John Noakes writes:
The advent of On-Station Instructors was brought about by the increase in television engineering staff recruitment to cope with the introduction of BBC2 and the movement of engineers away from the BBC to the commercial sector. My patch was Television Studios where the aim of on-station instruction was to provide a basic background of knowledge for the prospective engineers prior to the ETD Wood Norton courses.
At the start of their employment I tried to ensure their living arrangements were catered for by enlisting the help of the Welfare department for accommodation in and around the Shepherds Bush area and introduce them to the 'way of life' in the Beeb. Tours of other departments such as Television Recording, News, Scenery and Costumes were arranged to get an overview of television broadcasting.
In addition to the engineering skills that were taught on-station, the Instructors provided courses relating to the introduction of new equipment and procedures and On-Station Instructors have been part of the recruitment boards for Engineering staff.
On-Station Instructors Conference 18-22nd January 1965 (Contributed by John Noakes)
Back row: R.I. Sewell, G. Rowlands, Mr. Fear, J. Cooper, D.R. Craske
Front row: E.J. Knight, J.A.A. Claxton, J.E.Noakes, A.J.Woolford, W.Magowan, G.Morris