Digital Journalism Apprentice Review

We are gaining our NCTJ qualification alongside the apprenticeship so our time is split between college for coursework/assignments and work placement at the BBC. We get a variety of hands-on skills including radio, TV and online journalism, putting the teaching from college into use when we go on placement.

I have learnt so many new skills it's hard to remember them all! I have learnt invaluable skills about writing, broadcasting, speech, editing and all for various platforms too - so how to write effectively for radio versus online, for example. It's all proven so useful for work purposes.

I am really enjoying the programme so far. It is the first year that BBC Wales have run the apprenticeship so naturally there were some teething problems to begin, but they've quickly helped us find our feet and really let us get involved.

From the college perspective, there have been some organisational flaws. There was no kit provided for a good few months for example, so we were unable to practice a lot of our skills. We also only had minimal contact time for a while, but this was soon amended.

My employers at the BBC have been extremely supportive. I have a really encouraging mentor in my placement who is always encouraging and finding me things to get involved in, whilst our placement managers are also great. We have such a wide support network on the scheme.

We didn't get much support from our training provider to begin with, as I mentioned before as they were new to this course. But now we have a programme manager and our lecturers are also really supportive.

We haven't completed our qualification yet but I can already tell from how much I've learnt already - without sitting any exams - that it's going to be really beneficial. Everything we learn through our training provider is relevant to our job role.

There are a lot of networking events and I enjoy going to these meetings and being able to contribute. I haven't experienced any sports teams or social activities yet.

Yes

The BBC is an amazing workplace that I would recommend to anybody. It is inclusive, always striving to improve and is so dedicated to its audiences. They also provide great opportunities to apprentices so you always feel part of the team and able to make a difference.

Just be yourself - there is no BBC stereotype or demographic. Anybody can be part of the team and you will be given the opportunity if you put in the effort. You don't need all the qualifications either - as long as you are willing to try and be creative