Business Support Apprentice
UK Research and Innovation
Wiltshire (SN2 1PL)
Closes in 19 days (Sunday 17 August 2025)
Posted on 28 July 2025
Contents
Summary
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) have a number of interesting, diverse and challenging Business Support Apprenticeship roles to be based within our Delivery Support and Administrative Support Teams. The roles will be wide-ranging and include opportunities for providing support within the team.
- Wage
-
£18,900 a year
Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Rising incrementally every 12 months during the Apprenticeship
- Training course
- Data technician (level 3)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday 37 hours p/week, shifts TBC.
37 hours a week
- Start date
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Monday 6 October 2025
- Duration
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2 years
- Positions available
-
3
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 broad purpose of the roles are to provide administrative support to one or more teams in our office in Swindon. The roles will be wide-ranging and include opportunities for providing administrative support within the post holder’s respective team. You will work closely with other business support colleagues as well as wider team members in a supportive and collaborative environment to contribute to team objectives, where development and continuous improvement is encouraged and supported.
Your role will involve building and managing relationships with senior colleagues, arranging and supporting meetings and playing a key role in the delivery of the peer review process. You will deliver effective support that underpins the delivery teams and supports our wider objectives by ensuring that operations are carried out in an efficient and effective manner in a way that maximises benefit to the whole organisation.
Examples of activities you may undertake include:
- Diary support for the Head of Team.
Meeting scheduling and support. - Arrangement and support for virtual meetings, such as video conferencing or teleconferencing.
- Organisation of meetings including preparation of agendas and note-taking.
- Providing support at our events, internal and external.
- Travel and accommodation booking.
- Travel and expense claim processing.
- Contribute to updating best practices, being mindful of continuous improvement.
- Setting up and maintaining purchase orders.
- Supporting the team to deliver peer review and grant award processes.
- Support corporate projects as required.
Where you'll work
Polaris House
North Star Avenue
Swindon
Wiltshire
SN2 1PL
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
BABINGTON BUSINESS COLLEGE LIMITED
Training course
Data technician (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Source and migrate data from already identified different sources.
- Collect, format and save datasets.
- Summarise and explain gathered data.
- Blend data sets from multiple sources and present in format appropriate to the task.
- Manipulate and link different data sets as required.
- Use tools and techniques to identify trends and patterns in data.
- Apply basic statistical methods and algorithms to identify trends and patterns in data.
- Apply cross checking techniques for identifying faults and data results for data project requirements.
- Audit data results.
- Demonstrate the different ways of communicating meaning from data in line with audience requirements.
- Produce clear and consistent technical documentation using standard organisational templates.
- Store, manage and distribute in compliance with data security standards and legislation.
- Explain data and results to different audiences in a way that aids understanding.
- Review own development needs.
- Keep up to date with developments in technologies, trends and innovation using a range of sources.
- Clean data i.e. remove duplicates, typos, duplicate entries, out of date data, parse data (e.g. format telephone numbers according to a national standard) and test and assess confidence in the data and its integrity.
- Operate as part of a multi-functional team.
- Prioritise within the context of a project.
- Source and migrate data from already identified different sources.
- Collect, format and save datasets.
- Summarise and explain gathered data.
- Blend data sets from multiple sources and present in format appropriate to the task.
- Manipulate and link different data sets as required.
- Use tools and techniques to identify trends and patterns in data.
- Apply basic statistical methods and algorithms to identify trends and patterns in data.
- Apply cross checking techniques for identifying faults and data results for data project requirements.
- Audit data results.
- Demonstrate the different ways of communicating meaning from data in line with audience requirements.
- Produce clear and consistent technical documentation using standard organisational templates.
- Store, manage and distribute in compliance with data security standards and legislation.
- Explain data and results to different audiences in a way that aids understanding.
- Review own development needs.
- Keep up to date with developments in technologies, trends and innovation using a range of sources.
- Clean data i.e. remove duplicates, typos, duplicate entries, out of date data, parse data (e.g. format telephone numbers according to a national standard) and test and assess confidence in the data and its integrity.
- Operate as part of a multi-functional team.
- Prioritise within the context of a project.
Training schedule
You will undertake professional development and training as part of a cohort of apprentices. We are offering two routes for this apprenticeship - Level 3 Business Administrator and Level 3 Data Technician. Under the Data Technician pathway your training will include:
Level 3 Data Technician apprentices will complete their apprenticeship with Babington Business College over 17 months. The first 14 months are the ‘practical period’ where you will learn through a combination of on-and-off-the job training with Babington Business College and EPSRC to develop and implement the required Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours. Candidates will attend a combination of virtual workshops and online learning/coaching/mentoring sessions during the practical period.
In the final 3 months of our programme you will undertake two scenario-based demonstrations in addition to a professional discussion, underpinned by a work-based portfolio as part of the End Point Assessment.
More training information
If you have a preference over the pathways on offer, please indicate this within your Covering Letter. Applicants will be matched to the most suitable department and relevant apprenticeship pathway following the shortlisting and interview process.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 4/C)
- Maths (grade 4/C)
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Customer care skills
- Problem solving skills
- Presentation skills
- Administrative skills
- Number skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
Other requirements
To be eligible to be considered for the apprenticeship programme, you must: 1. Have evidence of Maths and English GCSE at grade 4/C or above (or equivalent i.e. Level 2 Functional Skills) or be predicted to achieve these in August 2025 2. Have lived in the UK and/or EU for 3 consecutive years prior to the apprentice start date 3. Confirm that this apprenticeship offers substantive new skills and knowledge and that you have not already achieved an equivalent or higher-level qualification in a similar or related subject As part of our shortlisting process, we may be required to determine your eligibility to undertake the programme based on the information provided within your application. By applying for this apprenticeship, you are giving permission for your details to be shared with the relevant training provider. The training provider will also ask you to complete an initial assessment during the application process.
About this employer
UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation. Supporting some of the world’s most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation.
http://ukri.org (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
A full list of our benefits can be found here: https://www.ukri.org/about-us/work-for-us/working-at-ukri/
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
EPSRC have supported a number of apprentices over the years who have forged careers within UKRI.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
BABINGTON BUSINESS COLLEGE LIMITED
apprenticerecruitment@ukri.org
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000334248.
Apply now
Closes in 19 days (Sunday 17 August 2025)
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