BBC Local Apprentices: One year on

In September 2014, 46 new apprentices walked through the doors of the BBC from across the UK and Northern Ireland - all part of the Local Apprenticeship scheme. One year on, apprentices Emily Dittmar and Josh Cook share their thoughts on the scheme and training so far.

Emily Dittmar, BBC Radio Newcastle

I was having a wild night out at the bingo, as every 23 year-old does, when I received a phone call that I really wasn’t expecting. It was to offer me an interview for the BBC Local Apprenticeship Scheme. An interview taking place the very next day…

As you can imagine all sorts of things started running through my head, including: “Oh my God I haven’t planned an outfit” and “What shall I tell my boss?”

Lucky for me, someone had dropped out of the interview stage. “Yes, of course I want to come for an interview,” I said. And as it turned out, I got the job.

In the days before heading to the BBC Academy for my training, I barely got any sleep. But a train ride and lots of snacks later there I was meeting 45 other very excited, young looking apprentices. All I could think about was how exciting this opportunity was. I wondered what it was going to be like, and marvelled at all the different accents.

The weeks of training flew by. I’m not going to lie: it was tough, with lots of listening and learning but some really fun parts. It was a bit like being back at school minus the uniform and horrible dinners. I loved all of the hands on work, especially when we got to put together our own radio show.

Just as I was getting very cosy with my group of new friends it was time to flee the nest and head to my new station. I was nervous but very excited about what was next on my little radio adventure.

Within a few weeks I was fully settled in I had been sent to do all sorts of fun stories, I’d had a bus driving lesson, made a chair out of crates and even been on a dog poo hunt.

I have been here a year now and I can’t imagine how different things would have been if I hadn’t had that call.

Working in local radio, most days I don’t know what I I’ll be doing or where I’ll be going , but I do know that I’m lucky and I enjoy every moment of it.

For anyone who wants to do it I would say: “What are you waiting for?” It is whatever you want it to be, and if you’re not afraid of hard work and getting involved in every opportunity that comes your way then this might just be for you!

Josh Cook, BBC Radio Humberside

My BBC Local Apprenticeship experience so far is hard to put into words. To go from shadowing when I first arrived in November to being asked if I’d like to present live for the station is something I couldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams. It was a huge confidence boost knowing that my hard work throughout the year was going to be rewarded with the chance to present here.

Presenting live has without doubt been my highlight, but it’s not all been plain sailing. In my second live show I had a small panic when a promo didn’t play out during the half-past jingle. It may feel like nothing now but at the time it was a bit overwhelming!

For me the best thing about presenting is the adrenaline rush and the buzz you get when pushing up the fader while broadcasting live to such a huge audience. It’s hard to not feel nervous before the show, but you just have to enjoy it and make the most of the experience.

I’ll never forget the feeling of excitement from presenting the show. It’s called Rewind and it’s a review of the station’s output for the week. On a Thursday I would choose 5 or 6 stories and features from the week’s programmes. Rewind is there to give our listeners the chance to re-live some of the biggest stories and best features.

The training we’ve had at the BBC Academy has definitely helped me with presenting. We did a newspaper review feature ‘as live’, selecting stories and talking about them in a mock up breakfast show; it was a taster of what you could expect if you sat in the big chair to present.

My advice to a trainee or apprentice who wants to get into presenting is not to be afraid to go into a spare studio, load up the day’s running orders and practice presenting them for a while.

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.