Apprentice Customer Service Assistant within Library Services
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
Wednesbury, West Bromwich
Closes in 12 days (Friday 19 December 2025 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 5 December 2025
Contents
Summary
We’re looking for a motivated and friendly apprentice with a genuine enthusiasm for books and libraries. You’ll support the day-to-day running of the library while providing great customer care; sharing a love of reading, and helping people find the information they need. If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you.
- Wage
-
£14,526.20 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age
National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices
- Training course
- Customer service practitioner (level 2)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.00pm.
37 hours a week
- Start date
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Monday 2 February 2026
- Duration
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1 year
- Positions available
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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
An interesting apprenticeship opportunity where you will be getting involved in all aspects of Library Services, whilst providing effective customer service to library customers and other visitors and giving information to help them to make the best use of the library resources. You will provide high-quality customer service to all service users; including children, young people and adults from all cultural backgrounds and to meet Council and Library and Information Service standards.
Duties will include:
- Greeting all visitors to Library Services and directing them to resources as appropriate
- Ensuring the Library and associated areas, are clean, tidy, friendly and welcoming
- Checking, tidying and maintaining books and other resources
Updating notices and leaflets and other information sources - Helping customers with use of computers, the Internet and I.T.
- Ensuring computers and other equipment are available for use
- Enrolling new users to become Library members
- Cash handling and card payments, i.e. taking payment for copies, other charges appropriate to Library Services
- Updating files, directories and collections
- To help with the delivery of events, activities and outreach to promote services to all sections of the community, both inside and out of the library
- Supporting partners to deliver workshops and events
- To assist senior library staff to meet performance targets and deliver Local Action Plans, encouraging maximum use of services
- Confident to interact with people of all ages and abilities (this may include very young children, people who are vulnerable or with disabilities or large groups during school visits etc)
- Look after, support and communicate openly with visitors of all ages when they are using the libraries and ensure the best service is being offered
- Possess excellent verbal communication skills and feel comfortable in engaging with members of the public and visitors
- Able to deal with emergency accidents, such as: spillages and sickness as and when they happen
- Possess a flexible attitude to work from different sites within the Sandwell Borough
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:
- Wednesbury Library, Walsall Street, Wednesbury, WS10 9EH
- West Bromwich Community Library, High Street, West Bromwich, B70 8DZ
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
SANDWELL COLLEGE
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
The apprenticeship training will be delivered in the workplace, as you will receive visits from a college assessor.
More training information
The apprenticeship will also include a proportion of 20% Off The Job Training and a robust programme of Mandatory Apprentice Training provided by Sandwell Council to include Fire Awareness, Prevent, Safeguarding, Data Protection & Cyber Security and Equality & Diversity.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade A-C/9-4)
- Maths (grade A-D/9-3)
Other in:
- English (grade Level 2)
- Maths (grade Level 1)
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
- Creative
- Initiative
- Non judgemental
- Patience
- Flexible and reliable
- Empathy and understanding
- Accurate and methodical
Other requirements
Proof of qualification certificates will be required upon application. You may be required to undertake a DBS police check due the nature of the post. You will need to have a mature a professional approach and may come into contact with sensitive information, of which data security must be maintained. This role will require confidence in speaking to a wide variety of people both face to face and over the phone. Therefore you must be friendly, polite and professional at all times. You will also need to be flexible to travel to different areas of the borough in order to deliver library and information services throughout Sandwell. You must be prepared to adhere with Council Policies including the Data Protection Act. We reserve the right to close vacancies prior to their advertised date, if we receive a large number of applications. Therefore, you are strongly advised to complete and return your application as soon as possible.
About this employer
Sandwell is a large, multicultural metropolitan borough situated in the heart of the Black Country, to the west of Birmingham, within the West Midlands conurbation and with a population of over 280,000. The Council is one of the largest employers in the Borough with employees in a variety of occupations, providing a comprehensive range of services. For more information about Sandwell Council’s apprenticeship programme and our recruitment process please visit our YouTube channel. Find out more information on Sandwell’s Values and Behaviours on the council’s webpage. For more information on careers in local government you can view a copy of the Local Government Career Guide.
http://www.sandwell.gov.uk (opens in new tab)
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
This apprenticeship is a fixed term 12 - 15 month contract and at the end you will gain a Level 2 Customer Service Practitioner qualification. However, the skills, knowledge and experience gained in this apprenticeship will allow you to gain future opportunities in the sector.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
SANDWELL COLLEGE
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000004165.
Apply now
Closes in 12 days (Friday 19 December 2025 at 11:59pm)
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