Software Engineering Apprenticeship - Level 6

Develops and maintains frontend and middleware applications for BBC digital platforms, contributing to software design, coding, testing, troubleshooting and deployment using technologies such as React.js, Node.js, TypeScript and AWS.

COULD A BBC APPRENTICESHIP BE THE NEXT ROLE FOR YOU?

Join us as an apprentice at the BBC to give yourself the opportunity 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, whilst working towards your apprenticeship qualification with one of our learning providers. 

WHY JOIN THIS SCHEME?

As an apprentice within our team, you will be right at the heart of the BBC's digital first world, developing and maintaining the systems that audiences rely on every single day.  

Imagine this: The code you write helps deliver the suspense of EastEnders on iPlayer, the freshest tracks on Sounds, the minute-by-minute drama of a breaking news story, or the thrill of a live goal on Sport.   

Your Code, Millions of Users  

Your work directly delights millions of people every week. When they tune in to a podcast, catch up on the news, or stream a live event, it's the platform you helped build that makes it happen.  

You will learn to handle the massive digital challenge of running services that have to be fast, reliable, and available 24/7.  

You will be working with world class software engineers to evolve the platform, ensuring the BBC remains at the forefront of digital media.  

You’ve got to be interested now, right? 

WHY JOIN THE TEAM?

Platform Evolution Team

Platform Experiences is part of BBC’s WebCore platform. We build, improve, and maintain the frontend and middleware that power the BBC products on web, including BBC News, Sport and iPlayer.

Our work ranges from developing new features and improving user experiences to modernising technology, improving performance and reliability, and making our platforms more efficient. We build shared solutions that support multiple BBC products, meaning our work can have an impact on millions of users.

As a Software Engineering Apprentice, you’ll be an active member of our multidisciplinary team, working alongside eight software engineers, a Software Engineering Team Lead, and colleagues specialising in Product Management, User Experience (UX) and Testing.

You contribute to real projects from the start, gaining hands-on experience building and maintaining frontend and middleware applications using technologies such as React.js, Node.js, Typescript, and AWS. You’ll be involved in the full software development lifecycle, including designing solutions, writing code, participating in peer code reviews, testing, investigating problems and deploying improvements to BBC products used by millions of people.

You’ll be supported by experienced engineers through mentoring, collaboration, and regular feedback, while developing your technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and confidence in taking ownership of your work.

Media Services Team 

As an apprentice in Media Services, you will immediately see your work impact millions by ensuring the flawless delivery of all BBC video and audio online - from live events to podcasts.

You will gain direct experience with pioneering cloud technologies operating at massive scale. Our supportive environment offers dedicated mentorship and essential professional growth, providing the foundation you need to launch a successful software engineering career.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT

As a Software Engineer apprentice (SED27), this is a brilliant opportunity to learn, grow, and contribute – you will:   

• Gain hands-on experience in the beating heart of the BBC’s software engineering teams responsible for TV, audio, online, and digital platforms.  

• Develop your understanding of how the BBC’s existing apps and websites are fit for purpose, ranging from analysis, design, code, build, test, implementation, and support.  

• Develop your knowledge and skills on how to apply software engineering principles to all stages of the solution development life cycle, from gathering code and data requirements and ensuring they are secure.  

• You will gain a new understanding on how to ensure the quality and reliability of software through rigorous testing and quality control practices.  

• You will explore considerations and how to tackle troubleshooting concerns, guided by your team.  

• You will play a part in ground-breaking complex projects, in alignment with the BBC’s Digital First strategy, from inception to delivery.  

You’ll study for your industry recognised apprenticeship qualification, learning both on-and-off-the-job. This means on successful completion of the apprenticeship, you will be awarded with an Undergraduate Degree (Bachelor of Science with Honours) in Digital and Technology Solutions Professional (Software Engineer pathway) from a UK University, and you will be supported to find a job role within the BBC’s Technology or Product delivery teams.   

YOUR SKILLS AND ELIGIBILITY

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:

• Have a love of maths and a passion for coding.  

• You're excited about embracing the latest AI and Machine Learning technologies to transform working practices.   

• Have brilliant organisational skills and are great at problem -solving and negotiating.  

• You can manage multiple deadlines and demands on your time, and have a calm and focused approach to changing circumstances.  

• Have a keen interest in the BBC and how people consume content, bursting with fresh ideas to introduce new perspectives.  

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

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 2027.

• Have lived in the UK continuously for the last three 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.

• Not already hold a qualification in the same subject area at the same or a higher level than this apprenticeship. 

 To apply for this scheme, you must also:

• Have maths and English GCSE at Grade 4/C or above or National 5 (Scotland) at C or equivalent qualification.  

• Have some experience of coding and/or software engineering. Whether that is from an A Level/BTEC course, coding boot camp or personal projects. A basic coding test will form part of the assessment for this scheme.