The BBC Academy is to halve the number of trainers in place in the latest round of corporation-wide cuts.
A total of 26 current trainers will drop to 13, who will deliver 25% fewer courses. The plans will see the number of roles in the BBC’s wider training arm cut by 29, from 82 to 53.
The net reduction of 29 roles is the result of 33 roles being lost plus the creation of four roles.
BBC Academy, which is based in Birmingham but also hosts staff in Manchester and Glasgow, provides digital and in-person training and development across journalism, production, leadership, and technology to support BBC staff and the wider UK broadcasting industry. It holds industry-wide events, learning resources including social media channels and an educational podcast.
The closures will form part of a corporation-wide voluntary redundancy scheme announced in July’s annual report, which revealed that 500 roles would be shed by the end of March 2026.
The first round of cuts in August saw a quarter of research and development roles (67%) close and 19 new roles created, a net reduction of 48 roles. Earlier this month, plans emerged to close at least 100 production and editorial roles in the nations and regions, and last week Salford-based BBC Children’s & Education announced closure of 11 roles (3%), although sources have suggested to Prolific North that actual job losses could ultimately be closer to double this number.
Prolific North has contacted the BBC for comment.
