Apprentice Customer Service and Administration Assistant - Level 2 IAN FIRTH HARDWARE LTD

This is a great opportunity for the right person to join a fast paced, successful business undertaking various business and customer related tasks. You’ll be joining a small team who work hard, enjoy working together and are experienced and ready to impart their knowledge to someone who is ready and keen to learn.

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Closing date: 30 Jun 2023

Apprenticeship summary

  • Annual wage

    £10,227.36

    The rate of pay may be negotiable, this will be dependent upon experience

    Wages explained

    Apprentices are paid for their normal working hours and training that's part of their apprenticeship (usually one day per week).

    Minimum Wage Rates

  • Working week

    Monday to Friday - 8.45am-5.30pm - 1-hour unpaid lunch).

    Total hours per week: 37.25

  • Expected duration

    15 Months

  • Possible start date

    05 Jul 2023

  • Date posted

    09 May 2023

  • Apprenticeship level

    Intermediate
    Level 2 (GCSE)

  • Reference number

    VAC1000161705

  • Positions

    1 available

What will the apprentice be doing?

Our Team

Founded in 1982, Ian Firth Hardware Ltd is a privately owned business specialising in the manufacture, sales and distribution of residential doors, hardware and associated building products.

The directors and staff of the company are dedicated to offering a professional and helpful service to our valued customers. Senior management are involved in the day to day operation of the business, and qualified staff are available to give advice and technical support. The company is structured to give a first class service.

You’ll be part of "Our Team" helping the company serve our customers in the housebuilding sector, offering excellent products and first-class customer service.

Your role will involve:

  • General administration work such as sorting, matching and filing.
  • Answering incoming telephone calls, handling general enquiries and queries via phone/email and keeping customers updated on the progress of orders
  • Liaising with other departments within the company such as production and transport to answer customer queries
  • Reporting any customers complaints which may arise to our after sales team
  • Checking own work as well as colleagues for accuracy
  • Carrying out any reasonable tasks as requested by your Supervisor/Manager

 

Benefits. What we can offer you:

  • A friendly and supportive team and working environment
    Experienced staff who are able to impart their knowledge
  • Holiday entitlement that starts at 20 days, plus Bank Holidays, rises each year of employment up to a maximum of 26 days per year
  • Christmas shut-down (5 days of holiday entitlement plus 3 public holidays)
  • Life Assurance Cover
  • On site free staff parking
  • Staff sale discounted rates on products

 

About you. We require you to be:

  • Ready and willing to learn
  • Able to work on your own initiative as well as under guidance.
  • Demonstrate a high level of English skills e.g. grammatically correct emails
  • Able to communicate well with your team as well as customers
  • Be flexible to both business and industry changes
  • Well organised and able to prioritise and multitask
  • Computer literate with the ability to use Microsoft Office suite of applications, and willingness to learn order processing systems such as Sage or SAP

What training will the apprentice take and what qualification will the apprentice get at the end?

Customer Service Level 2 Practitioner Apprenticeship Standard:

https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/customer-service-practitioner-v1-1

The standard covers the following:

  • Knowledge
  • Skills
  • Behaviours and Attitude 

 

You will complete an End Point Assessment this will involve the following:

  • Showcase Portfolio
  • Practical Observation
  • Professional Discussion/Interview
     

The Apprenticeship Training Programme forms part of your contract of employment; you are provided with time to study at Kirklees College, Huddersfield - the study day is on a Wednesday.

The apprenticeship programme will help your personal and professional development, the requirements to complete the programme are as follows:
 

  • Attend and be punctual for all induction sessions and be punctual for all lessons
  • Complete all required assignments
  • Build up your portfolio of evidence
  • Access support from your tutor / assessor and manager as and when required

What is the expected career progression after this apprenticeship?

