Apprentice Trading Standards Officer

Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council

Solihull (B91 3RG)

Closes in 14 days (Sunday 14 September 2025)

Posted on 29 August 2025

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Summary

You’ll embark on a diverse and (we believe) deeply rewarding journey towards a nationally recognised professional qualification and a meaningful public service career. You’ll focus on tackling illegal tobacco and vapes, and underage sales. You’ll support businesses to be compliant. Your work will help to protect consumers, particularly children.

Wage

Competitive

Competitive wage offered

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

The salary will be £26,824 per annum

Training course
Trading standards professional (level 6)
Hours
Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm There will be a requirement to work occasional evenings and weekends.

37 hours a week

Start date

Friday 31 October 2025

Duration

2 years 5 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

  • Ensuring a fair and safe trading environment through delivery of intelligence-led compliance programmes.
  • Ensuring the standards of animal health and welfare; the quality, safety and hygiene of the food chain, and the maintenance of metrological trading standards through delivery of intelligence-led compliance programmes.
  • Providing support for Solihull based businesses to further economic growth.
  • Developing effective community engagement strategies and partnerships and delivering targeted initiatives supporting community safety.
  • Investigating and tackling serious illegal or unfair trading practices.
  • Developing and using the most appropriate enforcement and legal approaches to ensure deterrence and compliance.
  • Contributing to the development and delivery of effective intelligence systems.
  • Under supervision, deliver tobacco, vapes and underage sales regulation

Where you'll work

The Core Library
Homer Road
Solihull
B91 3RG

Training

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

Training provider

CSA (SERVICES) LTD

Training course

Trading standards professional (level 6)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents
  • Lead and manage investigations and interventions.
  • Apply investigative techniques and evidence gathering to produce reports with recommendations.
  • Analyse, interpret, challenge, and evaluate data and intelligence.
  • Interpret and apply relevant Acts, Regulations, Codes of Practice and Guidance in the consumer protection environment.
  • Influence, negotiate and challenge stakeholders in the delivery and decision-making process.
  • Use research, analytical and problem-solving techniques to resolve and prevent consumer protection issues.
  • Conduct and/or respond to formal interviews in line with legal controls and best practice collaborating with legal representatives.
  • Gather evidence for use for potential legal proceedings and acting as a witness when required.
  • Make legal and tactical decisions to improve the outcomes in consumer protection investigations.
  • Promote the improvement of compliance standards in consumer protection.
  • Promote social inclusion in the workplace with businesses, stakeholders, and consumers.
  • Promote environmental sustainability and support change to improve the environment.
  • Lead and manage operational projects to achieve time dependent outcomes.
  • Communicate complex information, best practice, and guidance in consumer protection, adapting delivery for different audiences.
  • Collaborate with stakeholders to achieve agreed collective outcomes.
  • Identify and apply industry developments to achieve continual service improvement.
  • Lead the development and monitoring of financial strategies and setting of organisational budgets based on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or similar, and challenge financial assumptions underpinning strategies.
  • Build constructive working relationships across teams.
  • Identify the training and development requirements of the team and stakeholders.
  • Set strategic direction through the implementation of plans.
  • Lead and respond to risks using risk management techniques.
  • Provide support, specialist advice, and guidance for businesses, consumers, and stakeholders.
  • Act as an advocate for projects and transformation of services across organisational boundaries such as those impacted by sustainability and the UK Net Carbon Zero.
  • Lead and manage investigations and interventions.
  • Apply investigative techniques and evidence gathering to produce reports with recommendations.
  • Analyse, interpret, challenge, and evaluate data and intelligence.
  • Interpret and apply relevant Acts, Regulations, Codes of Practice and Guidance in the consumer protection environment.
  • Influence, negotiate and challenge stakeholders in the delivery and decision-making process.
  • Use research, analytical and problem-solving techniques to resolve and prevent consumer protection issues.
  • Conduct and/or respond to formal interviews in line with legal controls and best practice collaborating with legal representatives.
  • Gather evidence for use for potential legal proceedings and acting as a witness when required.
  • Make legal and tactical decisions to improve the outcomes in consumer protection investigations.
  • Promote the improvement of compliance standards in consumer protection.
  • Promote social inclusion in the workplace with businesses, stakeholders, and consumers.
  • Promote environmental sustainability and support change to improve the environment.
  • Lead and manage operational projects to achieve time dependent outcomes.
  • Communicate complex information, best practice, and guidance in consumer protection, adapting delivery for different audiences.
  • Collaborate with stakeholders to achieve agreed collective outcomes.
  • Identify and apply industry developments to achieve continual service improvement.
  • Lead the development and monitoring of financial strategies and setting of organisational budgets based on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or similar, and challenge financial assumptions underpinning strategies.
  • Build constructive working relationships across teams.
  • Identify the training and development requirements of the team and stakeholders.
  • Set strategic direction through the implementation of plans.
  • Lead and respond to risks using risk management techniques.
  • Provide support, specialist advice, and guidance for businesses, consumers, and stakeholders.
  • Act as an advocate for projects and transformation of services across organisational boundaries such as those impacted by sustainability and the UK Net Carbon Zero.

Training schedule

Please find a link to the course content here:

Level 6 Trading Standards Professional (Tobacco & Vapes legislation) - Credit Services Association

 

 

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

English and Maths (grade 5 or above in both)

A Level in:

Any subject (grade 4 or above)

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
  • Administrative skills
  • Team working
  • Initiative

Other requirements

Standard DBS Check There will be a requirement to work occasional evenings and weekends. There is a requirement for the post holder to be fit and able to lift and manoeuvre weights (up to 10kg) to support metrology work. Able to work in a variety of non-office environments, such as consumers’ homes, noisy factories, outside in all weathers and (where necessary) in close contact with animals. Risk managed exposure to confrontational situations

About this employer

Here at Solihull Council we want to ensure that all our citizens have an equal chance to share in Solihull’s success. We do this by putting our customers at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our employees are the key factor in achieving our vision. As such, we are always on the lookout for talented individuals, who want to make a real positive difference to people’s lives and can help us to continue building on our success.

Disability Confident

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 no guarantee of a permanent role at the end of the apprenticeship.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

CSA (SERVICES) LTD

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000339463.

Apply now

Closes in 14 days (Sunday 14 September 2025)

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