Apprentice Customer Services Assistant

Summary

Our Library team at Harlow are now recruiting for a confident, organised and enthusiastic individual, with a passion in providing excellent customer service. As an Apprentice Customer Services Assistant, you will provide a high level of customer service, working with a wide range of customers, volunteers, stakeholders and partners.

Wage

£14,567 a year

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£14,567 per annum rising to £23,557 per annum on the second year

Training course

Customer service practitioner (level 2)

Hours

Monday to Friday - 9am to 5pm Shifts TBC

37 hours a week

Start date

Monday 2 June 2025

Duration

1 year 3 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

Key Responsibilities for the Apprentice Includes:

Understand the needs of customers and deliver the best possible outcomes through excellent customer service.
Provide support and training to customers using information communications technology (ICT) equipment and software.
Answer telephone enquiries from customers promptly (including operation of a switchboard where appropriate), providing accurate information – including referral to other services as appropriate - in a timely fashion.
Oversee and provide customers with guidance in the use of self-service equipment.
Comply with the individual responsibilities for Health Safety & Welfare in the workplace, including ensuring safeguarding children, in accordance with work role.
Undertake all stock circulation and management procedures, including sorting, shelving and tidying of returned material, reservations, fines, membership and similar activities.
Contribute to promotional activities, marketing and display work and the achievement of agreed targets for income generation.
Contribute to the compilation of statistical returns, and any other general administrative duties.
Responsible for locking and unlocking, as necessary, acting as keyholder.
Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

Where you'll work

Central Library
Cross Street
Harlow
CM20 1HA

Training

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

College or training organisation

ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL

Your training course

Customer service practitioner (level 2)

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What you'll learn

Course contents

Use a range of questioning skills, including listening and responding in a way that builds rapport, determines customer needs and expectations and achieves positive engagement and delivery.
Depending on your job role and work environment: Use appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication skills, along with summarising language during face-to-face communications; and/or
Depending on your job role and work environment: Use appropriate communication skills, along with reinforcement techniques (to confirm understanding) during non-facing customer interactions.
Depending on your job role and work environment: Use an appropriate ‘tone of voice’ in all communications, including written and digital, that reflect the organisation’s brand.
Provide clear explanations and offer options in order to help customers make choices that are mutually beneficial to both the customer and your organisation.
Be able to organise yourself, prioritise your own workload/activity and work to meet deadlines.
Demonstrate patience and calmness.
Show you understand the customer’s point of view.
Use appropriate sign-posting or resolution to meet your customers needs and manage expectations.
Maintain informative communication during service recovery.

Your training plan

Level 2 Customer Service Practitioner apprenticeship standard, including Functional Skills in English and maths if required

Requirements

Desirable qualifications

GCSE in:

English (grade C/4)
Maths (grade C/4)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

Communication skills
IT skills
Attention to detail
Organisation skills
Customer care skills
Team working
Initiative
Non judgemental
Patience
Willingness to learn
Polite and friendly approach

Other requirements

Please note that this role will require you to work on site and will include some weekend working. This position will predominantly be based in Harlow Library, with the occasional need to travel to another library. You will need to be minimum 16 years of age at the start of the apprenticeship.

About this company

At ECC we look after a large, diverse, complex region of the country. But our approach to meeting the needs of our 1.4 million residents is simple. We recruit creative, collaborative, talented people, and free them up to make an impact to be proud of.

http://www.workingforessex.com (opens in new tab)

After this apprenticeship

ECC is a large and very diverse organisation which believes staff development is critical to our success. Our apprentices have access to a wide variety of career enhancing training and development in preparation for a more advanced role as well as further qualifications if desired. We offer excellent career prospects for the right candidate, depending on attitude and performance during the apprenticeship, and over 85% of our apprentices go on to secure permanent roles with us.

There are many opportunities for future progression and development within Essex County Council.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL

Leon Black

Leon.Black@essex.gov.uk

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000320079.

Apply now

Closes in 13 days (Monday 26 May 2025)

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

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