Broadcast Engineering Apprenticeship – U105

As a Broadcast Engineer at U105, you will be responsible for ensuring the smooth operation and maintenance of all technical aspects of our radio station.

Please apply via the website: https://www.newscareers.co.uk/vacancies/3470/apprenticeship--broadcast-engineering-apprentice.html

Start date January 2025

Location: Belfast 

2 year apprenticeship

37.5 hours Monday - Friday.

The Team: U105, a personality led radio station that broadcasts from the heart of Belfast with over 250,000 people tuning in each week right across Northern Ireland. U105 offers a mix of music and speech, playing a mix of classic pop hits and new music from the 80s through to today

Your Role: As a Broadcast Engineer at U105, you will be responsible for ensuring the smooth operation and maintenance of all technical aspects of our radio station. This includes audio equipment, broadcast systems, and transmission facilities. You will work closely with our production and programming teams to ensure high-quality broadcasts and troubleshoot any technical issues that may arise.

At the end of the 2 year program you’ll complete your apprenticeship at U105 with a qualification

Being an apprentice at U105: During your time with us you will earn above living wage, get full training, study towards a Broadcast and Media Systems Technician (with your course fees paid). You will also receive mentoring/coaching from the industry’s best, as well as any other equity you might need to fulfil your full potential.

Day to day you will: 

• Maintain and repair broadcast equipment, including audio consoles, microphones, transmitters, and other technical systems.
• Monitor and ensure the quality of on-air broadcasts, addressing any audio or technical issues promptly.
• Set up and operate remote broadcast equipment for outside broadcasts and special events.
• Collaborate with the programming and production teams to support live shows and pre-recorded content.
• Implement and maintain IT infrastructure related to broadcasting, including servers, networks, and software.
• Conduct regular inspections and preventative maintenance to ensure all equipment is in optimal working condition.
• Keep up-to-date with the latest industry trends and technological advancements to recommend upgrades and improvements.
• Provide technical support and training to on-air talent and other staff as needed.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant broadcasting regulations and standards.

What we’re looking for from you: 

• Proficiency in troubleshooting
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to work under pressure.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively as part of a team.
• Flexibility to work irregular hours, including evenings and weekends, as required.

If you think you have what it takes but don’t tick every requirement on the list, please do apply.  We recognise that considering someone’s potential as well as their experience is a great way to hire. We want to hear from people who have a passion to learn and develop.

Application Process 

Online Application > Google Meet Interview > Assessment Centre

As part of the Online Application process, we would like you to provide answers to our application questions that explains why you want to join U105.

Please answer the following 3 questions, this is how we initially review your application.

Create 3 relevant questions for the applicants to answer

1. Tell us about yourself and why you have applied for this apprenticeship?
2. How would you describe U105 and what do you like/dislike about it?
3. Describe a technical problem you solved in a past project or job?

To find out more about apprenticeships at News UK, click here.

We are News UK: One of the leading media businesses in the UK and Ireland.  Our newsbrands include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun, The Sun on Sunday and The TLS. Our national broadcast brands include talkSPORT, Times Radio, TalkTV and Virgin Radio UK, and we have market-leading local radio stations across Ireland. Our world-famous brands provide news, analysis, opinion and entertainment to almost 40 million people each month. Spanning print and pixel, audio and video, events and experiences, our multiplatform brands are home to a plurality of opinion, representing the diverse communities we serve. News UK is wholly owned by News Corp.

Life at News: At News UK our people are our heartbeat - they are the driving force behind our brands and we want to enable people to thrive.  Some of us work flexibly, in many different ways. We encourage you to talk to us about the flexibility you would like.  Many of us work in a hybrid way between one of the News UK & Ireland offices and remotely.

We champion diversity and inclusion, we strive to maximise and encourage every individual’s potential and ensure everyone feels valued. We support this through our Diversity Board, D&I  strategy & training, creating more diverse content and our intern and apprenticeship programmes.  We also have 11 employee-led networks.

We take pride in looking after our amazing talent at News UK supporting the Health and Wellbeing of our staff. Some of what we offer includes:

• Pension scheme
• 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays  and up to 4 volunteering days per year;
• Apprenticeship Society that provides community support throughout your apprenticeship.

We want to ensure that everyone we meet has the opportunity to perform to their best when interviewing. Please let us know, at any stage, whether you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, and we will do our best to accommodate.