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Digital Journalist Apprentice: Georgia Coan - A digital journalism apprenticeship ‘can change your life’

2017-07-19T13:13:33+00:00

It may sound like a cliché, but every day I pinch myself when I realise I’m part of this industry.

I’ve wanted to work in journalism since I was studying for my GCSEs almost eight years ago. But my love of media started when I was six years old, recording my own radio shows on a cassette player. My guinea pig wasn’t the most engaging contributor, but we all have to start somewhere.

The last eight months have flown by. I’ve had some amazing experiences - from interviewing Irish singer Gavin James to meeting �� director general Tony Hall. I was also part of the digital team who documented the Children in Need canoe challenge for social media.

I’m given the opportunity to come up with ideas and create content for the �� Three Counties social media pages, which is one of many buzzes I get from this job.

Seeing videos I’ve created on a �� forum, telling people’s stories in a way that’s sharable and reaches so many people, gives me a sense of pride I can’t describe in words. And my confidence in myself and my ability grows when I receive positive feedback for my work.

A few years ago my confidence had taken a dent. I had to leave my journalism course at a local university for personal reasons and had given up hope of working in the industry.

What I hadn’t realised is that there are always other paths to take.

This apprenticeship has allowed me to train with professionals from across the ��. I’m also studying for an NCTJ (National Council for the Training of Journalists) qualification, giving me the theoretical knowledge I need (basically how not to get sued!) alongside the practical skills I’m learning.

Every day is different. Whether I’m filming a video for Facebook or supporting a live broadcast, l experience something new - which is unlike any job I’ve had in the past.

My colleagues and the people at �� Academy will continue to help make me into the best journalist I can be. They inspire me every day.

This is one of the best experiences I have ever had. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to be in the media industry.

First Steps: Helping remove barriers for potential new talent

2017-02-22T13:09:46+00:00

The new First Steps mentoring programme is aimed at people who want to apply for one of the ��’s sought-after New Talent schemes, but feel there is a barrier to them applying. It mixes practical advice with mentoring and work shadowing. It allows real talent to shine through and prepares people to make their application.

“We were looking for diverse, talented young people with a passion for some kind of media, who have that creative spark but who might find formal applications challenging,” explains Madeline Ferguson, partnership manager with the �� Academy.

During three life-changing days, 24 people based in London and Manchester have been offered support with the aim of helping them to progress through the application process for the ��’s Production and Journalism Apprenticeships when they launch on 13 March.

“It can be really daunting to apply for one of our apprenticeships and we appreciate that. The online questions, situational judgement tests and application to a deadline can be a tough process. First Steps is here to give a little bit of help to talented applicants from diverse backgrounds.”

Not open for general application, the Academy worked with partners like the Orpheus Performing Arts College (for young disabled artists), Clean Break (for female ex-offenders) and Talent Match (working with young people furthest from the jobs market) to find promising individuals in London and Salford.

On day one the participants met their mentors who were volunteers taken from �� journalism and production teams and had a tour of TV and radio studios, as well as thinking about what it takes to make a programme during a pitching exercise. The next stage is a day of shadowing in the workplace, followed by a separate day of employability training - going through what makes a good application and offering some help with interview skills.

“I really enjoyed the [first] day. It was inspiring and exciting to see all the different departments and studios, and I really felt at home,” says Lucy in Manchester. “[It’s] confirmed to me that the �� is the place I want to pursue my career, and I'm going to work as hard as I can to get there!”

On 13 March 2017 we open applications for our Production and Journalism Apprenticeship and Trainee schemes. The schemes start in September and are based across the UK.

We hope to run First Steps again in the future. Follow @��GetIn for announcements

Production apprentice: Alex Owen on his time at the Archers

2017-01-23T01:28:09+00:00

For the past couple of months I have been working on The Archers and �� WM. During my time I have learned an awful lot about the ��, how it works, how to communicate with people and the technical aspects of the job.

