Customer Support Apprentice L3

UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH

Chatham (ME4 4TB, )

Closes in 30 days (Friday 24 April 2026)

Posted on 23 March 2026

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Summary

This is an apprenticeship role leading to a level 3 qualification (A-level equivalent). The staff member will collaborate with experienced colleagues to gain in-depth understanding and experience of customer support within an academic library.

• Wage:

  £22,768 a year

  Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

  Pro Rata Pay

• Training course: Customer service specialist (level 3)
• Hours: Hours will be confirmed at the interview stage .

  27 hours a week

• Start date:

  Tuesday 5 May 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

Working primarily on the library floor, this campus-based post acts as a first point of help and advice for library users, helping them access and use our extensive range of printed and electronic resources. Duties include managing the library environment, ensuring health and safety procedures are observed, ensuring students observe the Library Code of Conduct, liaising with security, reporting, and progressing maintenance issues and defects relating to the building, its environmental controls and equipment on all floors.

You will contribute towards staffing the library Help Desk and Reception desk, other service points and front-line duties as required.

As part of the library team, you will assist in the delivery of a high quality, customer focused library and open access IT services, which support the teaching and learning, and research activities of the University as well as promoting use of the library and its resources.

You will also be required to participate in shelving activities and demonstrate an understanding of manual handling guidelines, which will be required when lifting heavy items. The postholder will participate in administrative duties including data input, carrying out admin processes, meeting and greeting users.

This will also include dealing with enquiries face to face, via email and our ticketing systems, over the phone and via other support mechanisms as utilised by new department name in the future, taking part in promotional and training events to ensure an excellent customer experience for library users.

The Customer Support Assistant will work closely with the Drill Hall Library Team in a variety of ways to help them enhance the customer experience.

Main duties and Responsibilities:

• This role is 27 hours per week, with 5 hours per day spread over 4 days, and one dedicated study day of 7 hours. Actual working days / times to be agreed as per the needs of the service.
• Deliver an excellent customer experience including assisting users on how to use library resources and equipment.
• Participate in roaming support to help our users become confident and independent users of the resources available to them.
• Assist users with directional and initial information enquiries.
• Provide front-line support using the Library Management System to carry out various tasks and reports, assist users with the operation of library equipment and resources, and attend to basic problems, reporting faults as appropriate to ensure that our users have an excellent customer experience.
• Assist with the day-to-day operations of services and space, keeping the space in good order through regular tidying, shelving and filing, in accordance with best health and safety practice and security guidelines.
• Support the Library Student Worker Team (LITSAs), helping to coordinate and monitor their work and activities so that all front-line tasks are undertaken.
• Perform daily checks of the study environment, fixtures and fittings, reporting issues to the relevant department and ensuring these are seen through to completion.
• Support users with routine use of IT, such as using basic software, LapSafe laptop loans, printing and Wi-Fi.
• Proactively monitor and manage library bookable spaces including Group Study Rooms, dealing with these in a prompt manner.
• Uphold Information and Library Services policies and procedures.
• Participate in Library Services meetings and support Information and Library Services-wide projects, groups and activities as required.
• Other duties arising from the needs of the service.

Where you'll work

Maritime, Drill Hall Library
, 54 North Rd, Gillingham,
Chatham
ME4 4TB,

Training

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

Training provider

SCL EDUCATION & TRAINING LIMITED

Training course

Customer service specialist (level 3)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents

• Business focused service delivery: Demonstrate a continuous improvement and future focussed approach to customer service delivery including decision making and providing recommendations or advice
• Business focused service delivery: Resolve complex issues by being able to choose from and successfully apply a wide range of approaches
• Business focused service delivery: Find solutions that meet your organisations needs as well as the customer requirements
• Providing a positive customer experience: Through advanced questioning, listening and summarising negotiate mutually beneficial outcomes
• Providing a positive customer experience: Manage challenging and complicated situations within your level of authority and make recommendations to enable and deliver change to service or strategy
• Providing a positive customer experience: Use clear explanations, provide options and solutions to influence and help customers make choices and agree next steps
• Providing a positive customer experience: Explore and interpret the customer experience to inform and influence achieving a positive result for customer satisfaction
• Providing a positive customer experience: Demonstrate a cost conscious mind-set when meeting customer and the business needs
• Providing a positive customer experience: Identifying where highs and lows of the customer journey produce a range of emotions in the customer
• Providing a positive customer experience: Use written and verbal communication to simplify and provide complex information in a way that supports positive customer outcome in the relevant format
• Working with customers/customer insights: Proactively gather customer feedback, through a variety of methods. Critically analyse, and evaluate the meaning, implication and facts and act upon it
• Working with customers/customer insights: Analyse your customer types, to identify or anticipate their potential needs and expectations when providing your service
• Customer Service performance: Maintain a positive relationship even when you are unable to deliver the customer’s expected outcome
• Customer Service performance: When managing referrals or escalations take into account historical interactions and challenges to determine next steps
• Service Improvement: Analyse the end to end service experience, seeking input from others where required, supporting development of solutions
• Service Improvement: Make recommendations based on your findings to enable improvement
• Service Improvement: Make recommendations and implement where possible, changes in line with new and relevant legislation, regulations and industry best practice

Training schedule

The apprentice will receive full on the job training from the employer as well as 20% off the job training, they will also have access to a full wrap around service from SCL.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

• Maths (grade 4)
• English (grade 4)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

• IT skills
• Customer care skills
• Communication skills
• Organisation skills
• Administrative skills

Other requirements

Person Specification:

Essential / Desirable Experience

• Demonstrable experience of working within a library, retail or customer service environment. (D)
• Experience of working in a demanding University Library, retail or a customer service environment. (D)
• Experience of working with a ticketing management system. (D)
• Experience in routine use of computerised systems. (E)
• Experience of working within the Higher Education Sector. (D)
• Experience in monitoring staff activities. (D)
• Experience of working actively within a team and ability to work collaboratively whilst able to take initiative. (E)
• Clear user focused approach to work with the ability to respond flexibly to change. (E)
• Demonstrable knowledge of key developments in Customer Service and/or Higher Education. (D)

Skills

• Demonstrable skills in dealing with users, providing a calm and effective environment in which to resolve their queries, issues and requests. (E)
• Able to offer basic support and training to users in general Microsoft Office/365 and software and hardware such as printers/plotters and photocopiers or multi-functional devices. (D)
• Able to ensure that accurate information is passed onto the most appropriate people in a timely fashion. (E)
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. (E)
• Excellent IT skills MS Office/365, Word, PowerPoint, Excel spreadsheets, Web/Internet, Email. (D)
• Knowledge of mobile devices and developments in information technology. (D)
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to motivate yourself and others, work under pressure and manage a variety of tasks simultaneously. (E)

Qualifications

• Educated to GCSE (E)
• Level 2 English and Maths (E)

Personal attributes

• Commitment to deliver and promote equality, diversity and inclusivity in the day-to-day work of the role. (E)
• We are looking for people who can help us deliver the values of the University of Greenwich, the University of Kent, and Canterbury Christ Church University. (E)

About this employer

University of Greenwich, a modern university with three campuses in London and Kent.

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 apprentice can progress to a team leader role if desired once they have completed their apprenticeship.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

SCL EDUCATION & TRAINING LIMITED

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000020977.

Apply now

Closes in 30 days (Friday 24 April 2026)

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