Data Scientist Apprenticeship - Level 6 - Research & Development - London

BBC; City Of London; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

BBC Group and Public Services in London offers a Data Scientist Apprenticeship (Level 6) within Research & Development. The fixed-term, full-time program lasts 36 months, with a starting salary of £24,650 plus £5,441 London Weighting, and a focus on learning on-the-job while achieving an apprenticeship qualification.

You will study for a BSc (Hons) in Data Science with BPP University and gain hands-on experience in data, AI and machine learning to produce audience insights and improve BBC

Qualifications

• No degree required; non-graduates encouraged to apply.
• Interest in maths, data, ML and AI.
• Willing to study for the apprenticeship qualification.

Responsibilities

• Learn data science lifecycle from inception to production deployment and beyond.
• Contribute to AI/ML projects to deliver audience insights and products.
• Develop skills while working toward a BSc (Hons) in Data Science with BPP University.

Skills

Maths and data

Machine learning

AI

Problem solving

Organisation

Adaptability

Job description

Data Scientist Apprenticeship - Level 6 - Research & Development - London

Job Description Job Requisition ID: 55832 Job Closing Date: 24 November 2026 London, GBR, W12 7TP

Contract Type: Fixed-Term Apprenticeship, Full-time for 36 months

Department: Research & Development

Location: London - The Light House

Salary: £24,650 (+£5,441 London Weighting)

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?

Data Science isevolvingtheway the BBCoperates. Our data scientists help us to better understand thecustomersweserve,and the content served to them,turningraw data into valuable insightsand products to better serve audience needs. Whether audiences arewatching on BBC iPlayer,listening on BBC Sounds,reading BBC News and BBC Sportarticlesor learning on BBC Bitesize,behind the scenes data scientists are at work...fancy being one of them?!

Want to find out more? Watch recordings from our webinar series on our Life at the BBC YouTube playlist to learn more about this scheme and other opportunities we offer, and hear from current apprentices about their experiences.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM?

BBC R&D’s goal is to explore the capabilities of the technologies needed to support the BBC's mission, creating IP, developing technical capabilities, and shaping the environment through partnerships and standards-setting. R&D comprises around 130 staff working to improve access to sustainable innovation for the BBC and the creative industries more widely.

The Media ARA is conducting research to prepare the BBC for the transition from traditional broadcast to an IP-only future.

We are focussed on establishing industry-standard, high-performance workflows that work across multiple platforms in a resilient, reliable, and scalable way. We’re also investigating the benefits that an IP-only future could bring, across production, distribution, and audience experiences.

This is a very exciting time to join our team and a fantastic opportunity to kick‑start your career, building the world's most in‑demand skillset!

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT

Asa Data Scientist (DSD27) apprentice, thisisbrilliant opportunity to learn, grow, and contribute–you will:

• Learn about the value of data to organisations like the BBC.
• Discoverhow the BBC uses data tobothimprove its connectionwithaudiencesand improve internal tooling and workflows.
• Be part of a team usingdata toenhancethe way the BBCoperates, using AI and machine learning approaches to deliver valuable audience insights and products.
• Learn about and contribute to all aspects of the Data Science lifecycle frominceptionto production deployment and beyond, including aspects such as cleansing andvalidatingdata and building and evaluating predictive models.

You’llstudy for your industry recognised apprenticeship qualification, learning both on and off the job.This meansyou’llspend at least one day a week studying for a BSc (Hons) in Data Science with BPP University remotelystudying topics including:

• Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning
• Machine Learning
• Data Infrastructure & Tools
• Data Visualisation & Dashboards

For more information on what you will study during the scheme, please see the Data Scientist degree apprenticeship standard.

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 mathsand a passion for data, machinelearningand AI
• An excitement to embracethe latest AI and Machine Learning Technologiesresponsiblyto transform working practices
• Have brilliantnon-technicalskillssuch asproblem-solving,organisationandnegotiation
• Flexibility and adaptability including a calm and focused approach to working within an evolving technical landscape and workplace.
• Can manage multiple deadlines and demands on your time
• Bursting with fresh ideas to introduce new perspectives with a keen interest in the BBC,it’spublic service mission and values.

This scheme is aimed at non‑graduates. If you have a degree and you’re interested in similar roles at the BBC, we recommend applying for jobs at the BBC careers site or having a look at our other apprenticeship schemes.

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 achieved, or expected to achieve, by the start of the scheme, a minimum of 104 UCAS points.
• This must include A Level/Higher Maths, or an extended BTEC in Engineering with Engineering Maths, or an equivalent qualification.

DISCLAIMER

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 require 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.

Before your start date, you may need to disclose any unspent convictions or police charges, in line with our Recruitment policy. This allows us to discuss any support you may need and assess any risks. Failure to disclose may result in the withdrawal of your offer.

For apprenticeship opportunities, disabled applicants who choose to apply under the Disability Confident Scheme and who meet the minimum criteria for the role will normally be progressed to the next stage of the recruitment process. For most of our campaigns, this would be an online assessment designed to assess your skills, motivations and suitability for the role. Further details can be found in the FAQs section of our careers site.

Information at a Glance

This is your BBC

At the BBC you can create and innovate in an inclusive environment while contributing to some of the world’s best loved content, and the BBC’s mission to inform, educate and entertain.

Find out more about the BBC

Life at BBC

Here you will benefit from:

• Excellent career and professional development.
• Fair pay and flexible benefits including a competitive salary package, a 35-hour working week, 25 days annual leave (26 days for BBC Studios), a range of policies to support your work/life balance, a defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care and gym.
• A values‑based organisation where the way we do things is important as what we do.

As an Apprentice you will also receive:

• An industry recognised qualification.
• Industry‑leading training through the BBC Academy and our learning providers (this may involve travel to locations across the UK).
• A dedicated Team Manager and Scheme Specialist to help with your development.
• Training and Mentoring by industry professionals.
• A bespoke BBC apprenticeship experience including apprenticeship development days and membership of the BBC Apprenticeship community.
• Employability and networking training and support to help you secure your next role.
• The opportunity to apply for financial support for relocation subject to eligibility.

Candidate pack

You belong

We have a working environment where we value and respect every individual's unique contribution, so all our employees feel that they can belong, thrive and achieve their full potential.

We want to attract the broadest range of talented people to join us. The more diverse our workforce, the better able we are to respond to and reflect our audiences in all their diversity.

We welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio‑economic background, religion and/or belief.

Find out more about diversity, inclusion and belonging in our strategy below.

Diversity, inclusion & belonging strategy

Disability confident

We take inclusivity seriously and want to ensure all candidates who are disabled or have long‑term health conditions receive the support and adjustments they need. If you need to discuss adjustments or access requirements for the recruitment process, or to carry out this role, please contact us via the Early Careers Recruitment contact form and we’d be happy to discuss how we can support you through the process.

BBC Group and Public Services, Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London, United Kingdom, W1A 1AA. BBC Studios Distribution Limited, company no: 01420028, registered address: 1 Television Centre, 101 Wood Lane, London, United Kingdom W12 7FA.