Journalist Apprentice (L5)

Summary

This Level 5 Journalist Apprenticeship is ideal for curious individuals passionate about telling stories. This program provides first-class journalism training with the world’s biggest public service broadcaster. You'll gain on-the-job experience while working towards the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism and a Level 5 apprenticeship qualification.

Annual wage: £21,840 a year
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Training course: Journalist (level 5)
Hours: Pattern of hours may vary
35 hours a week
Possible start date: Tuesday 9 September
Duration: 2 years
Positions available: 1

Work

As an apprentice, you’ll work at a company and get hands-on experience. You’ll gain new skills and work alongside experienced staff.

What you’ll do at work

As a Level 5 Journalist Apprentice, you will:

Work alongside BBC News and Sports teams to develop your journalistic skills, creating and delivering quality content for TV, online, digital, and audio
Get involved with all newsroom activities, such as sourcing and securing suitable guests or contributors, writing briefs for your team or shooting and editing films
Find and create stories for diverse audiences - including coming up with ideas, carrying out in-depth research and assisting with interviews
Learn from and work with experts in the field

Where you’ll work

Taunton

TA1 2UH

Training

An apprenticeship includes regular training with a college or other training organisation. At least 20% of your working hours will be spent training or studying.

College or training organisation

THE PRESS ASSOCIATION LIMITED

Your training course

Journalist (level 5)

Equal to higher national diploma (HND)

Course contents

Undertake research before reporting to ensure that journalistic content/material published or broadcast is accurate, impartial, balanced, engages the audience and is verifiable with industry standard use of English.

Identify, select, and verify multiple sources of information, including people, reports, data and social media, cross-checking and corroborating when necessary.

Take accurate, relevant notes when and where needed, use shorthand where required by your employer.

Assess the strengths/weaknesses of available platforms and where and when journalistic content is likely to work best.

Assess and produce journalistic content in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements; ethical issues and organisational specifications, alerting senior managers when necessary.

Make decisions and judgements at speed and when under pressure, on the way stories are researched and presented, aiming to lead when breaking news.

Find and use contacts to create journalistic content and exclusive stories which meet the needs of the target audience. Verify information from contacts and critically review its short and long-term implications.

Use audience analytics to evaluate the success of the journalistic content and how that can inform future decision-making.

Monitor relevant social media on a systematic basis. Proactively seek, verify and curate sources of user-generated content that will help improve targeted content, grow the audience and the depth of engagement.

Produce journalistic content using language which resonates with the audience as measured by audience analytics, social media interaction and reach or other internal "tools" used by employers to understand audience sentiment.

Produce journalistic content in multimedia combinations as required which "draw in" the viewer/listener/user to tell the complete story.

Report live to the audience from the scene of an event using remote technologies.

Publish journalistic content, using all available tools to enhance the user experience.

Undertake different types of interviews to extract information, identifying and selecting the right interviewing technique to suit the interviewee and seeking to make a connection with the subject.

Evaluate answers from interviewees to inform further questioning, probing for detail and inconsistencies in replies given. If needed, identify other people to speak to.

Check and evaluate own work in relation to industry standards, adhering to employer guidelines. Ensure it is of a quality to maintain the organisation's reputation in the industry.

Seek constructive feedback from relevant people about your performance; taking action as required.

Consider the impact of equality and diversity practices on individuals and groups and ensure those practices are inclusive.

Locate, clean and interrogate datasets to inform content generation.

Your training plan

The L5 Journalist Apprenticeship combines academic training with practical on-the-job experience. As an apprentice, you will follow the Journalist Apprenticeship standard (curriculum) and work towards an industry recognised qualification, the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism. This is assessed through exams and course work.

The NCTJ Diploma modules and assessments are likely to include:

Essential Journalism - how to get the story and develop strong writing skills
Ethics - understanding the Ofcom Code which guides broadcast journalists
Essential Media Law - the toolbox no journalist can be without, and every editor wants to know you have
Journalism for a Digital Audience - understand how digital publishing organisations work and how to write brilliant stories across all digital platforms
Public Affairs - understand how power works and how you can challenge it
E-portfolio - to include ten pieces of journalism, published on any appropriate platform

In addition, you also have to complete an End Point Assessment - a work-related project as part of your apprenticeship.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

English (grade Pass or above)
Maths (grade Pass or above)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

Communication skills
Attention to detail
Organisation skills
Problem solving skills
Team working
Creative
Initiative

About this company

We are a leading early careers employer and hire more than 250 apprentices each year. We are committed to skills and talent development both inside and outside the BBC and, as one of the world’s most creative and technologically-advanced organisations for the last 100 years, a career at the BBC means learning from the best. We want people who show potential to join us at the BBC. Don’t worry if you don’t have extensive experience, it’s your passion and values we are interested in.

Disability Confident

A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.

You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.

After this apprenticeship

On successful completion of your apprenticeship, you will be able to apply for job opportunities inside or outside the BBC such as Journalism Researcher, Journalism Coordinator and Journalist roles.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

THE PRESS ASSOCIATION LIMITED

earlycareersrecruitment@bbc.co.uk

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000283996.

Apply now

Closes in 27 days (Thursday 28 November)

When you apply, you’ll be asked to sign in with a GOV.UK One Login. You can create one at the same time as applying for this apprenticeship.

After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.

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