Apprentice Revenues and Welfare Benefits Practitioner
Sunderland City Council
City Hall (SR1 3AA)
Closes in 8 days (Monday 20 July 2026)
Posted on 10 July 2026
Contents
Summary
Are you looking for a career in Welfare Rights or revenues?
Come and work with us and gain a recognised qualification while building valuable, real-world experience! An exciting opportunity to join our Financial Well-being Service as a Welfare Benefits Practitioner, supporting residents across the city.
- Wage
-
£26,403 a year
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Pay award pending
- Training course
- Revenues and welfare benefits practitioner (level 4)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm as an example, but with the ability to work flexibly.
37 hours a week
- Start date
-
Tuesday 1 September 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
Customer Service & Case Management
- Support & advise customers to improve their financial wellbeing – especially those in crisis situations.
- Engage with customers to gather relevant information and explain complex matters clearly and appropriately.
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date records in accordance with legal and organisational requirements.
- Provide advice and support to help customers access financial support and manage their income effectively.
- Understand the challenges customers face and offer appropriate solutions or referrals.
Revenues Administration
- Establish liability for Council Tax, applying discounts, exemptions, and reliefs as appropriate.
- To liaise with Revenues to arrange payments of benefits to customers
- To recalculate benefits following changes in circumstances
Welfare Benefits Administration & Support
- Assess eligibility for all welfare benefits based on circumstances.
- Provide accurate welfare rights advice to support vulnerable individuals.
- To support the application process.
- Assist customers in understanding and navigating the UK benefits system.
- Support customers in maximising their income through benefit entitlement checks and budgeting advice.
- To complete benefit claim forms to increase customers' income.
- To identify other financial wellbeing support available
General Duties
Undertake any other duties commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of the post.
Where you'll work
Sunderland City Council
Poeple Management
Smart Cities and Enabling Services
City Hall
SR1 3AA
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
MIGHTY OAK TRAINING LTD
Training course
Revenues and welfare benefits practitioner (level 4)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Consistently deal with customers politely and considerately, adapting your approach to meet customer and employer needs
- Achieve outcomes that the customer wants where possible. Where this is not possible, explain the reasons why. Evaluate and recommend alternative options
- Obtain all required information in the most effective way to allow tasks to be completed, considering each customers individual circumstances
- Interpret and evaluate all information to determine the relevant details for the required task
- Interpret and evaluate information to judge whether there is potential fraud indicated. Refer to the appropriate department where required
- Determine whether a dispute should lead to a change of decision and explain the reasons, using appropriate legislation
- Handle sensitive information securely and in line with current legislative requirements
- Analyse and use information and legislation to calculate amounts due when a customer first contacts your department (e.g. new claims or new accounts)
- Analyse and use information and legislation to correctly deal with changes in customers circumstances, recalculating amounts due where required
- Provide justification for any inferences drawn from available information
- Decide on the best method of recovery by evaluating the customers circumstances. Act on this judgment to start recovery of amounts due
- Use judgement to deal correctly with non-routine situations that arise
- Adapt your communication style and method to meet the individuals needs
- Communicate confidently by being personable, asking insightful questions and being able to negotiate effectively and respectfully
- Undertake activities to ensure knowledge stays current
- Take appropriate action within the limits of your authority to solve problems or make relevant colleagues aware of them
- Make accurate decisions based on the information available
- Support team members to achieve the best outcome for the team
- Request assistance or authorisation when required
- Communicate with other departments to achieve required outcomes
- Proficiently use the systems available to achieve tasks
- Refer to processes to determine the action to be taken
- Evaluate the customers financial position, assisting with personal budgeting where appropriate, or directing the customer to appropriate support
Training schedule
Training will be online with Mighty Oak Training Ltd.
Requirements
Desirable qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 4 / C or above)
- Maths (grade 4 / C or above)
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
- Team working
- Initiative
Other requirements
Standard Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
About this employer
Sunderland is a fantastic, forward-looking, ambitious city undergoing significant transformation and economic regeneration. From the seafront and the city centre, to building locations of national strategic significance, we are creating the very best conditions for our 280,000 residents who live here and those who come to the city to work.
We provide a huge variety of services across the city, currently employing approximately 2,500 people in many roles ranging from gardeners to building maintenance technicians, ICT experts to social workers and many more. At all levels we work together to achieve real change across the city.
Sunderland is one of the few cities in the UK to be situated on the coast, whilst benefitting from easy access to the countryside, a short drive from two international airports, direct rail access to London and less than a twenty-minute drive from Durham and Newcastle.
We have a growing cultural scene. Sunderland Empire theatre attracts high-profile West End productions, and the Fire Station is Sunderland’s premier live music and performance venue. The National Glass Centre, Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens and Northern Gallery of Contemporary Art are all close to the city centre.
Sunderland is a great place to work. Wherever you’re coming from, you’ll discover a place – and people – that will make you feel at home.
https://www.sunderland.gov.uk/ (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
Access to LG Pension Scheme; 26 days leave; Statutory and organisational sick pay available which increases with length of service; 3 days paid leave per year to do voluntary work; Employee wellbeing support; Travel discounts
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
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).
Welfare Rights Officer.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
MIGHTY OAK TRAINING LTD
jobs@sunderland.gov.uk
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000041446.
Apply now
Closes in 8 days (Monday 20 July 2026)
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.