Broadcast Engineering Apprentice Review

As a new starter, I have completed my first placement with the BBC and currently doing university. As an apprentice I had the chance to explore more areas of the department, and ask a lot more questions than any normal employee. The daily tasks varied with a lot of internal and external communication, mostly through emails. There are a lot of systems that I had to be accustomised to, which is fun, because you get to know how the content is delivered to you. Daily internal and external interractions involved in asking departments and external companies to either give more information about a certain fault or to either escalate the specific department to fix the issue. Overall it gives you exposure to a lot of different people, of different ages, countries and culture, which is fascinating, as it gives you the necessary confidence to communicate with ease with anyone.

BBC is all about diversity and acceptance, there are a lot of online courses, mandatory and non-mandatory, that you can take to increase your knowledge about health and safety, but also about social issues. The placement doesn't only train you to become a better employee, but also a better human being. The co-workers around you are very professional about their work, and they don't hesitate in helping you, they go over the board to share their experience and knowledge, which helps you understand the type of job you are doing. During my first placement I have learnt to be more open, to be more expressive and to be more confident. This helped me improving work ethics and communications skills.

The program is very enjoyable, but at the same time is very hectic. During work, you get to know and meet a lot of people which is brilliant, the work environment is very busy, but there are so many fun conversations going on which ease the burden from you. But when it comes to university, apprentices have more hours for study. When we are work then we concentrate on work, but at the same time, there is a lot of new stuff that you learn, so after 9 to 5 work, you try to research more about that. When you are at university, study, assignments and exam preparation in a short span of time, makes socialising impossible. Study and work together are difficult, and this was something I always expected, however, experiencing it has a different feel to it. The good thing about this is that the managers are very understanding and helpful, and they try to ease your burden as much as they can.

The programme is structured brilliantly, as university and work never interlace with each other. 3 months of university are followed by 3 months of placement. There are a lot of meetings, which help you share your problems, and raise your concerns. There is a lot of support that the BBC offers to its employees, from mental health to any other issue you have at work or in your life.

The support given by the employer is fantastic. Whenever I have any issue or concern, I am very comfortable to share it with my line manager and I know that will be dealt with. The level of support that the managers give is unbelievable. I am personally very comfortable talking about my issues to my manager, I always ask for guidance and advise. The managers are very reacheable, it is possible to contact from email or phone. I always felt being listened to whenever I raised my concern and issues.

The tutors are very friendly, and try to help you when you raise your concerns. But sometimes you feel that the level of support given by the university is not at par with the level of support given by the employee. Where, a lot of issues are dealt with, there are as many issues that are sometimes overlooked, which makes student life a bit hectic.

It pretty much depends on how you carry yourself. The modules taught at university do help, but more knowledge is gained by self study, extra research, and the use of learning platforms like linkedin learning. In my case, university just gave me the basic knowledge needed to perform the job, but a full understanding of what was taught at university and what is done at the work place comes with platforms like youtube or linkedin learning, or by asking a lot of questions at work.

There are a lot of extra curicullar activities at work, but due to a very packed and busy schedule, mostly due to university coursework and exams, and then due to work, it is not really possible participating in a lot of activities. The placement gives some breathing space, as most apprentices work 9-5 with no work that is carried over at home, meaning that there is some free time that can be spent at home.

Yes

It is one of the biggest and most known organisation in the world, it has some of the best minds in the world, that can teach you a lot. It is an opportunity of a lifetime working for the BBC, it gives you experience as a worker and also experience as a human being, you can interract with people from different cultures and backgrounds, you are exposed to the best technology, you can learn how content that you have been seeing since childhood, is broadcasted on your TVs. This is an opportunity of a lifetime.

My advise would be, be what you are (obviously being respectful), nobody is going to judge you. In my experience my interview was quite an experience (in a good way), after the technical knowledge part of the interview, there is also a part where the questions are more about you. These questions are a great opportunity to show the interviewers, that you belong here. Where I think it is important that you show leadership qualities, initiatives, time management etc, it is also important that you be honest. Honesty is the most important thing in an interview, as it lets you talk in a natural manner, which I think is a good thing, it keeps you relaxed during the interview, and makes the interview more like a conversation, it puts off the pressure from you and helps you answer the interview questions in a better way.