Journalism Trainee Scheme opens for applications
Julian Joyce
is manager of the BBC's Journalism Trainee Scheme
You can witness some of that transformation for yourself in our new film above (if it doesn't play, try another internet browser) which tracks Kim and Owen as they progress through their year in the JTS. From slightly nervous beginnings in a White City training room to their confident performances as working journalists in TV newsrooms, both trainees perfectly illustrate the value of JTS: high-quality training and work placements built on the back of a rigorous selection process. Our aim: to produce BBC journalists who can compete for posts across the BBC, on every news platform, after just 12 months training and work experience.
Applications for this year’s scheme open on Monday 27 January and if past experience is anything to go by we can expect thousands to apply. Just 14 will get through after a selection process that actively involves senior editors in choosing trainees who are the best fit for their teams.
Those who make it are understandably delighted and fully aware of the huge opportunities the JTS provides. As sports trainee Kim explains in our film: “The JTS has given me a whole breadth of experience. You learn what makes great viewing, listening and reading. The fact that JTS trainees can do all those things is a fantastic skillset to have.”
And it’s been a two-way process - I have lost count of the number of this year’s trainers who have told me how much they love working with this year’s trainees. Andrew Wilson - head of Foundation training at the College of Journalism, tells us: “They’ve been highly selected - but they’ve been selected because of their mindset, because of their attitude. So we work with incredibly smart, questioning people.”
So what are we looking for? Our web page provides some clues: talent, potential and determination are obviously key. You don’t have to have a double-first from Oxbridge. Indeed, a university degree is not a condition of applying. What we really want are applicants who can demonstrate they have something special to offer - whether it’s past examples of excellent journalism (our scheme is not for complete beginners) or indeed some diverse life experience that the BBC can build on.
The result: talent that constantly surprises - whether it’s trainee Tom Martienssen organising his voyage to the South Pacific (and a film for BBC Breakfast News) or Joe Miller unexpectedly popping up on the set of World TV with an exclusive of his own.
The basis of the scheme is sound but we will be tweaking it a little this year. BBC Wales is funding a new Welsh-language placement in addition to the traineeship the JTS already runs in Wales. There will be a brand-new placement in the BBC’s cutting edge Visual Journalism Unit. And for the first time we’ll offer applicants the option of working at MediaCityUK in Salford, and we’ll run a separate recruitment process with the help of Manchester-based editors with the aim of attracting the best local talent to the JTS.
I’m just about to start my second year with the JTS and if the past 12 months are anything to go on I expect an exciting and sometimes bumpy ride. I can’t wait!
The Journalism Trainee Scheme opens for applications at 9am on Monday 27 January 2014.
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