2026 Operations Management Apprenticeship

LAING O'ROURKE SERVICES LIMITED

Kent, St. Neots

Closes on Sunday 1 March 2026

Posted on 4 December 2025

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Summary

This apprenticeship will support multiple departments to coordinate and optimise daily operations, ensuring efficient customer service. It involves strategic planning, business analysis, and hands-on coordination to drive improvements and meet business goals, with rotations to build operational skills and knowledge.

• Wage:

  Competitive

  Competitive wage offered

  Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

  Annual salary increases throughout the duration of the apprenticeship ; Support for those working away from home

• Training course: Chartered manager (degree) (level 6)
• Hours: Monday to Friday, between 8.00am and 5.00pm.

  40 hours a week

• Start date:

  Tuesday 1 September 2026

• Duration:

  4 years

• Positions available:

  2

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

Key deliverables and accountabilities:

The candidate will have a variety of responsibilities subject to their expertise and preference, examples include: 

• Process Optimisation – identify, enhance implement new business and operational processes.
• Allocation – assist with allocation of workforce, plant and finance, looking for optimal utilisation.
• Continuous Improvement- addressing operational challenges and proactively seeking and assisting the implementation of solutions.
• Operational Planning – assist with the development of operational plans / work.
• Leverage data from across the business to produce coherent and comprehensive analysis and reports to support decision making by management with regards product development, investment, and business planning.
• Willingness to work additional hours outside the contracted hours as and when required.
• Willingness to stay away from home as and when required.
• Visit client sites as and when required to review performance and develop relationships with the client and operations teams.
• To liaise with teams across the business and identify cross-functional opportunities for knowledge sharing and business improvement.
• Ad hoc duties to assist the business to achieve its overall aims.
• Gain a breadth of knowledge from across select businesses with regards to products, processes, and people.
• Explore opportunities for general business improvement process re-design. 

Where you'll work

You can select which locations you want to apply for in your application on Find an apprenticeship.

This apprenticeship is available in these locations:

• Bridge Place Anchor Boulevard, Admirals Park Crossways, Dartford, Kent, DA2 6SN
• Barford Road, Little Barford, St. Neots, PE19 6WB

Training

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

Training provider

UNIVERSITY OF EAST LONDON

Training course

Chartered manager (degree) (level 6)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents

• Support the development of organisational strategies and plans. Develop and deliver operational plans; being able to set targets and KPIs, manage resources, and monitor and measure outcomes to establish operational effectiveness, efficiencies and excellence.   Produce reports that clearly present information and data, using a range of interpretation and analytical processes.  Gain wide support to deliver successful outcomes
• Plan, organise and manage resources in order to achieve organisational goals.  Identify key outcomes, develop and implement plans and monitor progress, and provide reports as required.  Proactively identify risk and create plans for their mitigation. Able to initiate, lead and drive change within the organisation, identifying barriers/challenges and how to overcome them. Ability to use widely recognised project management tools
• Managing budgets, controlling expenditure and production of financial reports
• Use of customer insight and analysis of data to determine and drive customer service outcomes and improve customer relationships.  Creative approaches to developing solutions to meet customer need
• Able to identify service/organisational improvements and opportunities for innovation and growth, using qualitative and quantitative analysis of information and data and benchmarking against others
• Communicate clearly, effectively and regularly using oral, written and digital channels and platforms.  Use active listening and open questioning to structure conversations and discussions, and able to challenge when appropriate.  Manage and chair meetings and clearly present actions and outcomes. Ability to apply influencing and persuading skills, to the dynamics and politics of personal interactions
• Able to articulate organisational purpose and values.  Support the creation of an inclusive, high performance work culture. Enable others to achieve by developing and supporting them through coaching and mentoring
• Able to build teams, empower and motivate others to improve performance or achieve outcomes.  Able to delegate to others, provide clear guidance and monitor progress. Ability to set goals and accountabilities
• Able to build rapport and trust, develop networks and maintain relationships with people from a range of cultures, backgrounds and levels.  Able to contribute within a team environment.  Effectively influence and negotiate, being able to have challenging conversations and give constructive feedback.  Work collaboratively with internal and external customers and suppliers
• Able to reflect on own performance, identifying and acting on learning and development needs. Ability to understand impact on others.  Can manage stress and personal well-being, and confident in knowing core values and drivers
• Able to create personal development plan, and use widely recognised tools and techniques to ensure the management of time and pressure effectively, and prioritisation and strategic alignment of activities
• Use evidence-based tools and ethical approaches to undertake problem solving and critical analysis, synthesis and evaluation to support decision making

Training schedule

The training schedule has not been agreed yet.

More training information

Laing O'Rourke collaborates with the University of East London to ensure that our apprenticeships are given the best experience on site and in the University. 

Requirements

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
• Problem solving skills
• Analytical skills
• Logical
• Team working
• Initiative

About this employer

Our Technical Apprenticeship programme is developed for individuals with a passion for construction and engineering. It combines college and work-based training, allowing you to build your skills and gain a recognised qualification while working on some of the most exciting projects in the UK.

https://careers.laingorourke.com (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

Private medical insurance, life insurance, personal accident and injury insurance, income protection enhanced pension, and discount portal.

After this apprenticeship

On completionf of the apprenticeship you will remain in the business and progress in your career.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

UNIVERSITY OF EAST LONDON

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000003926.

Apply now

Closes on Sunday 1 March 2026

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