Mr John Walker via e-mail
[FOI #4441 email]
22 December 2008
Dear Mr Walker,
Freedom of Information Request - RFI20081370 Thank you for your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the Act”) received on 29
November 2008 seeking the following information:
’Please supply the names, ranks/grades and job titles of those BBC employees who are graduates of the the
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.’
The BBC has not previously monitored information relating to the educational background of our staff.
However, we have recently begun to collect this information for successful job applicants (employed on
permanent or fixed-term contracts). Over the past 2 years over seven thousand individuals have
successfully applied for a job through BBC HR Direct Recruitment. Of this number, none indicated they
had graduated from the above institution.
For staff who joined prior to 2007, this information would only be available from individuals’ application
forms held by BBC HR Direct Recruitment, which are kept for three years from the date of application and
then destroyed. It is likely, therefore, that the educational details for many staff currently employed would
no longer be held. In the case of individuals for whom the information you requested is still held, we
anticipate that it would take BBC staff more than two and a half days to retrieve the information from
individuals’ application forms. Under section 12 of the Act, we are allowed to refuse to handle the request
if it would exceed the appropriate limit. The appropriate limit has been set by the Regulations (SI
2004/3244) as being £450 (equivalent to two and a half days work, at an hourly rate of £25).
However, our central records do show that a small number of BBC staff have attended the above
institution for the completion of shorter management courses.
I hope this response satisfies your request.
Your Appeal Rights:
If you are not satisfied with this response you have the right to an internal review by a BBC senior
manager. Please contact us at the following address: BBC Freedom of Information, Room 2252, White
City, 201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TS, explaining what you would like us to review and including your
reference number: If you are not satisfied with the internal review, you can appeal to the Information
Commissioner. The contact details are: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane,
Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, telephone 01625 545 700 or see http://www.ico.gov.uk/
Yours sincerely
Mary Geoghegan
BBC People
