Level 5 HR People Professional Apprentice - Cogent Skills

Cogent Ssc Limited

Warrington (WA1 1GG)

Closes in 13 days (Friday 23 January 2026)

Posted on 7 January 2026

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Summary

You will work alongside the People & Culture Director HR & Payroll Manager and internal key contacts to deliver HR management activities and support embedding the organisational People Strategy across the Cogent Skills Group.

This is your chance to work for a Times Top 100 Employer whilst gaining your CIPD level 5. 

Wage

£23,000 a year

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

  • Bonus Scheme
  • Pension - Employer contribution 6%

Training course
People professional (level 5)
Hours
Monday to Friday, 9.00am - 5.00pm

35 hours a week

Start date

Sunday 1 March 2026

Duration

1 year 11 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

The postholder will work alongside the People & Culture Director HR & Payroll Manager and internal key contacts to deliver HR management activities and support embedding the organisational People Strategy across the Cogent Skills Group. This will include recruitment activities, HR Employee Relations casework, HR associated projects, employee lifecycle tasks, payroll support, administering the HRMI system, policy development and associated L&D duties.

While you're making an impact, you'll also be working towards your CIPD level 5 People Professional qualification.

Key Accountabilities:

  • Monitoring and responding to first level queries though the HR inbox
  • Coordinating the recruitment process e.g. posting jobs, communicating with candidates, sending out letters and other administrative activities
  • Setting up and managing onboarding activities including supporting the delivery of inductions to all new new employees
  • Assisting HR & Payroll manager with the processing of payroll
  • Managing internal training activities: including booking trainers, candidate registration, facilitating & coordinating training invitations, distribution of pre-workbooks/training resources, booking rooms and organising catering requests
  • Maintaining complete and accurate employee data and records on SageHR
  • Supporting HR meetings, including notetaking
  • Understanding HR systems, policies, and processes and supporting overall HR activities
  • Supporting the delivery of key/new HR processes
  • Analysing engagement results and assisting in supporting action plans to enhance team engagement
  • Supporting key people projects and activities
  • Analysing and reporting on people data, including exit interviews
  • Delivering generalist and specialist HR services to the core business
  • Playing an integral part in business decision making
  • Coordinating reward activities on Perkbox

Where you'll work

710 Mandarin Court
Warrington
WA1 1GG

Training

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

Training provider

POTENTIAL REALISED - HR & TRAINING LIMITED

Training course

People professional (level 5)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents
  • Communicate information through appropriate channels to enable key stakeholders to understand what is required.
  • Build and manage multiple and diverse stakeholder's relationships.
  • Advise on application of policy, regulation, and law for HR issues.
  • Use data and metrics to mitigate areas of risk and highlight opportunities.
  • Negotiate with and influence stakeholders to support achievement of business and organisation objectives.
  • Present insight and conclusions on workforce issues or people process failures.
  • Enable stakeholders to deliver people solutions. e.g., through negotiation, providing guidance.
  • Lead and improve people capability within the business.
  • Manage and deliver people related business and change projects.
  • Handle and process people data according to legislative requirements.
  • Embed organisational people policy to promote a diverse and inclusive culture with stakeholders.
  • Analyse financial implications of people solutions ensuring value for money.
  • Support the delivery of people strategies using technology and innovation in accordance with regulations and policies.
  • Make decisions on people policy and issues raised, escalating concerns outside own area of responsibility.
  • Use prioritisation tools e.g., priority matrix to manage workload, and deliver against business objectives.
  • Challenge matters which conflict with ethical values or legislation.
  • Contribute to the development of people policies and procedures or people initiatives.
  • Interpret people and management data, from both internal and external sources to identify trends.
  • Educate and support stakeholders to deal with wellbeing issues.
  • Benchmark to improve people policies and procedures, or people initiatives.
  • Communicate information through appropriate channels to enable key stakeholders to understand what is required.
  • Build and manage multiple and diverse stakeholder's relationships.
  • Advise on application of policy, regulation, and law for HR issues.
  • Use data and metrics to mitigate areas of risk and highlight opportunities.
  • Negotiate with and influence stakeholders to support achievement of business and organisation objectives.
  • Present insight and conclusions on workforce issues or people process failures.
  • Enable stakeholders to deliver people solutions. e.g., through negotiation, providing guidance.
  • Lead and improve people capability within the business.
  • Manage and deliver people related business and change projects.
  • Handle and process people data according to legislative requirements.
  • Embed organisational people policy to promote a diverse and inclusive culture with stakeholders.
  • Analyse financial implications of people solutions ensuring value for money.
  • Support the delivery of people strategies using technology and innovation in accordance with regulations and policies.
  • Make decisions on people policy and issues raised, escalating concerns outside own area of responsibility.
  • Use prioritisation tools e.g., priority matrix to manage workload, and deliver against business objectives.
  • Challenge matters which conflict with ethical values or legislation.
  • Contribute to the development of people policies and procedures or people initiatives.
  • Interpret people and management data, from both internal and external sources to identify trends.
  • Educate and support stakeholders to deal with wellbeing issues.
  • Benchmark to improve people policies and procedures, or people initiatives.

Training schedule

This training schedule has not been finalised. Check with this employer if you’ll need to travel to a college or training location for this apprenticeship.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

minimum 5 including maths, English and science (grade Grade C / 4 or above)

Desirable qualifications

Other in:

HR (grade pass)

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
  • Administrative skills
  • Logical
  • Team working

About this employer

As the specialists in skills for science and technology, our purpose is to make sure your business; your people and our industry are future ready. We are a not-for-profit charitable organisation with a family of commercially focused companies committed to supporting the skills, needs and ambitions across the UK science and technology sector.

https://cogentskills.com/vacancies/ (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

  • 29 Days Holiday + bank + birthday off + can buy 5 more
  • Hybrid (office 1-2 days per week) 
  • Private health care
  • Aspire & Values Awards
  • Long Service Awards
  • Gym Discount

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

  • Once successfully completed the apprenticeship you will be considered for any suitable roles within the HR team

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

POTENTIAL REALISED - HR & TRAINING LIMITED

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000006745.

Apply now

Closes in 13 days (Friday 23 January 2026)

After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.