Apprentice Broadcast Engineer Review

I am an apprentice broadcast engineer and I work on a variety of placements over a 3 year time period. I have so far been on 2 placements of 3 months each, one at a small media company where I was mainly shadowing a trainee and learning the basics of broadcast engineering, and more recently one at the research and development department where I was working on a project. This meant there was a lot of self-led work so I had to be independent and confident in my interactions with people around me.

I have both learnt new skills and developed existing ones. I think the new skills I have acquired have been more technical- learning how to make a cable and how to format a switch etc have been parts of the university experience as well as on the placements. The existing skills that I've developed have been more social with the interactions that take place at work. I have had to learn to be more confident in what I have to say in front of people that are higher up in the company as well as being able to ask people when I've needed their input or guidance

I do really enjoy my apprenticeship, I am surrounded by people who think like me in some aspects but are very different in others. I think that this helps greatly since there will never be a boring day with a group like ours. When I am on placement it can be a little daunting being the only apprentice in that particular office but each one is chosen for a reason and the company or office staff are almost always excited to help me work. In second year the university work has stepped up to be harder but that is more general of uni rather than the course specifically. I knew the course was going to be hard so I don't think that would stop my enjoyment of it, and I am still having fun and learning lots.

My manager is really supportive and loves to get us involved in BBC events that are taking place around us. I feel like a valued member of the course group and have been asked to represent us in schools and at talks. In my placements I have felt like I am a valued member of a team, especially at research and development where I was running my own project and doing my own research while still being known to the team I was working in and the head of R&D.

Our program has a good structure and we know our timetable of where we're going to be roughly a year in advance. This helps as our time is split between Birmingham and our home cities. The university sections include study weeks where we can go over the work that we learned or complete coursework for modules and the placements are 3 months long and in different companies each time to give us a varied experience in our course. Induction started as a general company induction then funnelled into more relevant for our course over 4 weeks at the start. It can get quite late before we know where we are going on placement but there is generally a reason for this and constant updates given.

At university there is a course leader who takes concerns about the uni side and reports them back to the BBC if necessary. Most of the uni tutors are very open and willing to answer email about concerns anytime. The majority of the tutors understand that our course is different to most university courses and therefore we will have different needs and concerns. They will adapt their teaching to our course and generally be happy to make adjustments within reason.

We have constant email contact with our manager and support staff at the BBC. We have catch up calls and can text or email anytime we need information or just need someone to talk to about the course. They value us as individuals and will email about events they think we'll be interested in or would like us to help at. They will always be happy and never annoyed at taking a call, and give me extra support where needed for my dyslexia, especially in the interview process.

I find that my salary covers my costs reasonably, however I do not pay rent to my parents as I am living with them. I get London weighting which covers the cost of my travel but wouldn't cover extra rent costs of living in London if I needed it to. Living at home does allow me to put money in savings so I can focus more on my work and study than worrying about living costs.

While on placement I have been involved with a number of office social outings, including pub quizzes, festivals, careers events, training days and social gatherings. There has been good social activity at both of the placements I have been to which has encouraged more interaction between colleagues in a casual setting. There are opportunities to join fitness clubs and discount gym packages.

Yes

In general, it is a company that you're proud to work for. No day is the same and the community that surrounds you is a great one, full of diverse characters and support from all sides. It is somewhere you feel like really values that niche of work that you do and that really encourages your individuality.

The application is looking for honesty and uniqueness, write about your personal experiences and examples of when you might have done something they're looking for, even if it seems slightly irrelevant. They aren't looking for you to know everything at interviews so if you can't answer, have a go but don't be afraid to take time to think and to just say if you don't know. It's a tough process but someone has to get the job, right?!