Administration Apprenticeship

Babcock International

Plymouth (PL1 4SG)

Closes on Thursday 12 March 2026

Posted on 2 December 2025

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Summary

Our 2-year Administration Apprenticeship is a great way to start building your career in business administration. Based at Devonport Royal Dockyard, you’ll learn how to manage tasks, coordinate projects and support teams that help keep one of the UK’s most complex engineering sites running smoothly.

• Wage:

  £15,489 a year

  Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

  Year 2: £19,701 (upon completion of qualification and performance requirements) Post apprenticeship: £26,364+ (Band 1 Administrator)

• Training course: Customer service practitioner (level 2)
• Hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm

  35 hours a week

• Start date:

  Tuesday 1 September 2026

• Duration:

  2 years

• Positions available:

  10

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

• Every day brings new experiences and opportunities to grow. You might be supporting meetings, managing documents, greeting visitors, ordering stationery, arranging travel, updating systems, answering the company switchboard or covering the reception desk for one of our busy buildings. You’ll also spend time attending workshops at City College Plymouth, working on your qualification and taking part in review sessions to track your progress
• You’ll complete three shorter placements in your first year, each lasting around four months, giving you the chance to explore different parts of the business and understand how various teams operate. In your second year, you’ll move into a longer placement, focusing on a specific area where you’ll develop deeper skills and confidence in everything from coordinating meetings and managing documentation to handling enquiries, maintaining records and providing day-to-day support to your team
• Alongside your main responsibilities, you’ll take part in projects designed to boost your teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills. Past apprentices have organised charity fundraisers, created games for careers fairs, and helped develop new ways to attract future apprentices. It’s a friendly, supportive environment where you’ll learn from experienced colleagues and quickly feel part of the team

Where you'll work

Devonport Royal Dockyard
Devonport
Plymouth
PL1 4SG

Training

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

Training provider

CITY COLLEGE PLYMOUTH

Training course

Customer service practitioner (level 2)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents

• Use a range of questioning skills, including listening and responding in a way that builds rapport, determines customer needs and expectations and achieves positive engagement and delivery.
• Depending on your job role and work environment: Use appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication skills, along with summarising language during face-to-face communications; and/or
• Depending on your job role and work environment: Use appropriate communication skills, along with reinforcement techniques (to confirm understanding) during non-facing customer interactions.
• Depending on your job role and work environment: Use an appropriate ‘tone of voice’ in all communications, including written and digital, that reflect the organisation’s brand.
• Provide clear explanations and offer options in order to help customers make choices that are mutually beneficial to both the customer and your organisation.
• Be able to organise yourself, prioritise your own workload/activity and work to meet deadlines.
• Demonstrate patience and calmness.
• Show you understand the customer’s point of view.
• Use appropriate sign-posting or resolution to meet your customers needs and manage expectations.
• Maintain informative communication during service recovery.

Training schedule

• As part of your apprenticeship, you’ll study for the Level 2 Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship Standard through City College Plymouth
• Training is delivered through regular workshops and guided learning sessions that will help you apply your skills to real work situations. You’ll also attend sessions focused on personal and professional development - from building confidence and communication to managing time and setting goals
• Your qualification will combine coursework, practical experience and an End Point Assessment to demonstrate your progress

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

• English (grade Grade C or above)
• Maths (grade Grade C 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
• Attention to detail
• Organisation skills

Other requirements

Many of our apprenticeship programmes are subject to Security Clearance and Trade Control restrictions which mean that your place of birth, nationality, citizenship, or residency you hold or have held may impact which programmes you are eligible for. For this programme, you must be able to achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) and Security Check (SC) clearance. Further details are available at United Kingdom Security Vetting: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels

About this employer

Babcock is an international defence company providing support and product solutions to enhance our customers’ defence capabilities and critical assets. We provide through-life technical and engineering support for our customers’ assets, delivering improvements in performance, availability and programme cost. Our c27,700 employees deliver these critical services to defence and civil customers, including engineering support to naval, land, air and nuclear operations, frontline support, specialist training and asset management. We also design and manufacture a range of defence and civil specialist equipment, from naval ship and weapons handling systems to liquid gas handling systems. We also provide integrated, technology-enabled solutions to our defence customers in areas such as secure communications, electronic warfare and air defence.

https://earlycareers.babcockinternational.com/apprenticeships/ (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

• Fully funded qualification • Personal development training and opportunities • Minimum 28 days holiday allowance including bank holidays • Competitive pension scheme • Employee share scheme • Flexible benefits including cycle to work scheme

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

Once you complete your apprenticeship, you’ll move into a permanent role as an Administrator in the business area where you’ve spent your final year. You’ll have the experience and confidence to take on new responsibilities, support projects, and make a real difference in how our teams operate.

Your starting salary will be around £26,364, with opportunities to progress as you continue to grow. You may also choose to complete further qualifications, such as the Level 3 Business Administration apprenticeship or even project management training, depending on your interests and role.

From there, your development doesn’t stop. Through the Babcock Role Framework, you’ll have a clear view of how your career can progress, with mapped-out pathways, development opportunities and the tools you need to get wherever you want to go. 

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

CITY COLLEGE PLYMOUTH

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000001612.

Apply now

Closes on Thursday 12 March 2026

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