Purchasing and Planning Apprentice
COBA Holdings Ltd
Leicester (LE8 8UR)
Closes on Monday 29 June 2026
Posted on 21 May 2026
Contents
Summary
The Purchasing and Planning Apprentice will support the Purchasing and Production Planning functions across COBA Automotive and COBA Plastics Moulding, contributing to the effective sourcing, ordering and availability of materials, components and services required to support manufacturing operations.
- Wage
-
£16,224 to £25,775.88, depending on your age
National Minimum Wage
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
£16,224 to £25,775.88, depending on your age
National Minimum Wage:
Age 21 and over: £12.71 per hour
Age 18 to 20: £10.85 per hour
Age 16 to 17: £8.00 per hour
- Training course
- Procurement and supply assistant (level 3)
- Hours
-
Monday to Thursday, 08:30 - 17:00 and Friday, 08:30 - 16:00.
(30-minute lunch)
39 hours a week
- Start date
-
Monday 3 August 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
Purchasing and Procurement Support:
- Support the raising and processing of purchase orders for low-risk and low-value goods and services in line with COBA Plastics Group policies and approval levels
- Assist with obtaining quotations, comparing supplier pricing and supporting value-for-money assessments, considering quality, cost, delivery and sustainability factors
- Maintain accurate purchasing and supplier records within procurement systems to support reporting, audit and compliance requirements
- Assist with supplier set-up and basic due-diligence activities under the guidance of senior colleagues
- Support the resolution of purchase order, delivery and invoice queries by liaising with suppliers, planning teams and finance
- Respond to internal purchasing requests and queries in a timely, professional manner
Production Planning and Demand Management Exposure:
- Support the Production Planning team with monitoring demand for materials, components and services based on production schedules and forecasts
- Assist with tracking open purchase orders, delivery commitments and stock availability, highlighting potential supply risks that could impact production
- Contribute to basic demand, usage and trend analysis using spreadsheets and internal systems to support purchasing and planning decisions
- Work collaboratively with Production, Logistics and Planning teams to ensure materials and services are available to meet manufacturing requirements
Supplier and Stakeholder Engagement:
- Communicate with suppliers regarding orders, delivery dates and basic queries, escalating issues where required
- Build effective working relationships with internal stakeholders across purchasing, planning, operations, quality and finance
Governance, Compliance and Development:
- Follow procurement policies, procedures and delegated authorities at all times, supporting responsible and ethical procurement practices
- Ensure all procurement and planning documentation is accurately filed and maintained
- Actively participate in apprenticeship training, reviews and development activities, demonstrating commitment to learning and continuous improvement
Where you'll work
Marlborough Drive
Fleckney
Leicester
LE8 8UR
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
APA PROCUREMENT TRAINING LIMITED
Training course
Procurement and supply assistant (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Monitor and order products, stock, equipment and services at appropriate times using the appropriate procurement method.
- Communicate to procurement's internal stakeholders, suppliers and other stakeholders in order to develop effective relationships and networks
- Create, maintain and amend purchase order and contract records.
- Interpret, evaluate and compare procurement information such as historical spend and usage using databases and spreadsheets.
- Present findings and data in all formats e.g. mathematically, written and oral.
- Determine value for money (VFM) and added value through the use of Total Cost of Ownership during the evaluation process, and apply the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) criteria to the evaluation of quotes and tenders to support the recommendation at award. This may include the inclusion of green, low carbon, sustainability, and ethical criteria.
- Utilise relevant Procurement computer systems or internal databases.
- Select the supplier of the most appropriate products and services for purchases within their remit and place purchase order.
- Undertake appraisal of adhoc and low spend suppliers including setting them up on the purchasing system.
- Effectively research and analyse demand, spend, trends, potential suppliers and industries utilising qualitative and quantitative methods.
- Develop specifications of requirements and requests for quotes/tenders in line with organisational requirements.
- Apply considerations of responsible procurement in evaluating potential suppliers, quotes and tenders.
- Investigate and resolve purchase order, delivery and invoice queries.
- Own low risk value projects such as supply contracts for stationery, personal protective equipment (PPE) or other consumables, and contribute to higher risk activities such as contracts for building services or machinery, and track, log, expedite and review outstanding orders and stock availability where applicable.
- Maintain knowledge on all open orders and their status' and provide assistance to all purchasing staff e.g. expediting and feeding information back to the relevant stakeholders.
- Able to consider the impact of the decision making process when interacting with the supply chain.
- Able to support the contract negotiations and mini competitions with suppliers.
- Monitor and order products, stock, equipment and services at appropriate times using the appropriate procurement method.
- Communicate to procurement's internal stakeholders, suppliers and other stakeholders in order to develop effective relationships and networks
- Create, maintain and amend purchase order and contract records.
- Interpret, evaluate and compare procurement information such as historical spend and usage using databases and spreadsheets.
- Present findings and data in all formats e.g. mathematically, written and oral.
- Determine value for money (VFM) and added value through the use of Total Cost of Ownership during the evaluation process, and apply the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) criteria to the evaluation of quotes and tenders to support the recommendation at award. This may include the inclusion of green, low carbon, sustainability, and ethical criteria.
- Utilise relevant Procurement computer systems or internal databases.
- Select the supplier of the most appropriate products and services for purchases within their remit and place purchase order.
- Undertake appraisal of adhoc and low spend suppliers including setting them up on the purchasing system.
- Effectively research and analyse demand, spend, trends, potential suppliers and industries utilising qualitative and quantitative methods.
- Develop specifications of requirements and requests for quotes/tenders in line with organisational requirements.
- Apply considerations of responsible procurement in evaluating potential suppliers, quotes and tenders.
- Investigate and resolve purchase order, delivery and invoice queries.
- Own low risk value projects such as supply contracts for stationery, personal protective equipment (PPE) or other consumables, and contribute to higher risk activities such as contracts for building services or machinery, and track, log, expedite and review outstanding orders and stock availability where applicable.
- Maintain knowledge on all open orders and their status' and provide assistance to all purchasing staff e.g. expediting and feeding information back to the relevant stakeholders.
- Able to consider the impact of the decision making process when interacting with the supply chain.
- Able to support the contract negotiations and mini competitions with suppliers.
Training schedule
80% of this apprenticeship is working with the employer and 20% is 'off the job' training, which includes attending weekly online live lessons
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
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
- Administrative skills
- Number skills
- Team working
About this employer
COBA Plastics Group is a leading global manufacturer specialising in high-quality extruded and moulded plastic solutions. Serving a diverse range of industries including automotive, healthcare, construction and industrial sectors, we are committed to delivering innovative, high-performance products.
At COBA, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We are proud of our collaborative culture and are driven by our core values of Care, Optimism, Belief and Adaptability.
https://cobaplastics.com/ (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
- Onsite café, Onsite gym
- Life assurance scheme
- EAP
- 24-hour GP service
- Cycle to Work
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
- The potential progression following this apprenticeship is to study for CIPS Level 4 and to become a Supply Chain Planner within the organisation
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
APA PROCUREMENT TRAINING LIMITED
peopleteam@cobaplastics.com
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000033062.
Apply now
Closes on Monday 29 June 2026