Apprenticeships Officer (Admissions) in Reading

Employment status and working hours: Permanent, full time. Full time hours at the University are 35 per week with the standard working pattern Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00, with some flexibility in start/finish times.

Organisation structure: Education and Students, Admissions and Enquiries. Your line manager will be Elena Best-Shaw, Enquiries and Apprenticeship Admissions Manager.

Place of work flexibility: Your time will be split between the Horizons, Reading office and your home. The exact split of days/hours is negotiable but must include a minimum of one working day each week in Horizons on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

High level summary of job role: As an Apprenticeships Officer (Admissions), you will work with apprentice employers, building good working relationships and offering advice when needed. You will help manage the apprentice onboarding process, complete sign-up documentation, and other apprenticeship-specific tasks. You will become familiar with apprenticeship funding rules and will be involved in the continuous development of apprenticeship provision at the University. You will also contribute to the teams’ continuous improvement ethos by proactively suggesting process improvements.

Specific job role accountabilities and responsibilities:

• Be the first point of contact for apprenticeship enquiries and referrals via phone and emails.
• Process apprenticeship student enrolment and registration documentation and resolve any queries which may arise.
• Create and maintain records held within University of the Built Environment systems.
• Evaluate employer applications for eligibility to deliver the required knowledge, skills and behaviours.
• Work closely with the University’s Admissions Officers to ensure that apprenticeship applications are processed and decided upon in a timely manner.
• Draw up apprenticeship sign-up documents, including training plans and written agreements.
• Ensure that the apprenticeship admissions process is compliant with the Department for Education apprenticeship funding rules.
• Review employer health and safety documentation and maintain Health and Safety records relating to apprenticeship delivery.
• Safeguard apprenticeship student interests in accordance with the University policies and procedures.
• Support Apprenticeship Outcomes Officers in arranging apprentice progress review sessions.
• Support the development and continual improvement of the University’s administrative systems and processes.
• Contribute to the University’s self-assessment and self-evaluation processes, and development of related quality improvement.

Other important features of the job role:

• Line management responsibilities: None.
• Budget responsibility: None.

Qualifications and training:

• GCSE Maths and English Language Grade C or 4 or above (or equivalent).
• Further education level qualifications.
• Degree level qualification.

Previous experience:

• Administration experience in an office-based environment.
• Customer service experience (face-to-face, via email and on the telephone).
• In a similar role.
• Within the same or similar sector (Higher Education, Not for Profit).

Behaviours and attitudes: Alignment to the University’s core values and growth mindset approach.

Skills, knowledge, other requirements:

• Planning and organisational skills, with the ability to work quickly and accurately under pressure.
• Analytical and methodical approach to problem solving.
• Proactive and professional manner with a 'can-do' approach.
• Collaborative approach to cross-departmental working and the ability to build strong working relationships.
• Ability to deal with confidential and sensitive information with discretion.
• Ability to work flexibly, prioritise tasks in accordance with importance and urgency.
• Willingness to learn and contribute to any activity that helps the University to achieve its overall goals.
• Aptitude to learn new software packages quickly and with ease.
• Verbal and written communication skills.
• Knowledge of apprenticeships and their funding and administration requirements/arrangements.
• Knowledge and use of CRM databases.
• Ability to work additional hours if required.
• Digital skills confidence: We use MS Office which includes Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Commitment to delivering positive outcomes for our students.

PAY AND BENEFITS:

• Salary: Salary range £26,000 to £27,644 per annum.
• Holiday: 26 days paid holiday (rising to 28 with service) plus paid bank/public holidays plus up to five paid closure days.
• Pension and life assurance: Pensions auto-enrolment to the People’s Pension.
• Family-friendly policies: Policies in place for all types of family-friendly statutory leave.
• Wellbeing: Full access to the Employee Assistance Programme as well as the Thrive Mental Wellbeing app.
• Sustainable travel: Cycle to Work and Electric Vehicle salary sacrifice schemes.
• Parking: We have locked sheds for bicycles.
• Other health related benefits: Employer-funded Health Cash Plan and voluntary dental insurance.
• Other valuable benefits: Charity giving options available including one voluntary paid day, per annum.