given a National Council for the Training of Journalists accreditation.
05:01This means we'll be able to offer students a chance to gain both hands-on practical experience
05:05as well as the career qualification.
05:07For more information on this, I spoke to journalism lecturer Rob Bailey about this earlier.
05:13So Rob, tell us a bit about this new scheme.
05:16The KMTV Academy and the fact it's got NCTJ accreditation.
05:19For anyone who hasn't heard about it, give us a brief about what to expect.
05:22Yeah, well, Kent was in danger of becoming a little bit of a desert for journalism training
05:26because the University of Kent had made the decision to close down its Centre for Journalism,
05:31which I'm the head of currently, which would leave Kent without anywhere
05:34that you could get professionally accredited journalism training.
05:37And it matters.
05:38It matters because, I mean, certainly from my own point of view,
05:42when I was younger I wanted to be a journalist.
05:44I was the first person in my family to ever go to university.
05:47I had no connections in the media industry at all.
05:51And people, there are hundreds of young people like that who don't have a leg up,
05:57who need to access to affordable, high-quality training
06:01that will give them a start in the industry,
06:03give them the opportunities that I've enjoyed.
06:05And we really wanted to keep that going, and that's what this does.
06:09So we've created an academy based around KMTV
06:12that will offer professionally accredited journalism training
06:15to people who are studying at the University of Kent
06:17and soon the University of Greenwich as well.
06:20And it will give them an opportunity to be trained as journalists
06:24but also to be working as a journalist.
06:27So they'll join the KMTV crew.
06:29Your viewers will be seeing their work on Kent tonight
06:32all the way through their training year, watching them develop.
06:36And it will open a gateway for those young people then to go on
06:39to either continue their career here or to go on,
06:42as many KMTV journalists have,
06:44to great things at the BBC, ITV, Sky News and beyond.
06:48Absolutely. You mentioned that gateway and that start in journalism.
06:52So often it can be hard for young journalists
06:54to really build up a portfolio and to get a good start in the career
06:57rather than maybe more administrative roles in the office,
07:00depending on your newsroom.
07:02So how important is it, that blend of academics
07:05but also the practical side, as you mentioned?
07:07Well, I think this is a craft, journalism.
07:10It's something that you learn by doing.
07:11And so it's absolutely vital to the whole thing
07:16that we've got access to a brilliant newsroom
07:19making news every single day
07:20where our students will have hands-on experience
07:22of doing things that are going to be seen by a real audience
07:26because that instils professionalism.
07:28It makes you really sweat the details of what you're doing.
07:31But at the same time, it opens doors for you.
07:34They'll be taken seriously by the people out there
07:37who journalists need to talk to, like the police, like councils.
07:41They'll have access to them.
07:42They'll be able to do those interviews and build up a showreel
07:45which will be really impressive for their future.
07:47I see. Thank you so much for your time, Rob.
07:50In other news, the MP for Favisham and Mid-Kent, Helen Waitley,
07:54is urging the government to rethink their housing targets.
07:57This comes after her calculations of local plans
08:00and approved planning applications across Kent and Medway
08:03show that there are over 20,000 houses planned for her constituency.
08:07To find out more on this, our reporter Nayla Mohamed
08:10went to Favisham to learn what the residents think about these plans.
08:14Let's have a look.
08:15It spoils the countryside, definitely.
08:17This was just one of the reactions to plans for new homes
08:21to be built in Favisham and Mid-Kent.
08:24Known for being the oldest market town in Kent
08:27with over 400 listed buildings and a 16th century guild hall,
08:31Favisham and Mid-Kent is one of 18 constituencies across the county.
08:36And with this area holding less than 5% of the total population,
08:41it's been asked to take on over 20,000 new homes.
08:44Almost one in five of all of those homes planned for the entire county.
08:49MP Helen Waitley is saying that these new housing should be focused
08:52in areas that have the infrastructure and the jobs to support it
08:56and that the government should not prioritise building these housing
08:58in the countryside.
08:59But do the local residents agree?
09:01We live just off the A2 and the traffic there is just unbelievable now
09:07compared to when we first came.
09:08So yes, it has an impact on the roads.
09:12If they're going to build houses, and I don't actually agree with the building houses,
09:15they need to put the infrastructure in as well, better roads.
09:18It will spoil the character of this place.
09:22It is a character that we've known for years.
09:25I do like to, you know, go out into the country,
09:29the other side, you know, the Bising Woods side.
09:33But even going on the bike, you notice the increase in houses.
09:39Local MP Helen Waitley is concerned that the new homes
09:42would impact the scenery of her constituency,
09:44which is known for its proximity to rural areas, marshes and orchards.
09:50We live in a rural area. It's called the Garden of Kent.
09:52It produces a huge amount of food, particularly fruit,
09:55for the whole country.
09:57Concreting is over. You can't go back from that.
10:00This will completely change, transform, change the area
10:04and also destroy all that agricultural land.
10:07Helen also claims that three different bodies
10:09have made the plans for her constituency,
10:11including Maidstone Council and Swale Council.
10:15A spokesperson from Maidstone Borough Council said,
10:19all sites included in the adopted local plan
10:21have been assessed alongside infrastructure capacity.
10:24Any decision on housing numbers are driven by government policy,
10:28not by the council acting in isolation.
10:31But with the decision of the application
10:33due to be made by Swale Borough Council on 10 March
10:36and with the government saying homes must be built,
10:39residents in this corner of the Garden of England
10:42question whether it may soon give way to concrete.
10:46Nayla Mohamed for KMTV in Favisham.
10:50A great report from Nayla there.
10:53Swale Borough Council also provided us a statement
10:55on this planned housing.
10:56They said,
10:57as a council,
10:58we robustly defended the reasons for refusal
11:00and provided evidence to the inquiry,
11:02which is now finished.