  • There may also be progression opportunities to complete the Apprenticeship Business Administrator or Customer Service Level 3, following successful completion of the Level 2 Customer Service Practitioner Standard

Also strong possibility of full-time employment subject to satisfactory employment and achievement of apprenticeship 

Requirements and prospects

Desired skills and personal qualities

Communication skills, IT skills, Attention to detail, Organisation skills, Customer care skills, Problem solving skills, Logical, Team working, Initiative, Good Timekeeping/Attendance, Outlook, Excel and Word

Qualifications

GCSE or equivalent Maths and English (Grade 4/C or above) Essential
GCSE or equivalent Business (Grade 4/C or above) Desired
BTEC or equivalent ICT (Grade Pass, Merit or Distinction) Desired

Things to consider

Company is located on Shaw Cross Industrial Estate Dewsbury, we are easily accessible by public transport as well as motorway networks. Following applying for this vacancy the first stage, after your initial application, will involve a meeting with Nichola Barnes . If you do not attend this arranged meeting your application will not progress any further. For any further information on this vacancy please contact Nichola Barnes at Kirklees College on E-mail: nbarnes@kirkleescollege.ac.uk Mobile Number: 07788390025 Apprenticeship Team: apprenticeships@kirkleescollege.ac.uk

About the employer

Always thinking ahead, always innovating, always here to help! About Us - History of Ian Firth Hardware Ltd - Ian Firth started his career in hardware at the tender age of 15, but soon progressed to being Managing Director of Cartwright Hardware in Leeds. However in 1982 he took the giant leap into the unknown when he set up his own business – Ian Firth Hardware Ltd. It was a big risk, working from his family home supplying local housebuilders with ironmongery, but the gamble paid off and just a year later the company moved to its first premises. But only 4 years later the company moved again to premises in Lady Ann Road, Batley, due to increased business demanding more storage space and more staff to help deliver over £1m worth of sales per year. In 1988 the company branched out into Patio Doors, Garage Doors and Internal Doors, offering a supply and fit service for some products. By 1995 the company started selling Composite Doors, steel and GRP faced, and invested in cutting machinery to be able to customise the doors to meet the designs the customers wanted. This needed space and it soon became apparent that even with the extensions to Lady Ann Road, it was not going to be big enough to allow for expansion. In 1996 the company moved into our current home, Lady Ann House, purpose built offices and warehouse on a 3.53 acre site at Shaw Cross, Dewsbury. New product ranges were being added all the time to become a one-stop-shop for our customers, loft doors, kitchen sinks, taps, ventilation products, ducting kits, builder’s metalwork, and research into supplying factory made internal doorkits began on the back of the success of the external doorset division of the business. In only a few years after moving to Lady Ann House a 15,000sq ft extension was commissioned and the External Door Manufacturing facility moved into the newly created space. New, state-of-the-art, CNC machinery was purchased in 2005 to improve output. Work began on developing our own range of fully tested and CE marked Gridlock locks and latches as well as our patented Quicksemble snap-fit adjustable hinge system for our internal doorkits. By 2007 turnover had hit over £12m with our own fleet of vehicles delivering across the country every week. Every site on the UK mainland was serviced at least once a week, with local sites receiving more frequent drops. However 2008 saw one of the deepest recessions in living memory and the company was hit by the downturn in housebuilding across the country. Certainly not defeated, the company consolidated and got through a very difficult period in the construction sector. Further product ranges were introduced in 2009 to meet Code for Sustainable Homes requirements, such as compost bins and rotary clothes driers. 2015 saw the publication of five new brochures featuring External Doors, Internal Doors, Hardware, Associated Building Products and Environmental Products. In 2018 and 2019 we invested in further machinery to increase our production capacities for both External and Internal Doors, and 2019 saw record turnover of almost £15m. 2020 promised to be another year of progress for the company with further investment in machinery and introduction of improved sales order processing software planned, but the pandemic had other ideas. By no means undeterred, after closing for a short time during the first national lockdown, the company re-opened, re-mobilised and came back leaner and stronger. 2021 saw the company break it's turnover record and forge ahead with original expansion plans into it's 40th anniversary year.

Employer

IAN FIRTH HARDWARE LTD

Address

LADY ANN HOUSE

CHURWELL VALE

SHAW CROSS BUSINESS PARK

WF12 7RD

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Training

Training provider

KIRKLEES COLLEGE

Contact

Nichola Barnes

nbarnes@kirkleescollege.ac.uk

07788 390025

Apprenticeship standard

Customer service practitioner

Level 2 (GCSE)

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