Finance Uncovered invites talented journalists and researchers to apply for the first in a series of intensive online training workshops in which participants will learn and use foundational follow-the-money skills. The explicit aim of the seven-week workshops are to produce stories on specific themes in targeted regions.

Besides training, we will provide investigative and research capacity on an individual, confidential basis to help develop your stories.

Our first workshop will be themed around the extractives industries and is open to journalists and researchers from east, west, central and southern Africa.

It will cater to a maximum of six participants and will start on Wednesday, February 26.

Over a seven-week period, participants will:

• Take our accredited and highly acclaimed Understanding Company Accounts course, a bedrock set of eLearning modules that teach you how to analyse corporate financial statements for story leads
• Receive extra training on how to hold mining companies to account
• Attend a series of seminars and exercise classes based on contemporary case studies
• Develop your story pitches with help and guidance from FU’s expert team of investigative journalists

Normally priced at £600, we are offering these workshops for free to talented, committed journalists and researchers who have:

• Demonstrable experience reporting on, analysing and investigating extractives companies (mining and oil and gas)
• Advanced English (reading and speaking)

As part of the application process, you need to propose a company or group of companies you would like to hold to account in the extractives sectors, and provide the reasons for doing so. Significant weight will be given to this part of the process.

This will form the basis of the story idea that you will work on with our team of experts during and after the course, with the ultimate goal of publishing a story.

The story or investigation can focus on any aspect of a company’s operations, for example allegations of environmental damage, labour force issues, tax avoidance, corrupt practices or deteriorating relations with communities and government. Besides providing guidance, FU is ready to provide investigative and research capacity to advance your story to publication. Your story idea and its subsequent development will remain confidential.

Once selected, we will ask you to obtain approval from your manager/editor to spend time attending the workshop and taking the course. This series of online workshops is of course available to freelancers.

Journalists are invited to apply before the deadline of January 30 by completing the form on this link:

Any further questions can be directed to the FU team at [email protected].