Business Administrator Apprentice

Summary

Our Registration Service presents this exciting early career pathway for a Business Administrator Apprentice. We offer a permanent contract of employment, minimum salary of £24,309 before tax, and an extensive reward benefits package. This apprenticeship enables a chance to develop the skills and knowledge to become a Registration Assistant.

Wage

£24,309 a year

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Starting salary £24,309 includes local living wage. This salary is gross annual.

Training course

Business administrator (level 3)

Hours

Monday to Friday. Start and Finish time can be discussed at interview.

37 hours a week

Start date

Thursday 11 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

The Business Administrator Apprentice plays a key role within the Council’s Registration Service, which resides in our Public Protection Services, part of the wider Environment & Communities Directorate.

This apprentice role offers the opportunity to develop valuable experience of working within a busy clerical environment and how to provide excellent customer service. The role will involve assisting customers in person, via email and phone and completing specific administrative activities, within agreed timescales in line with processes and procedures.

This role is essential to supporting the Registration Service to operate effectively, in addition to maintaining records, and business support activities to assist the registration team.

This apprenticeship will have a line manager, workplace mentor, inclusive employment manager and a dedicated apprentice programme tutor.

On successful completion of the Level 3 Business Administrator Apprenticeship Standard and review of performance, the post holder will progress to the substantive post of Registration Assistant.

This role is ‘Fixed’, which means working from the Council’s Register Officer in the centre of Chester. There may be occasional travel across the Borough and the use of own vehicle for business purposes is desirable.

The typical Apprenticeship length for this Level 3 Business Administrator qualification is 18 months, with a 3-month duration to complete the End Point Assessment. Off-the-job training will be delivered on-site and via Microsoft Teams.

Not withstanding the details in this job description, the job holder will undertake such work as may be determined by the Manager from time to time, up to or at a level consistent with the Principal Responsibilities of the job.

This role is as an office-based worker. Many services and customers span across the Borough, and therefore you may be required to work at any location in Cheshire West and Chester.

RESPONSIBILITIES the Apprentice will…

With appropriate support and supervision:

Respond promptly to customer enquiries (online and face to face) and action appropriately, for example, booking appointments, issuing certificates, taking payments, and providing general information.

Adhere to strict data protection and other legal protocols when preparing and disclosing information to the public.

Adhere to strict security measures when handling, completing and storing blank certificates; all certificate stock must be securely stored in accordance with official protocol.

Assist customers who are undertaking family history research, advising on how to obtain records held by the Council or signposting to other organisations if necessary.

Provide administrative support to the Ceremonies Officer, such as updating bookings, requesting additional information, and informing customers of any outstanding actions they must complete.

Confidently perform online searches of relevant databases and accurately update records as required.

This will include receiving, checking and accurately inputting information into a central government database.

Ensure all Council-held Registration records are scanned and handled with integrity and these historical legal records are securely stored in accordance with official protocol.

Confidently liaise with internal and external stakeholders, for instance the Crematorium, Coroner and Medical Examiners, to establish the current status and determine any future activities needed to enable Registration to be successfully completed.

Undertake other general administrative and clerical duties, as directed, to ensure the efficient day-to-day running of the general office.

Where you'll work

This role is ‘Fixed’ which means working from Council’s Register Officer in the centre of Chester. There may be occasional travel across the Borough and the use of own vehicle for business purposes is desirable.

Training

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

College or training organisation

CHESHIRE COLLEGE SOUTH AND WEST

Your training course

Business administrator (level 3)

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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

This apprenticeship offers at least 20% of your working hours, which will be spent training or studying. You have regular 1-to-1 tutor meetings alongside scheduled review tutor, apprentice employer and line manager meetings.

Requirements

Desirable qualifications

GCSE in:

English (grade 9-4 C-A*)
Maths (grade 9-4 C-A*)

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
Customer care skills
Problem solving skills
Administrative skills
Number skills
Analytical skills
Logical
Team working
Creative
Initiative
Non judgemental
Patience

Other requirements

Not every candidate will meet every single desired requirement. If your experience looks a little different from what we've identified, and you think you can bring value to the role, we'd love to learn more about you! We’re always looking to improve our diversity within our team's services. We would welcome applications from underrepresented groups.

About this company

Play your part towards a stronger future at Cheshire West and Chester Council. We believe a stronger future where we all play our part in thriving, caring and sustainable communities. Grow your career, make a difference at Cheshire West and Chester Council. We pride ourselves and doing things differently. Our Council provides vital services which touch all aspects of people’s lives every day. We are driven by doing things differently, working on a wide variety of exciting change programmes to tackle challenges across our borough. With almost 3,500 employees, we are responsible for well known services such as , museums, libraries, environment operations, transport and highways, social care, schools, housing, planning and waste collection, but there is much more to what we do such as supporting businesses, registering births, and marriages, pest control , supporting careers in finance, legal, data and more!

https://www.cwcrecruitment.co.uk/ (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

You’ll have up to 31 days annual leave each year. Even more flexibility is offered with the option to purchase more annual leave. Great discounts at a variety of retail and leisure outlets for shopping, travel, holidays and cinema tickets.

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

On successful completion of the Level 3 Business Administrator Apprenticeship Standard, the post holder will progress to the substantive post of Registration Assistant. This will include an increase in salary.

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