On The Archers I have been working as a spot effect assistant/assistant studio manager. This means helping out in the studio and working with the actors to create background sound effects. I'm also responsible for keeping the studio safe, taking care of health and safety.

During my day to day activities I read through scripts, make notes on the setting and how the sounds will play out within scenes. Here's an example:

"The scene is a village shop and some characters are stacking shelves, others are shopping and people are having a general good chat.”

For this scene I would ask the director and studio manager about mic position. (It's always helpful to have good communication between you and the directors.) Then I'd place the scene around the microphone. The shelves would most likely be a wooden box on its side and I will have a script in front of me while I follow the actors' lines.

I'll be the one stacking shelves which gives the illusion that it's the characters doing it. The actors don't tend to perform actual tasks as they are holding scripts. So I have to be mindful of loose wires, broken props and everyone's spacial awareness to make sure the scene plays out smoothly with no trips, falls or bumps.

When I'm not on The Archers I'm working at �� WM. I had an amazing experience desk-driving the Sunny and Shay show when they were on an outside broadcast. I was expected to use the desk, control the mics and keep the timings. It filled me with a lot of confidence knowing that the �� can trust me with these responsibilities and I hope that I will have a lot more in the future.

One of the ��’s values is being “One ��” and I really feel this is true. I have felt very welcomed into the organisation and I'm very much looking forward to greater opportunities in the year ahead.

Production apprentice: James Payton on his first weeks working at �� Radio

2017-01-18T11:26:48+00:00

Faders and switches, presenters and countless cups of coffee (often decaf because I cannot handle the buzz). What a ride this has been so far, and a very enjoyable one. I’ve gone from marching to the beat of left right, left right in the military to working at the biggest broadcasting corporation in the world.

If you are reading this, and you are thinking of joining us, then do not hesitate for one minute. I can promise it will be the best thing that you ever decided to do, and worth every moment that you contribute.

I started working for the �� on 26 September 2016. I'd styled my hair to the best of my ability (yet I can guarantee a llama would pull off a better hair style than me). I put on my best suit, polished my shoes and headed for the Mailbox in Birmingham.

It was a fantastic day meeting my new colleagues, learning stuff about the corporation and what would be happening on my scheme, about �� values and various other things. I also got to experience the great foods of Birmingham - a £3 meal deal from Tesco. Every little helps, eh?

For this position, I braved the 50mph zones on the M6 and moved north from a small town called Redditch to Manchester. Leaving home was nothing new. Before the �� I served in Her Majesty’s Royal Navy. But it was nice to live in a new home this time instead of a small university style box room, with a cramped en suite, loud neighbours and the distant echo of the firing ranges. I work at MediaCityUK and I am part of an excellent team.

Media City UK at sunset

I work predominantly on �� Radio Four's You and Yours with the wonderful Winifred Robinson. I always compliment Winifred on her show and tell her how much I love listening to her present, but she thinks I say it to every presenter! If only she knew I don’t...

In my time so far, I have learned so much about engineering sound. We use some great software to edit packages that become part of a story on a radio show. I’ve spent a good amount of time working the desks, too (the audio desk that is), which is an excellent experience.

I am already really looking forward to working on the live programmes, and being the actual studio manager for a show. I think when I'm doing live shows, I will probably drop the decaff coffee, and move on to the real stuff! You've got to remain focused when you have that kind of responsibility.

What I've certainly learned - taking the audio part aside - is how closely you work with each other. Teamwork is a big part of all of this and if you end up working here, you’ll understand how crucial it is. For example, in a studio, a presenter isn’t a presenter without a studio manager. Studio managers can’t do their role if the production team aren’t there to come up with ideas. You get the idea.

It has been excellent to see how much everyone collaborates. It is an amazing feeling when things go as planned because you get a real sense of achievement.

The days can be really busy sometimes, which is great. You’re always on your feet, you have to think proactively about what is coming up next because having a radio-based role, there is no time for after thought, especially on a live show.

