Parking Officer Apprentice

Introduction

Join the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham as a Parking Officer Apprentice and help keep our roads safe, accessible and sustainable. You'll gain hands‑on experience supporting residents, businesses and visitors with parking enquiries, permits and compliance, while working towards a recognised apprenticeship qualification.

About the Employer

At Barking and Dagenham, inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone belongs and where differences are celebrated. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, faith, gender identity, sexual orientation or socio‑economic background.

What You'll Do

• Customer Engagement & Support:
  • Act as a first point of contact for parking‑related enquiries, providing accurate, clear and helpful advice to customers in person, by telephone, email or other communication channels.
  • Assist members of the public to understand parking rules, permits, exemptions and restrictions in a calm, respectful and customer‑focused manner.
  • Support engagement activity on‑street or at community locations, helping to promote compliance through education and awareness rather than enforcement.
  • Deal professionally with customers who are dissatisfied or unclear about parking rules or enforcement, escalating complex or sensitive matters to experienced officers where required.
• Administrative & Service Support:
  • Assist with the processing of parking permits, applications, exemptions and general correspondence.
  • Support permit and PCN administration by accurately updating records on Council IT systems.
  • Help monitor service inboxes and customer contacts, ensuring enquiries are logged and directed appropriately.
  • Assist in maintaining clear audit trails for permits, enquiries and customer interactions.
• Learning Parking Processes:
  • Learn how parking enforcement and CCTV teams operate to better explain processes to customers.
  • Observe how evidence is gathered and reviewed for PCNs to improve responses to customer queries.
  • Learn how parking legislation, Traffic Management Orders and signage affect service delivery.
• Working with Colleagues:
  • Work closely with Parking Engagement Officers, Enforcement Officers, CCTV and back‑office teams to ensure a joined‑up customer experience.
  • Support supervisors by identifying recurring customer issues, unclear signage or common misunderstandings.
  • Promote positive working relationships across Parking Services and wider council teams.
• Apprenticeship & Development:
  • Actively participate in the customer service apprenticeship training programme, completing coursework, assessments and workplace learning.
  • Maintain learning logs and evidence as required by the apprenticeship framework.
  • Take responsibility for personal development, attending training on customer care, equality, GDPR and health & safety.

Additional Information

The role includes both office‑based and on‑street or community‑based working. Some flexibility around working hours may be required.

Successful completion of the customer service apprenticeship may support progression into permanent roles within Parking Services, subject to performance and available vacancies.

Skills Required

• Communication skills
• IT skills
• Attention to detail
• Organisation skills
• Customer care skills
• Problem solving skills
• Number skills
• Logical
• Team working
• Initiative
• Non‑judgmental
• Patience

Qualifications

• Desired – GCSE English A–C / 4–9
• Desired – GCSE Maths A–C / 4–9

Course Information

Course: Customer Service Practitioner (Level2)
Route: Sales, marketing and procurement
Apprenticeship Level: Intermediate

Working Arrangements

Working Week: Apprentices will work during core Council hours: Monday – Friday 09:00 – 17:00. Some flexibility around working hours may be required on occasion.
Expected Duration: 1 Year 4 Months
Number of Positions Available: 6
Training Provider: LEARNING CURVE GROUP LIMITED

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