early careers apprentice Review
at BBC
Degree Apprenticeship
Software Engineering
Salford
Review Submitted: March 2026
Overall Rating
3.5 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
4.5/5
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Overview of Role
5/5
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Skills Development
2.8/5
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Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
5/5
I pair programme to test and maintain our online content to ensure user journey is seamless
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
4/5
I love the job side of things, the only loss of star is I feel the course is too intense to be completed alongside a full time job, and sometimes I find myself having to ask for extra study days, when really I'd prefer to be improving at my actual role.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
5/5
Yes, through both uni and work I have improved my coding knowledge and skills. Uni has also helped me to understand the project management side of the job, which isn't something I do in the role but it has opened potentially opportunities that I could further into
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
2/5
Work allow me to have as much time off as possible however the university course is very intense that I find going weeks not having evenings or weekends to relax and that causes me to feel burnt out. Work are very adaptable and understand that I want to achieve the best grade in university, I just feel that unin should be structured more to allow official holiday breaks rather than using them to catch up with backdated work.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
5/5
They are always incredibly supportive. They want me to do my best but they don't want me to feel stressed. My manager always insists I use my holidays to relax and not to do more work so he is always happy to offer extra study days, particularly when assessment workload is higher. All my colleagues are also very interested in discussing my assessments and are happy to help out with furthering my knowledge, particularly if I am unsure about any of the topics or need advice/ideas.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
1/5
Mixed. I feel like I don't get much support despite them trying, at the end of the day there's nothing they can really do to help limit the amount of workload I have. I do feel that the suggestion of "skipping assessments or not trying as hard, and that I should be taking more holidays" is not sound advice
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
2/5
While it has helped me understand different coding languages, I don't use these in my role so I feel if I had started the role without the course I would be better at my job than I am now. The one good thing is the qualification has opened different career paths for me to follow.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
4/5
Yes, but I never have time to join or look into them further.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend BBC to a friend?
Yes
Why?
Absolutely, the workplace is great to work in. Everyone is supportive and friendly. There's also the opportunities to continually improve your knowledge and work alongside other teams to get a better idea of the company.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to BBC?
Do it, and just be yourself. While knowledge and skills are important, you can always learn how to do your job while doing it, so they're really looking for the personalities that will shine through and bond with people easily, that can't be taught.