I am still in the early days of my time at the ��, but I have never been so proud about working for a company before. I absolutely love my role. Every day is challenging, fun and interesting and I cannot wait to see how much more I develop over the coming year. Exciting times ahead. So go on, get stuck in! It’s the best decision you’ll ever make.

Production apprentice Jess Panchani, runner on Rio 2016: Parade of Heroes

2016-12-20T16:59:32+00:00

Gabby Logan interviews Olympic heroes, including Sir Chris Hoy

When I first started in this position, even when I got the interview, I was petrified and still am. I am not quite sure how I got here. When you get an opportunity like this one you don’t want to let it go to waste. This apprenticeship programme is all about me learning on the job and getting to know the company. I want to keep everyone updated on this journey I've had the opportunity to tag along on.

A little bit of background knowledge about me first: I’m newly turned 19, finished college last year, have no media experience and needed a change in perspective. Not everyone’s the same and uni just wasn’t for me.

Having done three weeks training in Birmingham and London, it was nice to be home and back into a routine. I can tell you now that I have made lifelong friendships. We’re working for a production company that has millions of people around the world tuning into its programmes every day. It’s astounding. The amazing thing about these training weeks was that the skills and information we learned are transferable to any department.

When I applied for this course I had no idea what I was getting into but the support and guidance I was given from the word go has been amazing. In my first week on the job I was able to work on a fantastic outside broadcast, which was the Manchester Olympic Parade.

My day started at nine in the morning and ended at around seven when we came up for air. My role that day was a runner, basically giving a hand where ever needed, from picking up make up mirrors to helping the talent get to where they need to be.

I met incredible Olympians such as Chris Hoy and Steve Brown and got to know a lot of different people. I may have only been a runner but it was nice to have the chance to prove to myself that I could do this. The great thing about this job is the amount of people you meet and everyone’s unique journey. It’s only been a couple of months and I have already had the opportunities to work on Match of the Day, Cbeebies Pantomime, RTS Awards and Sports Personality of the Year. Each programme had taught me different aspects of the industry in different departments. The great thing is none of these programmes saw me as an apprentice, they see me as someone who is willing to learn and widen my horizons.

Extend: Presenting at the �� Proms

2016-12-15T11:50:13+00:00

It’s been just over a year since I joined the �� through the Extend scheme. For my initial six-month placement, I worked on The One Show as a researcher, and while I had previous experience as a production runner, I knew I had a lot to learn as I started my first day.

Thankfully, my new colleagues made me feel very welcome and I quickly settled into the Cardiff-based unit that makes films about the arts, history and food for the show. More often than not, a film we shot one week would be broadcast to millions of viewers the next, which was hugely rewarding… if at times slightly scary!

A few weeks before my contract was up in March, I spotted an internal job advert for a researcher on the �� Proms television team. I knew instantly I wanted to apply, as I have a music degree and continue to perform and write classical music alongside working in TV.

I sent off my application, received an invitation to interview, and was thrilled when they offered me the job. I could now apply the new skills I had learnt on the One Show to a subject area I was already really passionate about, and help bring the best of the world’s greatest classical music festival to audiences far beyond the Royal Albert Hall.

And as if that wasn’t exciting enough, there was another huge surprise in store when I started there in the summer. Two days in, the executive producer took me to one side and revealed she had seen some presenting work I had done online prior to joining the ��. She offered me a screen test, which went well, I guess, as on 6 August at 7.30pm I made my �� Proms presenting debut alongside Clemency Burton-Hill.

The live, two and half-hour broadcast on �� iPlayer was the perfect way to top off my first year in this amazing organisation, and I realise now they weren’t joking when they told me on my first day that "anything is possible" at the ��.

