Archives Assistant Apprentice - Level 3
Derbyshire County Council
Matlock (DE4 3FE)
Closes in 22 days (Sunday 1 November 2026)
Posted on 9 October 2026
Contents
Summary
We are excited to welcome an Archive Assistant Apprentice – Level 3 in our team! You’ll be joining a team that cares for the historical records of Derbyshire which include maps, photographs, oral histories and written documents that date back 900 years.
- Wage
-
£15,392 to £24,454.04, depending on your age
National Minimum Wage
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
If you are a care experience individual, you may be eligible for a care leaving bursary payment of up to £3,000 throughout the period of the apprenticeship.
- Training course
- Library, information and archive services assistant (level 3)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday. Shifts to be confirmed.
37 hours a week
- Start date
-
Friday 1 January 2027
- Duration
-
1 year 9 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
- Working in the archive searchroom and helping customers who are doing historical research
- Answering telephone and email enquiries
- Helping the archivists to catalogue historical records
- Promoting the Record Office by posting to social media, helping with events and exhibitions
Where you'll work
Derbyshire Record Office
New Street
Matlock
DE4 3FE
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
DERBYSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
Training course
Library, information and archive services assistant (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Interpret and implement policy, e.g. communicating clearly the basic copyright restrictions and reasons for not sharing personal data
- Undertake regulation and compliance checking, e.g. in order to ensure data protection is not breached
- Solve user problems in a range of situations using their knowledge and interpretation
- Use information management processes to store, manage and retrieve records and data to support collaboration, exploitation and the organisation’s Information Management (IM) practices
- Describe and arrange material/resources, by observing and applying identified cataloguing standards in order to create online catalogues and other finding aids to meet users’ needs
- Employ information retrieval techniques to identify and use relevant media and systems, e.g. searching online databases, catalogues or physical stores, and EDRMS (electronic document record management systems)
- Perform preservation (analogue/physical and digital) practices to keep collections physically safe using institutional/sector guidelines, and supporting work that provides digital access by creating alternatives that meet a range of user requirements
- Use enquiry techniques to clarify and meet users’ information requirements and manage expectations, e.g. by signposting to alternative resources and providing solutions
- Develop knowledge sharing with users, cultivating an environment where knowledge is freely shared and sought within a ‘safe’ environment, including online solutions
- Use relevant approaches to learning support to contribute to the development of learning activities for different audiences to enhance knowledge and literacy, e.g. reader development
- Select and use appropriate tools and technologies to support users in researching and disseminating information, e.g. databases, search engines, digital libraries, repositories and social media
- Develop information and digital skills to support users to identify, find, access and evaluate information, to share knowledge and to promote self-help
- Demonstrate information sharing by contributing to learning activities for specific audiences, e.g. inductions and events, catering to a variety of levels of knowledge and understanding
- Use promotion techniques for resources so that users and potential users are aware of their value, impact and benefit, e.g. by curating collections and displays in effective ways, undertaking outreach activities to guide users to achieve independence in their use of information
- Implement the organisation’s collection management policy, e.g. through identifying stock that should be acquired and that which is no longer used or needed, and relegating or removing these appropriately
- Develop the service by assessing the learning environment and anticipating user needs, e.g. re-organising study/virtual spaces, suggesting improvements to catalogues or web pages
- Use teamwork and collaboration to achieve goals, e.g. with stakeholders and partners beyond the organisation
- Use information provision to enable users to access materials, e.g. through lending books/artefacts, emailing documents, accessing original archives, signposting links to information
- Exercise communication skills - oral, written, presentation, interpersonal, listening, assertiveness (online and face to face)
- Interpret and implement policy, e.g. communicating clearly the basic copyright restrictions and reasons for not sharing personal data
- Undertake regulation and compliance checking, e.g. in order to ensure data protection is not breached
- Solve user problems in a range of situations using their knowledge and interpretation
- Use information management processes to store, manage and retrieve records and data to support collaboration, exploitation and the organisation’s Information Management (IM) practices
