BBC Local Apprentices: Balancing work and study as an apprentice

Being on a BBC apprenticeship means taking on both work and study, which can be a tricky balance. Find out how it's done from two of our Local Apprentices - Yasmin Ojo and Aileen Elder - and read their ten top tips on making the most of being an apprentice.

Yasmin Ojo – BBC London 94.9

The most exciting part about working and studying at the same time is getting to experience all the different areas of your chosen field. If I decided to study first and then get a job at the BBC I would have had to pick a specific position that I wanted. Having joined as an apprentice I get to experience a wide range of roles, which helps me decide what I actually want to do afterwards.

I focus on the work I’m being asked to do first, and whenever I have a spare bit of time or I’ve completed the work I’ve been asked to do I get on with typing up notes.

I then look through my apprenticeship modules, and think about what I need to do at work in order to pass them. I start to pull together examples of what I've done so far, and if there’s something I haven’t achieved yet I work out the best way I could possibly do it. 

I also complete a daily diary for my assessor to read, which can be challenging because I can’t always remember everything I did during the day. However, I save all the work that I do, and look back to when I saved it to know what I did on which days. That comes in very handy.

Aileen Elder – BBC Radio Nan Gaidheal

Being an apprentice isn’t easy. But what student life is? My life is far from quiet, I am twenty years old and have an 18 month old son but I’ve never shied away from a bit of hard graft. My apprenticeship gives me the time to work during the day and focus on my son at night.

Studying is a must, so it’s important to get yourself into a routine where you can set a designated time aside for it.

One of the biggest things I noticed about my apprenticeship is that it’s okay to make mistakes. No one expects you to walk into your placement knowing everything there is to know about the job. As my gran use to say to me when I was younger: “the man who never made a mistake, never made anything - that’s why man put rubbers at the end of pencils.”

I think that coming to terms with making mistakes is very important for any kind of apprenticeship. It is also important to know that everyone was new at some point, and that those around you are always willing to lend a hand when needed.

Yasmin and Aileen’s Top Tips

1) Keep records of every single piece of work you do, you will always need it as evidence.

2) Always ask if there is anything more you can do to help. People like to hear that you’re enthusiastic, it will keep you busy and more than likely it will help you fulfil some of your apprenticeship criteria.

3) Try your best to keep up with study as well as work – getting the balance right is very important.

4) Make friends! Always be friendly with other colleagues, as you never know when you might need their help.

5) Work out a time plan and stick to it from the start. Set time aside from your working day to catch up on studying and practicing what is needed for any exams.

6) Work as hard as you can. It doesn’t matter that you don’t have a secure job just yet - prove yourself and show your colleagues why you are there and why you got this far over everyone else.

7) Don’t get too big headed – you have done fab up to this point but you don’t rub folk up the wrong way.

8) Make mistakes and enjoy learning from them. Remember that mistakes are better shared.

9) Enjoy it. Apprenticeships only really last a few years, you can blink and it will all be over so enjoy every minute of it.

10) And the most important advice of all: don’t forget to have fun!

There’ll be more from the apprentices on the Academy website throughout the year. You can keep up-to-date with the latest via Twitter using #BBCLAS or via iPlayer Radio.