Since then, I’ve had more brilliant opportunities come my way. Last month, I joined a group of C�� presenters at the Skills Show in Birmingham’s huge NEC, to host a series of talks, games and quizzes on the main stage. This was a great way to give something back, by encouraging others considering their future career options to join the �� and follow their dreams.

You can watch Lloyd’s latest onscreen appearance when he joined Josie D’Arby and singing star Julian Ovenden to present Choir of the Year on �� Four earlier this month.

Digital journalism apprenticeship: Covering the US Elections 2016

2016-11-14T15:35:22+00:00

One of the perks of being an apprentice is that we get to travel around the country and take part in different things. Only two months into our apprenticeship and we had the amazing opportunity to help cover the US Elections as part of the �� team.

Firstly we had no idea where we were going. Have you ever heard of Elstree and Borehamwood? Well you might have if you’re a fan of any of the popular programmes filmed there like Holby City and Strictly. It’s where some great films have been made for more than 100 years and Elstree is a little village about 10 miles north of London.

When we got there we wondered if we had intruded into someone’s home or a hospital! The massive election coverage was about to take place and there were people in robes and paramedic uniforms walking around. It was a strange sight - until we realised they were actors for Holby City. Photographs were strictly not allowed and we struggled to hold back our urge to take pictures. But professionalism came first.

The gallery where we were to be based was almost like a big war room you see in the old films. You might call it a command centre but in the media world it’s called a gallery. There are rows of computers on desks and multiple screens of different sizes at the front on the wall showing various news channels and studios. We sat on a deck at the back overlooking it all. Everyone was given a whole election production pack beforehand detailing names, procedures and information about how we were going to cover it.

We watched as �� presenters rehearsed the day before. Whether they were practising their lines, adjusting their posture or discussing things with the producer, it was cool to see what happens behind the scenes. We also saw how much care the �� has to take over language used, to describe voters, for instance. Another interesting thing we saw was "Clinton wins presidency" going up on the screen, which is why we weren’t initially allowed to take or publish any pictures. The team was rehearsing the eventuality of either candidate winning and a picture of that going out would have caused quite some disturbance, to say the least. It was only a rehearsal, after all.

On the day we tried (in vain) to get some sleep before the overnight coverage. We went in at 9pm buzzing and raring to go. We got set up on our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts, ready to spot anything that would help the online or broadcast coverage. We worked throughout the night forwarding quotes, pictures and interesting things on social media to our colleagues in Millbank and New Broadcasting House.

Elstree was the main hub or engine room through which everything else was channelled. We received information and sent it to other �� hubs.

At 3am I was still scrolling through Twitter feeds and by then it was clear which direction the voting had gone. I looked at the clock and two hours had elapsed in a flash. It was 5am and we almost had confirmation of the winner.

Getting that far into the night was only possible due to the runner who kept us fed and watered. Every half hour or so he asked if we needed water or coffee and kept us going on chocolates and crisps.

There was one point where I fell asleep around 6am… (but don’t tell anyone that!).

After Trump was confirmed we had to keep working to get reactions from world leaders and celebrities etc. and send them through to our colleagues so the �� could publish them.

We went home around nine or 10 in the morning, exhausted but pleased at our efforts. It was a great experience where we learned the value of teamwork and collaboration across departments and buildings. We saw how meticulous and planned you have to be to cover such important events and the stresses and enjoyment that go along with it.

Days later, we were still catching up on our sleep though!

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Extend: Ben Mustill-Rose on his year in �� software development

2016-11-04T18:17:10+00:00

Former Extendee Ben Mustill-Rose has had a jam packed year at the �� working in software development and he shares with us his highlights.

It's hard to believe that at the time of writing I've been at the �� for just over a year. I've dealt with many varied and unexpected challenges, but looking back on my experiences so far, I can genuinely say that I've enjoyed every one of them and wouldn't change a thing if I had the chance.

