Junior Journalist Apprenticeship - Level 5 - Belfast

Contract Type: Fixed-Term Apprenticeship, Full-time for 24 months.

Location: Belfast - Broadcasting House.

Salary: £22,950.

Join us as an apprentice at the BBC to kick-start your career in a job you’ll love. We’re committed to your skills and talent development. You’ll learn on-the-job, developing your knowledge and skills in an area that interests you, while working towards your apprenticeship qualification with one of our learning providers.

The Junior Journalist Apprenticeship is ideal for curious individuals passionate about telling stories. If you’re a recent school leaver or are about to finish school and university isn’t for you, this program offers gold standard journalism training with the world’s biggest public service broadcaster. You’ll gain hands-on experience while working towards both the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism and a Level 5 apprenticeship qualification – setting you up for a future in the industry.

As a Junior Journalist Apprentice, this is a brilliant opportunity to learn, grow, and contribute – you will:

• Work alongside news and current affairs teams to develop your journalistic skills creating and delivering quality content for the BBC
• Get involved with all newsroom activities, such as sourcing and securing compelling contributors or guests, writing briefs for your team, or shooting and editing films
• Find and create stories for diverse audiences - including coming up with new ideas, carrying out in-depth research and assisting with interviews
• Learn from and work with experts in the field at the largest public service broadcaster in the world.

You’ll study for an industry recognised apprenticeship qualification, learning both on and off the job. This means as an apprentice (JRA26), you will follow the Level 5 Journalist Apprenticeship standard (curriculum) and work towards an industry recognised qualification, the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism. This is assessed through exams and course work.

We’re interested in your passion for working at the BBC and your enthusiasm for delivering world-class content and operational excellence to our audiences. We’re not focused on your qualifications; instead, we look for potential and offer you the opportunity to apply your transferable strengths and experience to work in different ways.

If you can bring some of these skills and experiences, along with transferable strengths, we’d love to hear from you and encourage you to apply:

• Intensely curious about people and about what is going on in the world
• Brimming with creative ideas and imaginative ways to tell stories
• Passionate about producing content in news and current affairs across TV, audio, online and social media
• Excited by writing
• Flexible, motivated and have an adaptable approach to the fast pace of a newsroom.

This scheme is aimed at non-graduates. If you have a degree or the NCTJ diploma in Journalism and want to train as a Journalist at the BBC, we recommend you apply to the Level 6 Journalist Apprenticeship instead.

To be eligible for an apprenticeship at the BBC, you must:

• Be 18 years old or over by the time the apprenticeship begins in September 2026
• Have lived in the UK continuously for the last 3 years prior to the start of the apprenticeship
• Be legally eligible to work full-time in the UK for the entire duration of the apprenticeship
• Not currently be enrolled in another apprenticeship programme, whether with the BBC or another organisation.

To apply for this scheme, you must also:

• Not have completed or be studying for the NCTJ diploma or a journalism qualification at the same level or higher
• Have achieved English GCSE at Grade 4/C or above; or National 5 (Scotland) at C or Functional Skills Level 2; or equivalent qualification.

For candidates under the age of 19 years at 8th September 2026: To complete the apprenticeship, you must have achieved Maths and English GCSE at Grade 4/C or above or National 5 (Scotland) at C or Functional Skills Level 2 or equivalent qualification. If you have not achieved these qualifications by the start of your apprenticeship, you will be required to achieve Functional Skills Level 2 before the end of your apprenticeship when you take your end-point assessment.

Don’t leave yourself wondering “what if?” this could be your chance to be part of something exciting. See yourself thriving in this role? Just click ‘Apply Now’! You’ll create a candidate profile and answer a few questions - no CV or cover letter needed.

If you’re eligible, we’ll guide you through the next steps of the process and what to expect. This is a fixed-term apprenticeship - your contract lasts for the duration of the scheme. Once completed, you’ll be supported with career development, employability training, and networking opportunities to help you take your next step - whether that’s at the BBC or elsewhere in the industry.

You’ll need to live within a commutable distance of where this role is based. Interested in a different location? Check out our other adverts - but please only apply to one.

The BBC recognises that some people who are applying for a BBC Apprenticeship Scheme may need to relocate to a new location for the role and this might not be possible due to your personal financial constraints. Relocation support is offered to a limited number of apprentices each year and would be considered for this position, subject to meeting the relocation support qualifying criteria. Further details will be shared with applicants during the recruitment process.

This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.

Our apprenticeship roles are also subject to you having the required qualifications that we have deemed to be necessary for your role and the requirement of the training provider for your scheme. The offer would be subject to you undergoing and meeting the requirements of a skill scan process with the BBC nominated training provider to determine your eligibility.

Please note: If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include Reference checks; Eligibility to work checks; and if applicable to the role, Safeguarding and Adverse media/Social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being satisfactory.