Junior Journalist Apprenticeship - Level 5 - BBC Radio Somerset - Taunton

Contract Type: Fixed-Term Apprenticeship, Full-time for 24 months

Department: BBC Radio Somerset

Location:   Taunton - BBC Somerset

Salary: £24,650 

COULD A BBC APPRENTICESHIP BE THE NEXT ROLE FOR YOU?

Join us as an apprentice at the BBC to give yourself the opportunity to kick-start your career in a job you'll love. We’re committed to your skills and talent development. You’ll learn on-the-job, developing your knowledge and skills in an area that interests you, whilst working towards your apprenticeship qualification with one of our learning providers.

WHY JOIN THIS SCHEME?

The Junior Journalist Apprenticeship (JRA27) is perfect for curious and creative individuals with a passion for storytelling. Whether you're finishing school, college, or exploring an alternative to university, this programme offers an exciting opportunity to kick-start your journalism career with the world's leading public service media organisation.

You'll gain hands-on experience covering stories that matter to audiences, learning from experienced journalists and developing the skills needed to create trusted journalism.  

Alongside this, you’ll work towards both the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism and a Level 5 apprenticeship qualification.

Want to find out more? Watch recordings from our webinar series on our Life at the BBC YouTube playlist to learn more about this scheme and other opportunities we offer, and hear from current apprentices about their experiences.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT

As a Junior Journalist apprentice, this is a brilliant opportunity to learn, grow and contribute. On this team you can expect to: 

• Work alongside experienced journalists developing your skills while creating high-quality content.
• Get hands on experience including researching stories, booking guests and writing briefs.  
• Discover and develop compelling stories, assisting with interviews that bring important issues to life for diverse audiences.
• Learn from industry experts at the world's largest public service broadcaster.

You’ll study for your industry-recognised apprenticeship qualification, learning both on and off the job. 

This involves weekly virtual webinars + in-person bootcamps at PA Media Academy in London. 

You’ll cover a range of modules for the NCTJ Diploma including: 

• Media Law
• Essential Journalism
• Broadcast Journalism
• Journalism for a Digital Audience
• Video Journalism

Modules will be assessed through exams, coursework and a portfolio of work.  

For more information on what you will study during the scheme, please see the  Journalism Apprenticeship Standard .

YOUR SKILLS AND ELIGIBILITY

We’re interested in your passion for working at the BBC and your enthusiasm for delivering world-class content and operational excellence to our audiences. We’re not focused on your qualifications; instead, we look for potential and offer you the opportunity to apply your transferable strengths and experiences to work in different ways. 

If you can bring some of these skills and experiences, along with transferable strengths, we’d love to hear from you and encourage you to apply:

• You're naturally curious about people and what’s happening in the world around you, with a keen interest in news.
• You’re full of creative ideas and enjoy finding innovative ways to tell engaging stories.
• You love finding things out, asking questions and getting to the heart of a story.
• You have a real enthusiasm for writing and enjoy communicating complex ideas in a clear compelling way.
• You thrive in a fast-paced environment, bringing flexibility, motivation and a willingness to adapt as priorities change.

This scheme is aimed at non-graduates . If you have a degree and you’re interested in similar roles at the BBC, we recommend applying for jobs at the BBC careers site or having a look at our other apprenticeship schemes. 

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To be eligible for an apprenticeship at the BBC, you must: 

• Be 18 years old or over by the time the apprenticeship begins in September 2027.
• Have lived in the UK continuously for the last three years prior to the start of the apprenticeship.
• Be legally eligible to work full-time in the UK for the entire duration of the apprenticeship. 
• Not currently be enrolled in another apprenticeship programme, whether with the BBC or another organisation.
• Not already hold a qualification in the same subject area at the same or a higher level than this apprenticeship. 

To apply for this scheme, you must also:

• Not have completed or be studying for the NCTJ diploma or a journalism qualification at the same level or higher.
• Have achieved English GCSE at Grade 4/C or above, or National 5 (Scotland) at C or Functional Skills Level 2 or equivalent qualification.

For candidates under the age of 19 years at the start of the apprenticeship: To complete the apprenticeship, you must have achieved Maths and English GCSE at Grade 4/C or above or National 5 (Scotland) at C or Functional Skills Level 2 or equivalent qualification to pass the apprenticeship.   

READY TO APPLY?

Don’t leave yourself wondering “what if?” This could be your chance to be part of something exciting. See yourself thriving in this role? Just click ‘Apply Now’!

You’ll create a candidate profile and answer a few questions - no CV or cover letter needed.

If you're eligible, we’ll guide you through the next steps of the process and what to expect.

You’ll need to live within a commutable distance of where this role is based. Interested in a different location? Check out our other adverts - but please only apply to one.

The BBC recognises that you may need to relocate to a new location to take up a BBC Apprenticeship scheme. The cost of relocating can be a barrier for some applicants and where that is a barrier to participation, we want to help where we can. To help ensure our apprenticeship opportunities are accessible to people from a wide range of backgrounds, a limited number of relocation support awards are available each year for those who meet our financial eligibility criteria.  Relocation financial support is available for this role, subject to meeting the financial eligibility criteria. Further information will be shared with applicants during the recruitment process. Details on the wider support, initiatives and networks available at the BBC can be found on our careers site.

This is a fixed-term apprenticeship - your contract lasts for the duration of the scheme. Once you have completed your apprenticeship, you will be able to apply for any suitable open vacancies at the BBC or outside in the wider creative industry. You’ll be supported with career development, employability training, and networking opportunities to help you take your next step.

For apprenticeship opportunities, disabled applicants who choose to apply under the Disability Confident Scheme and who meet the minimum criteria for the role will normally be progressed to the next stage of the recruitment process. For most of our campaigns, this would be an online assessment designed to assess your skills, motivations and suitability for the role.  Further details can be found in the FAQs section of our careers site.