I joined the �� in October 2015 working as a trainee developer in test (DIT) for mobile iPlayer. The role of a DIT is to act as an enabler for the various people within a team, which usually translates as a bit of development, testing and 'devops' (think system administration) but this barely scratches the surface of what you can find yourself doing.

I'm really glad I chose to start my career being a DIT - you get given real responsibilities in the form of looking after products and servers, and there's always an opportunity to build something yourself as we're always looking to improve our tooling. For example I have been doing some incredibly interesting work reverse-engineering parts of Android and iOS for some internal software and hope to be in a position where some of this can be open sourced before the end of the year.

One of the things about the �� that I learnt very quickly was that there are always plenty of opportunities to do things with other teams in addition to your main role. Here are just some of the things that I've been doing that I didn't expect to do when I started:

• Help build the �� iPlayer Kids app
• Help out �� Children’s with one of their games
• Give user experience advice to a handful of different iPlayer teams - a highlight for me was getting my hands on our Apple TV app and getting some fairly big user interface changes in
• Give technical and accessibility advice to the micro:bit team
• Help create a music festival
• Run events at the �� as a Science, Technology Engineering and Maths Ambassador
• Help run coding workshops
• Design indoor navigation systems
• Design systems for autonomous drone control

Regarding accessibility I'd be lying if I said that everything has been plain sailing. My team are users of a specialist coding language which is essentially unusable with a screen reader. We're also heavy Mac users and whilst the built-in screen reader works really well with some applications, its terminal support is poor which makes using programs like Vi next to impossible for example.

It is worth pointing out that we do have a dedicated access services department who are able to supply and support various pieces of assistive technologies and support you when applying to access to work when you first start.

If you're thinking of applying to one of our new talent schemes through the Extend Hub, first and foremost I'd suggest that you put aside any reservations you may have and just give it a go. If you are offered a place, I would encourage you to really embrace the opportunity with both hands (I know that's a massive cliché) and do as many different things as possible - when I was on my placement my attitude was that I would say yes to everything by default and only turn something down if it clashed with something in my main role.

This job is my first since graduating. My CV was incredibly average. I had very little relevant experience but for some reason I was given a chance. I'll end the post with another cliché, but I really mean it when I say that it could be you!

You can apply for one of our technology schemes here.

Engineering apprenticeship: Seb Rose lifts the lid on what it's like to work at Radio 1

2016-10-17T13:41:04+00:00

The eighth floor in �� New Broadcasting House is home to the popular stations �� Radio 1/1Xtra and Asian Network. The whole floor has an amazing buzz about it, and you can tell everyone is extremely keen to work there and create great content.

As a broadcast engineering apprentice working within the Popular Music Radio Operations Team, I have been tasked with completing a range of projects.

At Radio 1 I have been working on one of their station sound rooms. This has involved me creating custom mixes on the Yamaha 02R mixing console that is in the room, configuring and installing sound cards in the computers, creating feeds in and out of the computers and their sound cards, and configuring outboard processing units.

All this has been done to allow quick turnaround of features and shows that are up to broadcast quality instantly without the need for lots of extra work. This allows the teams to mix and export a show or feature and get it on the radio within minutes.

�� Engineering schemes will be opening applications for the Class of 2017 from 24 Oct 2016 and applications will close on 6 January 2017. Visitbbc.co.uk/techcareers for more details or follow @��Trainees.

�� Apprenticeship Induction: My first week

2016-10-07T11:25:54+00:00

At our induction we were given a fright when we were told "you don’t work for the ��... you are the ��". Ordinary people like us make up the ��. In some ways, we’re simply public servants who work for the benefit of the diverse audience the �� caters for.

Diversity was not lacking in our group of around 70 new apprentices, which ranged from former military and ex-footballers to bloggers, school leavers and baristas. Already, we had become a diverse but dynamic group which proves that whatever your background or history, there’s no such thing as a ‘typical’ �� candidate.

