Business Administrator Apprentice

Cheshire West and Chester Council

Recruiting nationally

Closes in 22 days (Saturday 21 February 2026)

Posted on 29 January 2026

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Summary

Be part of an outstanding council apprenticeship programme with a nationally recognised, Top 100 Apprentice Employer and Regionally awarded Apprentice Employer of the Year. Join us on a permanent contract, gain real experience and a recognised qualification, and progress your career within the council.

• Wage:

  £24,413 a year

  Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

  Salary progression will apply in accordance with council pay arrangements, including any national pay awards and movement to the substantive grade on successful completion of the apprenticeship.

• Training course: Business administrator (level 3)
• Hours: Monday to Friday. This is an agile working role, meaning there is a blend of working from home and office‑based working, in line with service needs. All apprenticeship training will take place during normal working hours. Discussed at interview. Exact shifts TBC

  37 hours a week

• Start date:

  Monday 23 March 2026

• Duration:

  1 year 6 months

• 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

• The business administrator apprentice is a key role within
  Cheshire West and Chester Client Finance Service, which is
  within the wider Corporate Directorate
• This apprentice role offers the opportunity to develop valuable
  experience of working within a busy office environment and
  acquire the skills and knowledge to become a Clerical Assistant
  within Client Finance
• The apprentice will support the Client Finance team with a
  range of essential administrative duties, learning how we pay
  providers, collate financial assessment information, and
  maintain communication through Provider Portals and email
  inboxes
• The role also involves working with residents, their
  families, social care teams, and other Council services to help
  deliver a high‑quality service to our most vulnerable residents.
  This role will have a line manager, workplace mentor, inclusive
  employment manager and a dedicated apprentice
  programme tutor
• On successful completion of the Level 3 business administrator
  apprenticeship standard and review of performance, the post
  holder will progress to the substantive post of Clerical Assistant.
  Notwithstanding the detail in this Job Role Profile, the job
  holder will undertake such work as may be determined by the
  Manager from time to time, up to or at a level consistent with
  the Principal Responsibilities of the job
• This role is ‘Agile’ which means you are able to work from
  home, with occasional days in the office based on business
  needs
• Typical duration for this Level 3 Business Administrator
  qualification is 18 months and 3 months duration to complete
  the End Point Assessment
• Apprenticeship training will be
  delivered on-site and via Microsoft Teams

RESPONSIBILITIES the Apprentice will, with appropriate support and supervision:

• Using the Document Imaging system to
  scan and index documents
• To deal with letters and correspondence
  received within the Client Finance Team,
  both in writing or sent electronically via
  email or via online Financial Assessment
  tool
• To deal with queries raised by service
  users of Social Care, over the telephone as
  required
• To liaise with Adult Social Care,
  Transactional Services and Corporate Debt
  on individual cases
• To input data into computer systems.
• To liaise with the other teams in the
  Council where necessary
• To provide efficient and effective clerical
  support to the Financial Assessment Team
  to enable Financial Assessments to be
  assessed and calculated in a timely
  manner and service users notified of
  outcomes, in writing
• To process routine changes of
  circumstances such as changes in
  addresses
• Provide clerical support, efficiently and
  effectively across the whole of Client
  Finance as required

Where you'll work

Agile working role, not fully remote. The apprentice will work mainly from home and/or community locations but must be able to attend our Ellesmere Port offices onces a week required, including for training, meetings, supervision, and service needs. Short‑notice attendance may be requested, so candidates should live within reasonable travel distance and be able to travel to Ellesmere Port as needed. All apprenticeship training and reviews will take place during normal working hours.

Training

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

Training provider

CHESHIRE COLLEGE SOUTH AND WEST

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

• Training will be delivered through a blend of workplace learning and formal off‑the‑job training
• Most training will take place at the apprentice’s normal place of work, with additional learning delivered by the training provider through college attendance, online learning, workshops, or Microsoft Teams
• Training will take place on a regular basis throughout the apprenticeship, with protected time during working hours to attend training sessions, complete learning activities, and prepare for assessments
• The exact schedule will be agreed between the apprentice, line manager, and training provider as part of the individual training plan

More training information

• Training will be delivered by an approved apprenticeship training provider with experience supporting apprentices in a local government setting
• The provider will work closely with the council, the line manager, and the apprentice to ensure the programme meets both organisational and individual development needs
• The apprenticeship will be structured around a blend of on‑the‑job learning and formal off‑the‑job training, which may include workshops, online learning, tutorials, and practical workplace activities
• Progress will be reviewed regularly to ensure the apprentice is supported throughout the programme and prepared for end‑point assessment

Requirements

Desirable qualifications

GCSE in:

• English (grade 9-4 C-A*)
• Maths (grade 9-4 C-A*)

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

About this employer

Play your part towards a stronger future at Cheshire West and Chester Council. We believe a stronger future where we all play our part in thriving, caring and sustainable communities. Grow your career, make a difference at Cheshire West and Chester Council. We pride ourselves and doing things differently. Our Council provides vital services which touch all aspects of people’s lives every day. We are driven by doing things differently, working on a wide variety of exciting change programmes to tackle challenges across our borough. With almost 3,500 employees, our occupations span across hundreds of different careers pathways. We pride ourselves being a progressive inclusive employer where everyone can be the best that they can be. 

https://www.cwcrecruitment.co.uk/ (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

Permanent apprenticeships from day one. We work closely and positively with our recognised trade unions UNISON, GMB and UNITE to make sure that the views of our colleagues are heard.

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

On successful completion of the Level 3 business administrator
apprenticeship standard and review of performance, the post
holder will progress to the substantive post of Clerical Assistant.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

CHESHIRE COLLEGE SOUTH AND WEST

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000011385.

Apply now

Closes in 22 days (Saturday 21 February 2026)

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