Outsourced

The BBC usually gets good value from its in-house Journalist Trainees. The graduate entry scheme started in 1970 and has produced people like Jeremy Paxman, Huw Edwards, Jeremy Bowen, David Shukman, Jeremy Vine, Nick Robinson, Justin Webb, Lord Hall, Mark Thompson, Jana Bennett, Clive Myrie, Samira Ahmed, Jane Hill and people who've ended up elsewhere, like Sir Peter Stothard, Julie Etchingham and Lorraine Heggessey. 

I went through the scheme twice - once as trainee, once as trainer. Now the core part of the training has gone to an outside contractor, and the scheme has been pompously re-named to fit the current zeitgeist - Level 7 Senior Journalist Apprenticeships are on offer, and, instead of learning from current BBC hacks,  those joining will spend 20 per cent of their working week studying with Kent Centre for Journalism academic staff, based at the Medway campus.