As opposed to standard inductions when you have to sit through hours of DVDs, we were engaged through tasks, thought-provoking sessions and lively debates. Networking was encouraged right from the outset. It is deemed essential as we’re all likely to work with one another in the future. One �� and one purpose is the underpinning motivation as we learnt what John Reith, founder of the �� said: "A successful organisation has values".

We discussed which �� value was most important (realising they all intertwined in some way or another) and had an afternoon learning about editorial values. Far from being boring, editorial values brought up some fascinating dilemmas such as whether it’s right to sacrifice fact and accuracy for the purpose of entertainment, and the difference between product placement and product prominence.

Throughout the week, we were given informal but focused training, information and attention. Apart from the �� side of it, we also discovered there’s such a thing as a fear of belly-buttons! Yes, we were given a well-rounded induction where any preconceived thoughts of the �� being a corporate kind of organisation were disproved. We were able to ask direct questions about anything on our minds and were given thorough answers.

We recorded our own radio horror drama using scripts, sound effects and props, and learnt about the future of broadcasting and cloud-based systems. We were also treated to an uncanny impression of Alan Hansen by one of the radio actors.

We had a session learning about what traits make a person successful and were given personalized reports about our main strengths and weaknesses, which were surprisingly accurate and helpful.

A creative thinking session taught us to come up with different ideas and how to think differently to produce original stories.

We were encouraged to make the most of this opportunity having overcome 131 other candidates per role in what is clearly a competitive industry. The ability to forge our own careers and shape our own futures at the �� was reiterated.

For me, it was at least my third attempt to get a role at the ��. Many of us still don’t believe we actually made it or how we did it. Some still think they’re in a dream soon to wake up disappointed!

All it shows is that the opportunities are out there for literally everyone. All you need is the belief, drive, passion and resilience. The rest can be taught later, just as we’re about to find out as we begin our journey at the ��.

Digital journalism apprenticeship: Presenting at T in the Park

2016-07-15T09:39:21+00:00

Last weekend brought with it so many new experiences – where do I even start?

I’d been asked to audition for a job as social media presenter at Scotland’s biggest music festival, T in the Park, and as if that wasn’t a big enough honour, I somehow got the job.

It’s difficult to even call it a job, when in reality it’s probably the most fun I’ve ever had. It entailed interviewing some of the festival line-up for the �� T in the Park Twitter feed.

After arriving on Friday afternoon, we kicked straight off with acts like James Morrison, Fun Lovin' Criminals and Alessia Cara. To ease me in, you know? Day one was a blur of excited giggles and coffee.

On the Saturday morning, I took part in my first two-way on Radio Scotland. Stood on the windowsill of my dorm room trying to get a phone signal, I went live for the first time ever. It was a real proud moment hearing myself introduced to the listeners as a presenter. Me? Really?

The weekend was full on, with thirteen-hour shifts and an ever-changing timetable. Sometimes I think the only thing that kept me awake was the buzz I got from each interview. We spoke to some heavy hitters – Bastille, James Bay, Slaves, Travis – but as each interview passed it felt a little less surreal and more like my dream job. They’re veteran interviewees after all, and I almost feel like if ever I get the pleasure of bumping into James Morrison again, I’d greet him like an old friend.

Without even having the time to come back to earth and reflect on the experience so far, it was decided we would finish off Sunday’s coverage with a Facebook Live stream. I was given maybe twenty minutes notice, and I swear, my insides turned to soup.

Luckily, the wonderful Edith Bowman was on board to keep me afloat, and around five seconds after we started recording, I forgot all about my stresses and focussed on the reality: sitting on a couch with one of my broadcasting heroes, talking about music. I can’t imagine a more perfect way to have ended the weekend.

The beauty of being an apprentice is that it’s okay to ask a million questions, it’s okay to not get it right first time, and you’re free from the constraints of an everyday job to grab every opportunity offered to you.

Embrace your apprenticeship; it will love you back, and then some.

Find out more about the Digital Journalism Apprenticeship.