What skills and certifications am I expected to have?
Everything that you need to know about what compliance modules you require and how to complete them.
This page provides information for off-air freelancers who have a personal number, a ten digit booking number and accept bookings and claim their payments on the Freelance Payment Portal.
If this does not apply to you, please visit the External Partners skills expectations page.
The BBC are partners of the ScreenSkills Passport who provide a platform for freelancers to complete industry standard essential certification to ensure all their core skills, competencies and compliance knowledge is up to date.
The passport is transferrable between any company enrolled in the scheme meaning as a freelancer you don’t have to recomplete these modules every time you start a new engagement with a different organisation.
The ScreenSkills passport is designed to ensure freelancers are equipped with important and essential knowledge around:
- Data Protection and Cyber Security
- Safeguarding
- Anti-bullying and Harassment
- Financial Misconduct
- Safety and Security
The BBC also asks all freelancers carrying out an engagement with us to complete our Code of Conduct induction, which outlines how we should work together to make sure that the BBC remains a great place to work, and ensure decisions are consistent with BBC standards and values.
Depending on your role, you may also need to complete some additional modules on our internal myDevelopment platform. Your BBC contact will make you aware if this applies to you on confirmation of your booking.
You do not need a BBC contract to access the ScreenSkills passport - you can access the Passport at any time, and we recommend you do so ahead of any engagement with any of the partners.
About the ScreenSkills Passport
The ScreenSkills Passport is a pan-industry initiative designed to streamline completing any required certification for freelancers. The record that freelancers receive from completing the modules can be taken from one engagement to another to remove the requirement for repeating courses every time you start a new contract.
While ScreenSkills is often associated with the television production industry, the passport is designed for all freelancers engaged with the BBC regardless of the area they work in - from journalism and editorial, to audio, digital, technology, marketing, commissioning and business support.
How to access the ScreenSkills Passport
Once your BBC booking has been approved, your details will be sent to ScreenSkills for them to check against their internal database. If you already have an existing valid passport, ScreenSkills will notify the BBC and your record will be updated in our system.
If you haven't completed the full set of modules, including BBC specific content, you'll receive an email from ScreenSkills with a link to do this.
- You will need to either log in to your ScreenSkills account or register for a new account to access the modules – please use the same email address as you use for the Freelance Payment Portal to ensure accurate records.
- If you have forgotten your ScreenSkills password, follow the instructions on their Forgotten Password page to reset it. You can reset your myDevelopment password via BBC Login as a self-service facility via the link to the existing external page.
- For any additional modules you are required to complete as part of your role, access to myDevelopment will be provided via email once you are contracted with the BBC, up to 14 days before your start date.
- The BBC specific modules – Safety and Security and the BBC Code of Conduct – can only be completed when you have an upcoming or existing BBC engagement.
- Once you have completed the requested modules on the ScreenSkills passport you have the option to share this information with any companies you are contracted with. The BBC will record this information against your freelancer record.
More information about completing the modules can be found the ScreenSkills passport and guidance page.
If you are having difficulties accessing the ScreenSkills Passport, please contact ScreenSkills directly.
If further modules are required for your booking, you’ll receive an invite to BBC Login once your booking is confirmed and up to 14 days before your start date.
When you have set up your authentication, you will be able to log into myDevelopment via BBC Login. If you already have a BBC IT account and email address, you can continue to use this to access myDevelopment. However, we recommend that you use your personal email address to set up the BBC Login account in case the BBC IT account and email is removed and access to systems is still needed.
Existing freelancer users will be unaffected and should continue to access myDevelopment using BBC Login as before. We recommend that you set up the BBC Login account using your personal email address in case the BBC network login is removed and you still need to have access.
You'll have one account that you access ScreenSkills or myDevelopment through – it will be set up at the point of your first booking.
If you have an upcoming BBC engagement and can’t see the BBC specific passport modules on your account, it may be that your booking has not been raised yet.
If you have received your contract and an email from ScreenSkills asking you to complete the BBC modules and still can't see these, please contact ScreenSkills for assistance.
Help and Support
If you have any questions, please speak to your BBC contact.
If you are having difficulties accessing the ScreenSkills Passport, please contact ScreenSkills directly.
myDevelopment
myDevelopment is the BBC's internal online learning and talent management system.
- For help with myDevelopment please complete the Freelancer systems query form.
- If you continue to have issues, please get in touch with your BBC contact or contact BBCHR.
You can access myDevelopment up to 14 days before your start date if your contract has been raised in advance. If you have not yet had your contract, your booking may not have been raised yet or your email address may have been entered incorrectly – please get in touch with your booker.
For myDevelopment, use your personal email address that you provided at the time of being booked or your BBC email address if you have one.
12 weeks after the end date provided or after 12 weeks of inactivity in myDevelopment - whichever happens first.
Records are held in myDevelopment for 50 years after leaving the business.
BBC Login help
myDevelopment is accessed via BBC Login - please see the Freelancer BBC Login Guide for more information.
BBC Login Single Sign on (SSO) means you don’t have to enter your username and password every time, as this is intelligence/risk based (i.e. different device, different location detected then you will have to log in), but if same device, same location, you won’t.
Visit BBC Login Help if you are having issues with BBC Login. If you continue to have issues, please get in touch with your BBC contact or call the IT Helpdesk (or Eng Ops if you’re from News).
If BBC Login goes down, speak to the person who contracted you.
You might not have been set up yet if you were booked last minute but have worked for the BBC before – check with your BBC contact.
Please contact HR via this webform who will be able to assist your query.
A mobile phone is not mandatory however it is highly desirable as 3 of the 4 authentication methods do require one. If a mobile phone is not available, then a USB security key (also known as YubiKey) can be ordered via the MyIT request portal. Note there is a cost and lead time to get this completed – please speak to your BBC Contact.
External Partners
Please visit the External Partners skills and competencies page for information about our skills expectations.
Links
- myDevelopmentThe BBC’s online learning and talent management system
