Finance Apprentice in Bedford

Selwood is the leading pump rental solutions company in the UK. We have an outstanding reputation for exceptional customer service backed by one of the largest fleets of quality pump products. Each customer and each project is unique and our deep technical knowledge means we are proud to deliver a bespoke and genuine 24/7, 365 days-a-year service. With an unrivalled depth of technical pumping expertise; a pedigree spanning seven decades and employing a wide variety of skilled staff throughout our nationwide network of branches, our ever-growing business is one of the largest privately owned companies serving the Water, Environmental and Construction industries. This is an exciting time to join Selwood as we drive our business forward and build on a foundation of over 70 years’ success within our industry. We are committed to ensuring our staff have the right skills, knowledge & experience to deliver to our customers, as well as creating career paths to help develop, retain, and motivate them.

About The Role

We are aiming for a summer start date. At Selwood, our Finance Apprenticeship gives you the opportunity to work alongside all areas of the finance function, helping you build a broad understanding of how the business operates. You won’t just be observing — you’ll be actively involved, learning from experienced mentors and contributing to meaningful work from day one.

Main responsibilities:

• Meet targets related to your Apprenticeship and role performance agreed by your company appointed Mentor and attend all college, training, assessments, and progress reviews.
• Demonstrate active involvement in the finance functions to develop a full understanding of company operations, systems, products, and equipment.
• Exhibit progress in learning from the finance teams and complete all assigned duties to an agreed expectation.
• Effectively undertake assigned tasks to an agreed standard as directed by an experienced mentor.
• Show continued progress in the development of your knowledge on financial aspects of processing and reporting with the support of a dedicated mentor.
• Assist with development of reporting and strive for continuous improvement through input into ideas and development.
• Accurately input data and highlight and challenge when things don’t look right.
• Always demonstrate the Selwood values when representing Selwood Ltd, whether at work or whilst attending college.
• Interact and work collaboratively with all levels of Selwood staff to achieve all agreed outcomes.
• Demonstrate initiative and not wait for instruction when seeing something needs to be done whilst maintaining a methodical, attention to detail.
• Demonstrate a flexibility in understanding the requirements of all stakeholders to support the business whilst maintaining a safe environment for all.
• Comply with Company policies, rules, and procedures at all times.
• Comply with relevant legislation, regulations, and standards, including, but not limited to health, safety, environment, quality, and data protection, in respect of your role and employment with the Company.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• GCSE or equivalent English Language (Grade 4)
• GCSE or equivalent Maths (Grade 5)
• Good IT skills including familiarity with Excel and other Microsoft products
• A willingness to learn and develop
• The ability to take on feedback and use it positively
• Possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills, adapting your style and approach to meet the needs of your stakeholders whilst working well in a team.
• Good problem‑solving skills and attention to detail

Preferred

• A ‘can do’ attitude – willing to get stuck in, take accountability for decisions and actions and who takes pride in their work.
• A love of variety in a role and ability to adapt to a dynamic, fast‑paced working environment.
• Ability to quickly prioritise tasks and the initiative to dive head‑first into problem solving.
• No two days are the same so you’ll need to be quick on your feet to respond!
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills and enjoy working with multiple teams.
• Ability to analyse and interpret information and effectively communicate this to different team members and audiences.
• Curiosity to learn quickly in a reactive and dynamic working environment.

What we can offer you

We understand balancing work and life commitments isn’t always easy, that’s why we’ve designed our benefits package to support you in all areas of life.

• Eligible for company bonus scheme (annual and quarterly payments)
• 25 days holiday (plus length of service increases) + 8 Bank Holidays
• Holiday buying (up to an additional week)
• Medical cash plan for yourself – reimburse health costs e.g. dentist or optician, access to 24‑hour online GP services, discounted gym memberships
• Pension scheme with contribution based on total earnings not just salary
• Life assurance protection at 3 x salary
• Employee discount scheme (discounts/vouchers for supermarkets, high street shops, holidays and more)
• Employee assistance programme (EAP) & access to Mental Health First Aiders
• Employee referral scheme (up to £1,000 per referral)

At the heart of our company values we prioritise our people and encourage them to be innovative, entrepreneurial and put the customer at the centre of all we do.