11:03They added,
11:03they supported that position
11:05and are now awaiting a decision
11:06from the Secretary of State.
11:08They added,
11:09we can't comment on individual applications
11:11that are awaiting a decision,
11:12but they will each be assessed on their own merits.
11:16In some other news,
11:17just before we go to the break,
11:19one lane of a Ramsgate road was shut down
11:21after a car erupted into flames,
11:23leaving traffic stalled by the emergency response.
11:27The A256 Ramsgate road was blocked at Thanetbound,
11:31sorry,
11:31blocked Thanetbound at Richborough Port near Sandwich.
11:34Aaron Snow,
11:35one witness on the road,
11:36thought the Mercedes would explode.
11:37He also said,
11:38on approach,
11:39we could see smoke
11:40and a sudden build-up of traffic.
11:42Kent Fire and Rescue Service told us
11:44no injuries have been reported.
11:46While slow queues were reported
11:48as a consequence of the fire,
11:50the route has since been reopened.
11:53Well, it's now time for a short break.
11:56We'll catch you after a few minutes
11:57with more news from around Kent.
22:10Thank you to my
22:11We've done a lot of
22:13history.
22:16So, yeah, we basically do everything to do with Kent and history.
22:19And can you tell us what's going to be in tonight's episode?
22:21So, tonight's episode is going to be focused on women.
22:23Obviously, the theme of the month is March, Women's Month, and we're going to go through some long-standing landmarks
22:30with women.
22:31We're going to go through Gillingham, and we're focusing on women in all these different parts of Kent, their history,
22:38what they contributed,
22:39because a lot of these women were often overlooked in history.
22:42So this episode is really about highlighting their contributions, you know, everything they've contributed to the county,
22:49because they've contributed a lot over the years, and sometimes they're unfairly looked over.
22:52Absolutely. Whether it's Afro-Ben in Canterbury, there's plenty of women who've really left their mark on Kent's history.
22:58What's your favourite part of tonight's show?
23:01My favourite part is what I've been working on, Gillingham Women, where we've looked at six women in particular, focusing
23:10on two.
23:11I'm a big believer in representation, intersectionality, especially with feminism.
23:17So one of the key figures we're focusing on today is a woman called Sarah Forbes Bonetta,
23:22and she was a person of colour who was actually integrated into Victorian society and became very good friends with
23:29Queen Victoria,
23:30and she really challenged those stigmas and beliefs at the time.
23:33And we're also focusing on some engineering, all these feats that women have done.
23:38Absolutely. And where can people watch?
23:40People can watch live at 7pm, live from Kent Online, and obviously just tune in to the show.
23:50Absolutely. Thank you so much for your time, Tia.
23:53This Sunday marks International Women's Day, a day to commemorate women's fight for gender equality.
23:58And here at KMTV News, we currently have the highest proportion of women in our full-time news team than
24:03we've ever had before.
24:05And as women continue to fight for equal representation in the media sphere, we think that that is worth celebrating.
24:11Chloe Brewster reports.
24:12Welcome to Kent Tonight Live on KMTV.
24:15And welcome to Kent Tonight Live on KMTV.
24:19Welcome to Kent Tonight Live on KMTV.
24:21Welcome to Kent Tonight Live here on KMTV.
24:24Women make up half the global population, yet in news reports, they're only seen or heard from around a quarter
24:30of the time.
24:31Here at KMTV News, 73% of our news team is female.
24:35And beside me, on the wall, leading up to our studio, are some of the amazing women that have come
24:39through our doors.
24:40I'd say for me, being a woman in journalism is about being the representation that I want to see on
24:45screen.
24:46And this very much shapes the stories that I tell, the journalist I want to be, how I present myself
24:51on screen as well, and also whose voices I get to highlight.
24:54There's a lot of moments where I'm going out and I'm telling a story that sometimes you need the female
24:59perspective on.
25:00I feel really inspired by Marie Colvin and Emily Maitlis.
25:05I think they're both really strong women and very well known as being strong women in journalism.
25:12When I started, it was majority men.
25:14It was only me and the editor who were women.
25:16So to have it now be mostly women is great.
25:19I feel like we can work together quite well.
25:22I feel like we can support each other better because there's a lot of things that women go through that
25:26maybe men don't understand.
25:28So if someone's having a hard day, we can kind of talk to each other and support each other and
25:32come up with different stories like what you're doing today.
25:36International Women's Day to me is really important.
25:39I've grown up around some really strong women, which I'm very privileged for.
25:43But it's really important for me as I think it's important to show that women do belong in these spaces,
25:48whether it's engineering, education, TV, and being able to represent that in the TV field is really important for not
25:57just young people, but people of different generations as well.
26:01And that it's never too late to chase the dream.
26:03Media reflects reality.
26:05And for us, it's essential to tell stories that matter for women and girls.
26:09This International Women's Day, we pledge to continue to support our reporters in helping women's voices be heard.
26:15Chloe Brewster for KMTV in Midway.
26:18You've been watching Kent Tonight live here on KMTV.
26:21And don't forget, there's more news made just for Kent throughout the evening, including Kent Chronicles.
26:26And don't forget, you can always keep up to date with the latest news across your county by logging on
26:30to our website, kmtv.co.uk.
26:33You can keep us on your social timelines by liking us on Facebook and by following us on our TikTok.
26:38And if you have a story that you think we should be covering, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
26:43But as I say, that is all the time we have.
26:46Thank you so much for watching and see you soon.
26:47Good night.
26:49Good night.
26:50Good night.
26:52Good night.
27:03Good night.
27:05Good night.
27:06Good night.
27:06Good night.
27:06Good night.
27:06Good night.
27:06Good night.
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