Executive Support & Projects Assistant Apprentice in Runcorn

This is an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of one of the country’s fastest-growing church school trusts. As our Executive Support & Projects Assistant Apprentice, you will support the CEO and Executive Team, help coordinate important projects and develop highly transferable skills.

CDAT is a multi academy trust established to support primary schools. There are presently 33 schools within the trust. The services provided to schools include legal, human resources, estates, health and safety, and data protection. We also have a school improvement team and a finance team.

As our Executive Support & Projects Assistant Apprentice, you will work closely with the Chief Executive and Executive Team to help ensure that their work is well organised, coordinated and followed through. You will gain a unique insight into the leadership and management of a large and growing group of primary schools. No two days will be the same. You might be organising diaries and meetings, preparing documents, updating project plans, checking that actions have been completed, producing reports or helping colleagues to keep important Trust information accurate and up to date. This is more than a traditional administrative role. You will be involved in work that supports the Trust’s strategic priorities and contributes to the education of thousands of children across our schools.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Providing day-to-day administrative and organisational support to the Chief Executive and Executive Team
• Managing the Chief Executive’s diary and helping to coordinate meetings, school visits and other commitments
• Supporting the coordination of Executive Team diaries and forward plans
• Scheduling meetings and appointments and helping to resolve routine diary clashes
• Preparing agendas, meeting papers, presentations and supporting information
• Collating documents and information so that senior colleagues are well prepared for meetings
• Taking notes and recording actions from meetings where required
• Maintaining project plans, action logs and implementation trackers
• Monitoring deadlines and project milestones and following up agreed actions
• Helping to maintain the Trust’s Delivery & Impact Framework, which tracks progress against its key priorities
• Gathering updates from colleagues and producing progress reports, summaries and RAG-rated information
• Supporting the use of Trust information systems and databases
• Checking that reports, records and data are complete, accurate and up to date
• Producing routine reports and dashboards for the Executive Team
• Drafting routine correspondence and communications
• Maintaining electronic filing systems, document libraries and standard templates
• Helping to organise Executive Team meetings, Trust conferences and other events
• Responding to routine enquiries and directing them to the appropriate colleague
• Carrying out research and gathering information to support Trust projects and decision-making
• Handling confidential and sensitive information professionally
• Working positively with colleagues across the Trust and its schools

You will receive support and guidance throughout the apprenticeship and will have dedicated time to complete your training. The full job description explains that the post combines executive support, project coordination, action tracking, information management and communication.

We hope that successful completion of the apprenticeship will lead to a permanent role within Chester Diocesan Academies Trust, subject to organisational requirements and the availability of a suitable vacancy. The knowledge and experience gained could support progression into roles such as:

• Executive Assistant
• Business Support Officer
• Project Support Officer
• Administration Officer
• Operations Coordinator
• Office Manager
• Governance or education administration roles

You may also choose to progress to a higher-level apprenticeship or further study in business, management, leadership or project management.

Skills Required:

• Communication skills
• IT skills
• Organisation skills
• Administrative skills
• Logical
• Team working
• Initiative
• Non judgemental
• Discretion
• Ability to manage competing priorities
• Professionalism

Qualifications:

• Essential - GCSE - English - C/4
• Essential - GCSE - Maths - C/4

Course Information:

• Course: Business administrator (level 3)
• Level: 3
• Route: Business and administration
• Apprenticeship Level: Advanced

Working Arrangements:

• Working Week: Monday to Friday, typically 8.30am to 3.30pm, with a 30-minute lunch break. Weekly hours include dedicated time for apprenticeship study and development.
• Expected Duration: 1 Year 3 Months
• Training Provider: TRAIN TOGETHER LIMITED

This employer is part of the Disability Confident scheme, committed to employing disabled people.