- Describe and arrange material/resources, by observing and applying identified cataloguing standards in order to create online catalogues and other finding aids to meet users’ needs
- Employ information retrieval techniques to identify and use relevant media and systems, e.g. searching online databases, catalogues or physical stores, and EDRMS (electronic document record management systems)
- Perform preservation (analogue/physical and digital) practices to keep collections physically safe using institutional/sector guidelines, and supporting work that provides digital access by creating alternatives that meet a range of user requirements
- Use enquiry techniques to clarify and meet users’ information requirements and manage expectations, e.g. by signposting to alternative resources and providing solutions
- Develop knowledge sharing with users, cultivating an environment where knowledge is freely shared and sought within a ‘safe’ environment, including online solutions
- Use relevant approaches to learning support to contribute to the development of learning activities for different audiences to enhance knowledge and literacy, e.g. reader development
- Select and use appropriate tools and technologies to support users in researching and disseminating information, e.g. databases, search engines, digital libraries, repositories and social media
- Develop information and digital skills to support users to identify, find, access and evaluate information, to share knowledge and to promote self-help
- Demonstrate information sharing by contributing to learning activities for specific audiences, e.g. inductions and events, catering to a variety of levels of knowledge and understanding
- Use promotion techniques for resources so that users and potential users are aware of their value, impact and benefit, e.g. by curating collections and displays in effective ways, undertaking outreach activities to guide users to achieve independence in their use of information
- Implement the organisation’s collection management policy, e.g. through identifying stock that should be acquired and that which is no longer used or needed, and relegating or removing these appropriately
- Develop the service by assessing the learning environment and anticipating user needs, e.g. re-organising study/virtual spaces, suggesting improvements to catalogues or web pages
- Use teamwork and collaboration to achieve goals, e.g. with stakeholders and partners beyond the organisation
- Use information provision to enable users to access materials, e.g. through lending books/artefacts, emailing documents, accessing original archives, signposting links to information
- Exercise communication skills - oral, written, presentation, interpersonal, listening, assertiveness (online and face to face)
Training schedule
This job is very varied. One day you might be working in the archive search room helping to answer in-person questions and email enquiries. You never know what questions are going to be asked – people can be researching a person, a place or a topic, and you’re there to help them find their answers.
On another day you might be helping an archivist to catalogue an archive collection, writing on reference numbers and packaging the documents so that they can be available to researchers. Or you may be helping us to catalogue more modern, digital archives. You might also spend some time choosing interesting items that you think would work well on social media and writing the social media posts, or helping to prepare a school pack, exhibition or event.
Whatever you’re doing, there will be an experienced team around you to provide support as you learn.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade C)
- Maths (grade C)
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
- Administrative skills
- Team working
- Initiative
- Patience
About this employer
Working for Derbyshire County Council
At Derbyshire County Council, we are committed to:
Equality, fairness and opportunity
Supporting your wellbeing and development
Delivering services that provide value for money for our communities
Reducing our environmental impact and supporting climate resilience
Company benefits
As part of Derbyshire County Council, you’ll also enjoy a wide range of benefits, including:
- Generous annual leave scheme
- Access to student discounts
- Cycle to Work scheme
- Discounts at selected county leisure centres
- Free online health and exercise sessions
…and much more!
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).
You can be an apprentice at any age over 16.
We’re looking for someone who will enjoy dealing with the public and helping people.
You will like working in a team but are also happy working alone.
You will be interested in history, be good at problem solving and enjoy learning new things every day.
You will be responsible. Attention to detail is very important in this job, so you will be thorough when you do a task and make sure you follow instructions.
You will be a good at communicating with different audiences, for instance helping an elderly person over the phone, writing formal emails and producing snappy social media posts.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
DERBYSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000058327.
Apply now
Closes in 22 days (Sunday 1 November 2026)
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.