Business Administrator Apprentice
Appleyard Lees IP LLP
Leeds (LS1 2AD)
Closes in 16 days (Saturday 3 January 2026 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 17 December 2025
Contents
Summary
This apprenticeship role supports partners and employees at their base office and across the firm as required. The IP Team Support apprentice will assist with various administrative and organisational tasks while gaining practical experience and developing skills aligned with the Business Administrator apprenticeship standard.
- Wage
-
£13,348.40 to £21,587.28, depending on your age
National Minimum Wage
- Training course
- Business administrator (level 3)
- Hours
-
Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm with 1 hour lunch and Friday 9am to 4:30pm with 1.5 hour for lunch.
34 hours a week
- Start date
-
Tuesday 20 January 2026
- Duration
-
1 year 6 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
Duties include:
Correspondence and Document Handling:
- Save incoming correspondence from various team accounts onto Equinox with descriptive titles, merging documents as required
- Acknowledge emails and prepare simple standard correspondence on cases (filing, publication, registration/grant)
- Collect expenses receipts and send to accounts
- Provide holiday cover and back-up for teams in relation to Equinox uploads
- Check case summaries from renewals against Equinox and obtain cited documents using Espacenet
- Book OP VC’s and monitor admin tasks on Equinox
- Prepare reminders and send acknowledgements to EPO as needed
- Send closed files to the Halifax office, checking Equinox, and making sure all charges have been billed and that the file status is correct
- Create opposition files, downloading documents from the EPO register, putting correspondence in order and creating tabs
- Deal with incoming post and original documents using the original documents process guide
Office Administration:
- Meet and greet visitors, arrange refreshments/catering, ensure meeting rooms are tidy, and manage virtual meetings
- Handle stationery ordering, mail scanning and saving, franking, and sending recorded deliveries
- Handle office weekly shop for fruit, coffee, milk, tea etc.
- Order lunches for internal meetings, checking with the fee earners how many people are attending and placing orders online
- Assist with business travel arrangements when necessary
- Ensure the office is kept tidy and organised, assisting with archiving tasks when appropriate
- Answer incoming calls and take messages where necessary
- Print, photocopy, scan and upload documents as required
Other office duties as and when required.
Where you'll work
1 East Parade
Leeds
LS1 2AD
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
LUMINATE EDUCATION GROUP
Training course
Business administrator (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Skilled in the use of multiple IT packages and systems relevant to the organisation in order to: write letters or emails, create proposals, perform financial processes, record and analyse data. Examples include MS Office or equivalent packages. Able to choose the most appropriate IT solution to suit the business problem. Able to update and review databases, record information and produce data analysis where required.
- Produces accurate records and documents including: emails, letters, files, payments, reports and proposals. Makes recommendations for improvements and present solutions to management. Drafts correspondence, writes reports and able to review others' work. Maintains records and files, handles confidential information in compliance with the organisation's procedures. Coaches others in the processes required to complete these tasks.
- Exercises proactivity and good judgement. Makes effective decisions based on sound reasoning and is able to deal with challenges in a mature way. Seeks advice of more experienced team members when appropriate.
- Builds and maintains positive relationships within their own team and across the organisation. Demonstrates ability to influence and challenge appropriately. Becomes a role model to peers and team members, developing coaching skills as they gain area knowledge.
- Demonstrates good communication skills, whether face-to-face, on the telephone, in writing or on digital platforms. Uses the most appropriate channels to communicate effectively. Demonstrates agility and confidence in communications, carrying authority appropriately. Understands and applies social media solutions appropriately. Answers questions from inside and outside of the organisation, representing the organisation or department.
- Completes tasks to a high standard. Demonstrates the necessary level of expertise required to complete tasks and applies themself to continuously improve their work. Is able to review processes autonomously and make suggestions for improvements. Shares administrative best-practice across the organisation e.g. coaches others to perform tasks correctly. Applies problem-solving skills to resolve challenging or complex complaints and is a key point of contact for addressing issues.
- Takes responsibility for initiating and completing tasks, manages priorities and time in order to successfully meet deadlines. Positively manages the expectations of colleagues at all levels and sets a positive example for others in the workplace. Makes suggestions for improvements to working practice, showing understanding of implications beyond the immediate environment (e.g. impact on clients, suppliers, other parts of the organisation). Manages resources e.g. equipment or facilities. Organises meetings and events, takes minutes during meetings and creates action logs as appropriate. Takes responsibility for logistics e.g. travel and accommodation.
- Uses relevant project management principles and tools to scope, plan, monitor and report. Plans required resources to successfully deliver projects. Undertakes and leads projects as and when required.
Training schedule
Business Administrator Level 3.
The apprentice will work at the Leeds office Monday - Friday. In addition to this the apprentice will attend training sessions at Leeds City College Printworks campus, as well as remote learning through Teams.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 9-4)
- Maths (grade 9-4)
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
- Initiative
- Non judgemental
About this employer
We help our clients protect and monetise their intellectual property, and manage post-grant challenges, should they arise.
We offer broad sector and industry knowledge, plus the ability to adapt our services to specific client requirements, in an agile way.
With offices in UK innovation hotspots, we are positioned to give clients expert strategic IP advice in the UK and worldwide.
We support some of the world’s most innovative businesses and leading academic institutions, helping them to maximise the value of their intellectual property throughout its entire life cycle.
Appleyard Lees has a network of UK offices in Cambridge, Leeds, Halifax, Manchester and the BioHub at Alderley, providing clients with expert strategic IP advice globally.
After this apprenticeship
Permanent position on completion of apprenticeship, subject to performance.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
LUMINATE EDUCATION GROUP
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000005456.
Apply now
Closes in 16 days (Saturday 3 January 2026 at 11:59pm)
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