Project Management Degree Apprentice Review

As a PMDA at the BBC, I actively monitor the budget and deadlines for the project/s I am given. I also track task completion and raise any issues as they arise. This could be people-related, or something more technical for our Risk and Issue Register. On the side of my base role, I am also a Regional Events Co-Ordinator for our internal BBC Apprentice Community, where we host monthly social events to bring apprentices from across the business closer together, both socially and professionally, in a casual and friendly setting. I am also a BBC Early Careers Ambassador, which leads me to work at outreach events on an ad hoc basis, promoting BBC apprenticeships to school, college and university students across the UK! This is a job where you truly do get out what you put in. I want to make my experience as varied and busy as possible, and the BBC are facilitating that. There are lots of opportunities to shadow/work with other departments and business areas.

Absolutely, I feel that I am learning and developing new skills pretty much every day. These may be professional, technical or interpersonal. I feel that I gain immense value from this scheme.

I absolutely love working for the BBC on this scheme. I came here at age 18 straight from sixth form, having worked alongside full time education since the age of 14, and the amount I have grown here is genuinely immense, both personally and professionally.

The job itself at the BBC is organised extremely well and everybody I've worked with is very efficient in what they do. The only flaws are with University of Cumbria, the training provider who deliver the degree. It's not awful and it is manageable once you figure out their way of working, but it can often be very disorganised and a bit confusing. There have been multiple occasions where exam/assignment guidance and rules have changed at the very last minute which added a lot of unnecessary stress to those affected. There have also been times where this has happened but the university has then reversed said change due to the backlash from students. This is a relatively common occurrence, and not just within my cohort. They have improved slightly though as of recently.

I have a weekly 1-1 call with my line manager to discuss my progress and targets. We also have a monthly cohort call with the BBC Schemes Team, including our designated Schemes Specialist. Every 3 months, I have a Tri-Partite Review with my line manager and my personal tutor from the university. There is also the Skills@Cumbria team, who are available to assist with any uni related problems within reason. I am in an extremely supportive environment at the BBC, where everyone around me genuinely wants to see me and other apprentices succeed, providing us with help and opportunity where they can.

We receive support during exam and assignment seasons on request by emailing the lecturer. There are also obviously the weekly lecture calls, as well as the assignment brief (which can be a bit vague at times). Our personal tutors are also available by email request to provide support. The reason for the lower rating is a) the support can be quite limited and b) they actively refuse to give us examples of past exam papers, assignment examples, checklists etc. I can see why this may make cheating easier, but I can't understand why we can't, at a minimum, have past exam papers as examples. They have told us themselves that the questions in module exams change every year and are from a bank of questions. Not allowing past papers for revision help despite so many requests from students, in my opinion, seems unreasonable. Also see answer to other question which mentions the issues with last minute guidance changes.

I feel that I do learn new things from the qualification and I can sometimes bring that knowledge into a work context. However, the degree is often extremely theory-based. I work for a giant global company which has processes and procedures in place. These theories may be interesting and good to learn, but they are very rarely actually used in my working environment. Also, the degree is very obviously tailored more towards a construction environment. I do not work in anything close to construction, I work in tech and sometimes events. Technology is an extremely agile industry. Some of the modules are heavily waterfall focused. Therefore, I often struggle to relate uni work to my job. However, I actually like it this way. I learn the job stuff at work, and the stuff work couldn't show me at uni. In my opinion, it actually helps make the knowledge gained more versatile and transferrable.

This is a particular area in which the BBC is phenomenal. There are so many opportunities to explore different business areas, placement opportunities often come up, and we have a range of staff networks and activities. Our internal networks, BBC Apprentice Community and Young Talent Network, provide opportunities for networking and team building activities. Our early careers team regularly have apprentice volunteers take part in events. There are also things like the Television Centre five-a-side team, morning pilates, and the Young Talent Network Run Clubs. All BBC bases have things like this, it is a really friendly and fun environment to work in.

Yes

- Extremely supportive and friendly environment in which you are genuinely free to be your true and authentic self - Given independence however it suits you best. For me, my independence increased very early on in the scheme, which is exactly how I like it. If you do want a lot of guidance though, the BBC will support you with that. - Competitive salaries which are above the average for apprentices. Being London based does come with its challenges financially, as does the nationwide cost of living crisis, but it is possible to get by comfortably if you commute in and/or live with parents. - If you take initiative and independence by going and looking for opportunities to explore other areas of the business, you will be able to find them and make your experience as a BBC apprentice even more exciting. - You are working for a giant global organisation, one of the world's most recognisable brand names. This in itself opens doors you may not be able to as easily elsewhere.

- Be your true and authentic self. The BBC are not looking for someone who puts an act on to try and impress during recruitment. If you put on an act, they will pick up on it. If you come in as YOU, with your own fresh ideas and perspectives, you will go far. - Don't take rejection personally. These are extremely competitive schemes which are harder to get accepted onto than Oxford and Cambridge Universities. I personally know many BBC apprentices who applied 2-3 (some even more) times before getting a job offer. In the context of any apprenticeships, not just the BBC, resilience is the key to success in the application and interview stages. This is undeniably not easy, but it's also not impossible. Don't give up! - Research the BBC. Find out the company values, link them to your own past experiences and personal values where you can. Think of examples of BBC content that you really like. This could be a series on iPlayer, coverage of a major news event, or so much more. - Consider the fact that whilst we do have an amazing experience here, this is not traditional university and this structure is not for everyone. These are challenging schemes which can be high intensity at times, both in work and when studying. If you are up to the challenge and like the sound of the structure (80% working week, 20% study. For me, every weekday is a work day except Tuesday which is my study day) then absolutely 100% apply. These are extremely valuable schemes which give you the same degree as going to uni but without any debt, and with the added benefit of years of work experience. However, if you want that traditional uni student lifestyle and experience, no apprenticeship will give you that. This advice is not BBC specific, it is for anyone looking at apprenticeships.