A wide range of training for BBC journalists
Jonathan Baker
is head of the BBC College of Journalism
The BBC believes that its journalists benefit from learning new skills and exploring new ideas throughout their working life. It offers a wide range of courses and other training opportunities, some of which are also open to those outside the Corporation.
The first training most journalists receive after joining is the Journalism Foundation, which is designed specifically for journalists taking up a role at the BBC for the first time. It comprises face-to-face and online learning, along with personal and professional development programmes.
A key part of the Foundation is an intensive week-long study programme, usually about three months after the new journalist has joined. The Foundation brings together around 15 new journalists at a time, from right across the BBC - whether based in the UK or abroad.
About 200 new recruits go through the Foundation every year. Its aim is to inspire new joiners and introduce them to the values and vision of BBC journalism.
During their working life, BBC journalists have a chance to take a range of courses, many run by the College of Journalism. Some are mandatory but most, taken either in a classroom or online, will further particular skills or interests the journalist wants to pursue.
Most of these courses are not open to non-BBC staff, nor is the BBC Academy Course Finder website which lists them among other courses from the BBC Academy. However, journalism courses which are run on a commercial basis for external students.
The BBC invites its journalists to apply for a range of external fellowships which allow them to take time out to study in a different environment. These are mostly annual schemes, such as the University of Michigan Fellowship and the Reuters Fellowship at the University of Oxford. They are advertised through the College of Journalism.
Finally, the College of Journalism runs a prestigious Editorial Leadership course which is open to both senior BBC staff and external applicants. The course offers unique access to leading figures in journalism, both within and outside the BBC.
