Apprentice Broadcast Engineer Review

As an Apprentice Broadcast Engineer, my apprenticeship alters between university and work placements; covering a wide range of topics, including both analog and digital TV and radio as well computer networking and programming. During work placements I can be given a fair amount of responsibility after learning from what other people are doing, which really helps to motivate me to work on various projects.

I've both improved my abilities with a programming language and have learned two entirely new ones. I have also expanded what I know on audio-visual systems and computer networks. After learning these during the university periods, getting to put them to use during work placements helped to solidify my understanding.

I very much am enjoying my programme. There is a very good balance between work and socialising. If a placement does not capture our interest, it is very easy to request a different one which would be more enjoyable and interesting. All of the topics that we cover are also of interest so there is no getting bored!

We have a great team of people managing and helping our cohort through our apprenticeship, who go out of their way to help us solve any issue (for example, with travel arrangements and placements). During work placements I have been given a number of projects to complete wither individually or as part of a team and people I get to work alongside clearly take note of my input.

We had a good amount of time upon starting the course for induction and training, making sure that we knew fundamental concepts and how to use internal systems. There is a great balance between university, work placements, and personal time; swapping between placements and university 4 times a year. We have a number of people we can approach with any concerns.

We are given contact details for all of our university tutors so that we may ask them any questions we wish. The same goes for our work placement hosts, who are always happy to help answer any questions. If we don't feel that a tutor is supporting us well enough, we can easily talk about it with our course organisers, although nearly all of the tutors are willing to help at short notice.

Our managing team is always available to help us with organising placements, travel, university, and anything else that we might want to ask them, even in their personal time. There are multiple support teams we can call with technical issues and there are a variety of services to help us online.

We receive a very good salary, with London weighting for higher living costs. Travel to university is fully paid for us, as well as accommodation and breakfast, lunch and dinner whilst at university. Our pay has increased as we have progressed through our course. There are also various services to help us save on personal purchases.

We have been able to work with a number of schools to help boost interest in broadcasting. This included small news broadcasting activities. On one of my placements, I participated in interviewing audience focus groups about BBC TV and Radio programs and what changes they would like to see from the BBC.

Yes

If you are interested in broadcasting, they provide great training and experience, along with good qualifications. The support structure has been very helpful and I have learned much more than I would have, if I had solely gone to university. I always feel valued in my work, as does everyone else in my apprenticeship group.

If you are at all enthusiastic about electronics, networks, programming etc., show it! Be honest about what you do know, you don't know, and what you would like to know. Think about any past experience you may have had in a related topic, even if just a small hobby. Also try to recall any times you may have had to help support others; it's an important trait to work as part of a team.