Accounts Assistant apprentice

BIRMINGHAM CITY STUDENTS UNION

WEST MIDLANDS (B4 7BD)

Closes in 15 days (Sunday 17 August 2025 at 11:59pm)

Posted on 1 August 2025

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Summary

Birmingham City Students' Union (BCUSU) is excited to offer an excellent opportunity for an enthusiastic and motivated individual to join our dynamic team as an Accounts Assistant Apprentice. In this role, you will play a key part in providing the financial administration support to all departments within BCUSU.

Wage

£14,500 a year

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Training course
Accounts or finance assistant (level 2)
Hours
Total hours per week will be 35 including training at college. Agile Working Policy: Flexi-time allows employees to set their own start and finish times, with line manager approval, provided they work core hours 11am–2pm and meet business needs.

35 hours a week

Start date

Monday 1 September 2025

Duration

1 year

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

Financial Administrative Services

  • Working as part of a team responsible for providing generalist financial administration support to all departments within BCUSU
  • To check and accurately process purchase, sales and remittance paperwork including the posting of these items onto the computerised accounts system and prepare any associated statements or reports
  • To accurately process payments to suppliers and contractors
  • To be responsible for credit control ensuring all monies are received within given time periods and are recorded accurately, referring non-payers to the relevant departmental manager and Finance & People Manager in line with procedure
  • To reconcile orders with invoices, following up anomalies with budget holders and suppliers
  • Supporting the Member Services Team to ensure accuracy of financial systems used in the everyday processing of information within the commercial

Monitoring of Financial Procedures:

  • To ensure budget holders/users of financial systems are following procedures laid out in the financial bylaws and financial regulations, where anomalies or queries are identified approach the budget holder/user to solve or satisfy the query. Where queries are more involved or where non-conformity of financial procedures has been identified escalate the issue to the Finance & People Manager
  • Working with and regularly reporting to the Finance & People Manager to ensure that all financial processes across the organisation are being progressed within a timely manner and to meet month end deadlines

Analysis of Data to Support Budget Holders & Others:

  • To liaise with Budget Holders regarding discrepancies and queries in relation to their budgets
  • Providing information either in the form of a spreadsheet or report as requested by the Budget Holder
  • Provide analysis as requested by the Union’s Auditors during year end process

General Duties:

  • Uphold and demonstrate the values and expected staff behaviours of BCUSU in working towards achieving the BCUSU vision
  • Committed to working as part of a team, and in collaboration with the wider BCUSU staff team, to support the delivery of BCUSU Strategy 2024+
  • Ensure compliance with all BCUSU policies and procedures, including but not limited to health & safety, GDPR, financial and HR
  • Complete all mandatory training and any other training and supervision sessions identified as beneficial to the job role or post holder when required
  • Promote the BCUSU equality, diversity & inclusion, wellbeing and sustainability agendas, embedding principles within all relevant aspects of the role to ensure BCUSU’s aspirations to be socially responsible and supportive
  • Make decisions within the defined level of responsibility
  • Effectively communicate with university staff, students and relevant external stakeholders
  • Undertake other duties that may be assigned by the employer, as might reasonably be expected within the grade of the post

Where you'll work

THE CURZON BUILDING
4 CARDIGAN STREET
BIRMINGHAM
WEST MIDLANDS
B4 7BD

Training

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

Training provider

BIRMINGHAM METROPOLITAN COLLEGE

Training course

Accounts or finance assistant (level 2)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents
  • Record transactional data.
  • Use the organisation’s standard tools and processes to examine data to identify transactional issues such as, reconciliations and inconsistencies between invoices.
  • Recognise and rectify routine errors, escalating as necessary.
  • Plan and review accounting and finance tasks.
  • Communicate with stakeholders to deliver accurate and timely results, avoiding jargon, using language tailored to the audience and different media methods with an appreciation of the risks and benefits to the business of social media and other digital applications.
  • Use finance and accounting software packages to accurately input and manage data to contribute to routine accounting tasks.
  • Handle data and digital technology in line with cyber and data security requirements, using data securely and safely, including backing up data.
  • Record transactional data.
  • Use the organisation’s standard tools and processes to examine data to identify transactional issues such as, reconciliations and inconsistencies between invoices.
  • Recognise and rectify routine errors, escalating as necessary.
  • Plan and review accounting and finance tasks.
  • Communicate with stakeholders to deliver accurate and timely results, avoiding jargon, using language tailored to the audience and different media methods with an appreciation of the risks and benefits to the business of social media and other digital applications.
  • Use finance and accounting software packages to accurately input and manage data to contribute to routine accounting tasks.
  • Handle data and digital technology in line with cyber and data security requirements, using data securely and safely, including backing up data.

Training schedule

Accounts or Finance Assistant Level 2 Apprenticeship Standard

Requirements

Essential 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
  • Problem solving skills
  • Administrative skills
  • Number skills
  • Analytical skills
  • Logical
  • Team working
  • Initiative
  • Non judgemental
  • Patience

Other requirements

Please note you will be required to attend Matthew Boulton College or Sutton Coldfield College once a week for your college training.

About this employer

Birmingham City Students’ Union (BCUSU) is your student-led union—here from day one to enrich every part of university experience. As an independent charity working alongside Birmingham City University (BCU), we exist to advocate for all students and enhance your academic, social, and personal journey. BCUSU is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

https://www.bcusu.com (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

An agile working policy which includes: Health Care Cash Plan. Generous Holidays. Working from home (WFH) - up to 1 day working from home per week.

After this apprenticeship

  • While a full-time position with the company after completing the apprenticeship isn’t guaranteed, you’ll gain a broad set of transferable skills and valuable experience within a supportive team environment
  • This will place you in a strong position to pursue further career opportunities, either within the company or elsewhere in the industry

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

BIRMINGHAM METROPOLITAN COLLEGE

Mehr-un Nisa

recruitment@bmet.ac.uk

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000334995.

Apply now

Closes in 15 days (Sunday 17 August 2025 at 11:59pm)

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