About us
Firmly established as the pre-eminent supplier of training to the publishing industry, The Publishing Training Centre at Book House (PTC) provides cost-effective and high-quality training for publishers in the UK and overseas. Previously known as Book House Training Centre, the PTC is an educational charity dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in publishing. It grew from a small department at the Publishers Association 30 years ago and remains at the heart of the industry.
PTC's courses are focused on providing specific learning outcomes that are designed to make an immediate, positive difference back at the office. All our tutors are practitioners first and foremost, which means that they bring their real-world experience with them to the courses they teach, enriching the experience for students and making the courses more practical. PTC's work is overseen by a dedicated Board of Trustees, who have a broad range of experience and expertise in the publishing industry.
Our tutors
Most of our tutors currently work in roles directly related to the subject areas they teach, either in full-time positions or as freelancers. This means that they are not only very experienced, but also that they are up-to-date with the latest developments and issues in the industry. They bring this unique knowledge and experience to the courses they teach.
Extending our services
We're best known for our core editorial skills training for book and journal publishers, but also offer a large number of short course titles covering the complete range of publishing skills, for all kinds of publishers. The portfolio includes digital publishing and web skills, legal subjects and marketing courses.
In recent years, we have seen a huge growth in demand for in-company training and consultancy and for our distance learning programmes in Basic Proofreading, Copy-Editing, Picture Research and Editorial Project Management.
E-learning is also growing in importance. We launched an online grammar course early in 2005 and students on some short and distance learning courses now benefit from extra online support. We also offer an online course for those wishing to learn more about the publishing industry, called Understanding Book Publishing.
Widening our market
Just as traditional publishing has changed, so has the range of organisations involved in publishing. Our clients now often come from other business sectors, as well as government departments, educational institutions and charities. Many courses are created particularly for these markets.
We are confident that this diversity enhances our ability to lead the field in continuous professional development for all involved in communications and publishing.
PTC continues to work with overseas publishers - both in the UK and abroad - and with its counterparts in Europe through membership of ABPTOE (Association of Bookseller and Publisher Training Organisations in Europe).
Other activities
Education/publishing partnerships
The PTC was instrumental in establishing a forum for regular communication between those colleges and universities that offer publishing-related degree and diploma courses. This continues through our administration of the Sue Thomson Foundation awards for dissertations on publishing topics.
National Occupational Standards
The Standards provide a description of the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to perform the main roles and responsibilities for occupations within the creative media industries. Developed by industry practitioners, employers and other key stakeholders the Standards show exactly what is required of professionals in the industry.
Originally developed by the Publishing Training Centre, the Publishing Standards are used as an HR tool and for developing job profiles by book and journal publishers in the UK and internationally. The Standards have been revised in 2011 to bring them up-to-date with digital developments and to include journals publishing.