Broadcast Engineering Apprentice Review

As a broadcast engineering apprentice I study for a degree at both Salford university and Birmingham City university for half of the year and take part in industry based work placements for the remainder of the year. The work placements offer a wide variety of tasks and teams to become a part of with day to day roles changing based on where I have been placed. I have been able to get my hands on broken kit and fix a wide variety of hardware as well as take part in large scale site installations.

Through university I have been able to learn a great deal about the broadcast chain as well as each individual component in great detail as well as learning all about IP networks and how to configure them. On the work placements I have been able to develop my practical skills and abilities such as soldering, fault finding and problem solving. Overall I have gained a great deal of knowledge about the broadcast industry, everything that goes in to the creation of television programmes and how to help make sure the process runs smoothly.

Overall I have really enjoyed my programme. The majority of the work placements have been fantastic opportunities giving me insight in to the business and the ability to feel like a part of a team. There have been minor parts of the placements that have been less successful but these issues have always been resolved even if a change of placement has been required. The university course has been very useful and provides a great deal of knowledge and education however some modules have been poorly taught or felt a little too challenging.

I feel very valued by the BBC. Every team I have been involved with have always welcomed me and made me immediately feel like I belong to their team. Anyone I have worked with are always happy to see me around work and always stop to have a chat. The scheme management team are wonderful and are always there to help whenever we require it. I have always felt like no matter where I go at the BBC there is a great support network and people happy to help me in any way. Teams have always looked to me for suggestions with problems and made me feel like my input is valued.

The structure of the programme works really well. The rotation of university and placement in 3 month blocks really helps to break up the year and allows skills and knowledge to be transferred between the two separate aspects. The scheme management team always ensure we know where we are going and what our position is going to be at any given time. However, some placement managers seem to be unwilling to offer any support or structure to the placement with some sections of one or two placements becoming quite mundane with no work on offer. The university timetable is often very poorly organised with too many campus changes and long breaks being given. However in this case it is often the best they can do based on lecturer availability.

The support provided by the universities is excellent. No matter where we are or who we are with we are always offered a great deal of support. Between our university supervisors and lecturers we always have somebody close by to talk to and escalate any issues as necessary. Even when away on private study or off somewhere on our own our support network are always easily contactable and always willing to offer remote support to the best of their abilities.

Our scheme management and placement supervisors are always helpful and willing to support us in any way possible. They are always available at the end of a phone to talk to when away and always schedule regular catch ups and meetings to make sure we are happy and being helped as much as we require.

I believe for our level of course the pay is far above average. My salary easily covers all of my costs and expenses and I never feel like I am underpaid. However I feel perhaps the weighting could be shifted. Whilst London weighting is an obvious necessity perhaps Salford should also receive a little more than areas such as Bristol due to the rising costs of Salford caused mainly by the development of MediaCity.

We are always offered many opportunities to socialise with the other apprentices and scheme management during our university blocks with organised nights out being provided by the management. Whilst on placement I have always been made to feel like a part of the team with all teams I have worked with offering me many opportunities to socialise with them at evening events.

Yes

The BBC is a fantastic place to work, everyone is always friendly, happy and helpful and the atmosphere is fantastic. MediaCity is a great location to work in and always makes me feel happy on the way in to work. This scheme has offered many opportunities and provides a great start to a career that I would otherwise have struggled to break in to.

The application and interview process are very long and require a great deal of effort and information to be provided. The interview day involved many different tests and activities which could be quite challenging for those not expecting them. When applying make sure that it is definitely what you want to do as the course has many applicants for few places and it would be a shame to take a space if you don’t necessarily want it as much as others.