Business Administration Apprentice

Summary

Join West Sussex County Council’s Education & Skills team as an Advanced Apprentice in Business Administration. Support diverse services, attend meetings, and gain hands-on experience while working towards a Level 3 qualification. Ideal for proactive individuals with GCSEs and a passion for education and public service.

Wage

£24,027 a year

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This is role with West Sussex County Council, offers a competitive salary alongside full training. You’ll also receive paid holidays and access to employee benefits while gaining valuable work experience and a recognised qualification.

Training course

Business administrator (level 3)

Hours

Monday - Friday, hours TBC. Occasional work outside of normal working hours.

37 hours a week

Start date

Monday 1 September 2025

Duration

1 year 6 months

Positions available

1

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

Apprentices in the Education & Skills Directorate will fulfil a variety of tasks across the different teams and occasionally will work outside of normal working hours.

Pupil Entitlement Investigation (PEI) has five strands of business:

Non-attendance investigation.
Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) team.
Children Missing Education (CME) team.
Elective Home Education (EHE).
Children in Entertainment & Employment.

Your main work will be within the FPN team, with potential requirements to assist the partner teams should business need direct.

Key responsibilities could include:

Applying knowledge gained on the job and through your apprenticeship to support us in achieving our business objectives.
Using your initiative to respond independently to unexpected problems/situations and meet deadlines determined by your working arrangements or set by your manager.
Working with a range of colleagues to widen your experience, as availability allows, and meet the requirements of the service.
Participating in meetings and briefings as directed by your manager, making an appropriate contribution.
Completing all learning commitments in support of your apprenticeship programme.
Demonstrating our core values and working in an empowered, collaborative, agile and innovative way to make a real and positive difference for all our communities.

Where you'll work

Bridge House
Barrington Road
Worthing
BN12 4SE

Training

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

College or training organisation

WEIR TRAINING LIMITED

Your training course

Business administrator (level 3)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents

Skilled in the use of multiple IT packages and systems relevant to the organisation in order to: write letters or emails, create proposals, perform financial processes, record and analyse data. Examples include MS Office or equivalent packages. Able to choose the most appropriate IT solution to suit the business problem. Able to update and review databases, record information and produce data analysis where required.
Produces accurate records and documents including: emails, letters, files, payments, reports and proposals. Makes recommendations for improvements and present solutions to management. Drafts correspondence, writes reports and able to review others' work. Maintains records and files, handles confidential information in compliance with the organisation's procedures. Coaches others in the processes required to complete these tasks.
Exercises proactivity and good judgement. Makes effective decisions based on sound reasoning and is able to deal with challenges in a mature way. Seeks advice of more experienced team members when appropriate.
Builds and maintains positive relationships within their own team and across the organisation. Demonstrates ability to influence and challenge appropriately. Becomes a role model to peers and team members, developing coaching skills as they gain area knowledge.
Demonstrates good communication skills, whether face-to-face, on the telephone, in writing or on digital platforms. Uses the most appropriate channels to communicate effectively. Demonstrates agility and confidence in communications, carrying authority appropriately. Understands and applies social media solutions appropriately. Answers questions from inside and outside of the organisation, representing the organisation or department.
Completes tasks to a high standard. Demonstrates the necessary level of expertise required to complete tasks and applies themself to continuously improve their work. Is able to review processes autonomously and make suggestions for improvements. Shares administrative best-practice across the organisation e.g. coaches others to perform tasks correctly. Applies problem-solving skills to resolve challenging or complex complaints and is a key point of contact for addressing issues.
Takes responsibility for initiating and completing tasks, manages priorities and time in order to successfully meet deadlines. Positively manages the expectations of colleagues at all levels and sets a positive example for others in the workplace. Makes suggestions for improvements to working practice, showing understanding of implications beyond the immediate environment (e.g. impact on clients, suppliers, other parts of the organisation). Manages resources e.g. equipment or facilities. Organises meetings and events, takes minutes during meetings and creates action logs as appropriate. Takes responsibility for logistics e.g. travel and accommodation.
Uses relevant project management principles and tools to scope, plan, monitor and report. Plans required resources to successfully deliver projects. Undertakes and leads projects as and when required.

Your training plan

You will complete a Level 3 Business Administration Apprenticeship with Weir Training across an 18-month period.
Your apprenticeship will be a flexible role where you will work alongside colleagues to provide a customer-focused service to others.
You will need the drive and commitment to complete all your assignments/projects to achieve your business administration apprenticeship, and present evidence for assessment within specified timeframes.

More training information

As part of this Advanced Apprenticeship in Business Administration, you’ll receive high-quality training from Weir Training. They deliver tailored, work-based learning and will support your development through monthly assessor visits, portfolio building, and preparation for your End Point Assessment, ensuring you gain the skills and confidence to thrive in a professional education environment.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE or equivalent in:

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

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
Customer care skills
Administrative skills
Number skills
Team working
Initiative

Other requirements

Some experience in customer facing roles and working with others, either in a job or an extra-curricular activity (e.g., Duke of Edinburgh) is desirable. Prior paid work experience is also desirable.

About this company

West Sussex County Council (WSCC) is a diverse organisation that provides services to more than 850,000 residents every day. Our teams use their experience to enable and challenge the Council to deliver improved efficiency and effectiveness.

https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/ (opens in new tab)

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

Although there are no guarantees that there will be any vacancies within the Education & Skill service, completion of this apprenticeship would place the successful applicant in a better position in any suitable recruitment that may take place, at the end of the programme.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

West Sussex County Council

Penny Austin

penny.austin@westsussex.gov.uk

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000327624.

Apply now

Closes in 14 days (Monday 7 July 2025)

When you apply, you’ll be asked to sign in with a GOV.UK One Login. You can create one at the same time as applying for this apprenticeship.

After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.

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