Apprentice Income Collection Officer

Summary

At Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, we’re not just offering you an apprenticeship - we’re offering a launchpad for your future. We are a bold, brave, and innovative council working as one team, embracing diversity, delivering on our promises, striving for excellence, and putting our community at the heart of everything we do.

Wage

£14,526.20 to £23,492.04, depending on your age

National Minimum Wage

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Training course

Senior credit controller and debt collection specialist (level 3)

Hours

Monday to Friday, working hours TBC

37 hours a week

Start date

Monday 1 September 2025

Duration

1 year 8 months

Positions available

2

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

Undertake recovery and enforcement action to maximise the collection of monies owed to the council
Contacting customers, making suitable payment arrangements, implementing deductions from benefits/earnings
Work with offices across the council to aid income collection

Where you'll work

Dunedin House
Columbia Drive, Thornaby
Stockton-On-Tees
TS17 6BJ

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

College or training organisation

CSA (SERVICES) LTD

Your training course

Senior credit controller and debt collection specialist (level 3)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents

Engage with stakeholders on accounts, for example to resolve issues, leverage payment, support business growth.
Negotiate good credit management or debt collection outcomes, in line with organisational policies.
Use questioning techniques to acquire information from customers to understand the customer’s financial situation or specialist needs or requirements and develop acceptable solutions, adapting communication style to suit audience.
Identify, defuse and resolve account issues which have multiple strands or involve sensitive situations, such as critical business accounts or vulnerable customers.
Develop strong, positive and sustained relationships with stakeholders, recognising the business context of relationships and their importance to the organisation, while dealing with a challenging situation.
Comply with relevant governance, policies and procedures.
Follow the environmental, social and governance requirements of their organisation.
Take ownership of work through to resolution, re-negotiating or escalating when required.
Make evidence-based decisions on credit and debt cases.
Use management information tools to identify emerging risks, prioritise high risk accounts and plan workload.
Complete actions in a reliable and timely way in line with organisation policy, values and standards.
Make ethical and secure use of systems, tools and processes including digital technology and data analytics to deliver services to customers.
Select credit management or debt collection strategies to resolve issues.
Use key data and performance reports and team leadership or team working techniques to support the achievement of credit management and debt collection outcomes.
Collaborate with own team and stakeholders to build and maintain relationships.
Communicate with own team and stakeholders, verbally and in writing.
Review own business working practices to identify areas for improvement.
Facilitate changes to working practices.
Use feedback to identify areas for personal development.
Plan and undertake continuing professional development (CPD) and support the development of others.
Review and analyse customer applications, seeking additional financial and non-financial information when required, and assisting with the reporting of credit checks and credit limits.
Analyse customer credit risk and develop strategies, making evidence-based decisions on credit limits in line with regulatory and organisational requirements.
Advise on account issues and give expert support, including referral to specialist colleagues or agencies, to find a clear path to payment or resolution for those facing financial difficulty that minimises risks of overdues or bad debts for either corporate business accounts; individual customers; or third parties, for example debt collection agencies, debt advice agencies.
Support consistent decision making, practice and compliance with policies, regulatory requirements, and procedures by challenging any inaccuracies in customer or debt data, monitoring performance measures and advising colleagues, third party suppliers and the wider business within your remit.
Remove controlled goods in line with organisational, legal and regulatory requirements, including the National Standards.
Sell controlled goods in line with organisational, legal and regulatory requirements, including Taking Control of Goods National Standards.
Engage with stakeholders on accounts, for example to resolve issues, leverage payment, support business growth.
Negotiate good credit management or debt collection outcomes, in line with organisational policies.
Use questioning techniques to acquire information from customers to understand the customer’s financial situation or specialist needs or requirements and develop acceptable solutions, adapting communication style to suit audience.
Identify, defuse and resolve account issues which have multiple strands or involve sensitive situations, such as critical business accounts or vulnerable customers.
Develop strong, positive and sustained relationships with stakeholders, recognising the business context of relationships and their importance to the organisation, while dealing with a challenging situation.
Comply with relevant governance, policies and procedures.
Follow the environmental, social and governance requirements of their organisation.
Take ownership of work through to resolution, re-negotiating or escalating when required.
Make evidence-based decisions on credit and debt cases.
Use management information tools to identify emerging risks, prioritise high risk accounts and plan workload.
Complete actions in a reliable and timely way in line with organisation policy, values and standards.
Make ethical and secure use of systems, tools and processes including digital technology and data analytics to deliver services to customers.
Select credit management or debt collection strategies to resolve issues.
Use key data and performance reports and team leadership or team working techniques to support the achievement of credit management and debt collection outcomes.
Collaborate with own team and stakeholders to build and maintain relationships.
Communicate with own team and stakeholders, verbally and in writing.
Review own business working practices to identify areas for improvement.
Facilitate changes to working practices.
Use feedback to identify areas for personal development.
Plan and undertake continuing professional development (CPD) and support the development of others.

Your training plan

Senior Credit Controller and Debt Collection Specialist Level 3
Training will be delivered via Teams or Zoom

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

5 GCSEs including English & Maths (grade 4 or above)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

Communication skills
IT skills
Attention to detail
Organisation skills
Problem solving skills
Administrative skills
Number skills
Logical
Team working
Initiative

Other requirements

Please note this post is subject to a BPSS check.

About this company

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council prides itself on being a great place to work where staff are trusted, valued and supported to make a positive contribution at work. We truly value our Apprentices and recognise that they enable us to identify new talent and build new skills in our workforce.

Disability Confident

A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.

You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.

After this apprenticeship

There is the potential for you to secure long term employment with the council upon completion of your qualification, and the ability to also apply for internal vacancies restricted to employees throughout your apprenticeship.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is: