Business Support Assistant - Degree Apprenticeship
STAR ACADEMIES
Lancashire (BB1 2HT)
Closes in 11 days (Sunday 26 July 2026)
Posted on 14 July 2026
Contents
Summary
We are seeking an ambitious and enthusiastic individual to join our Business Support team while studying towards a Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (BA (Hons) Management Practice) with Henley Business School, University of Reading.
- Wage
-
£26,824 a year
- Training course
- Chartered manager (degree) (level 6)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
37 hours a week
- Start date
-
Tuesday 1 September 2026
- Duration
-
3 years
- 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
This is an excellent opportunity to build a strong foundation in business administration, management and leadership while making a meaningful contribution to an organisation that is transforming the life chances of young people.
As a Business Support Assistant you will gain valuable experience supporting business operations and strategic projects across Star Central. Working within the Star Central Business Support department, you will support the delivery of key projects and initiatives, maintain accurate records, prepare reports and communications, and contribute to continuous improvement activities.
You will work with a wide range of departments and stakeholders, providing an excellent foundation for a future career in business, operations or management. As your experience develops, you will take increasing ownership of your work and be encouraged to identify opportunities to improve systems and processes.
Where you'll work
Star Academies
Shadsworth Road
Blackburn
Lancashire
BB1 2HT
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
THE UNIVERSITY OF READING
Training course
Chartered manager (degree) (level 6)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Support the development of organisational strategies and plans. Develop and deliver operational plans; being able to set targets and KPIs, manage resources, and monitor and measure outcomes to establish operational effectiveness, efficiencies and excellence. Produce reports that clearly present information and data, using a range of interpretation and analytical processes. Gain wide support to deliver successful outcomes
- Plan, organise and manage resources in order to achieve organisational goals. Identify key outcomes, develop and implement plans and monitor progress, and provide reports as required. Proactively identify risk and create plans for their mitigation. Able to initiate, lead and drive change within the organisation, identifying barriers/challenges and how to overcome them. Ability to use widely recognised project management tools
- Managing budgets, controlling expenditure and production of financial reports
- Use of customer insight and analysis of data to determine and drive customer service outcomes and improve customer relationships. Creative approaches to developing solutions to meet customer need
- Able to identify service/organisational improvements and opportunities for innovation and growth, using qualitative and quantitative analysis of information and data and benchmarking against others
- Communicate clearly, effectively and regularly using oral, written and digital channels and platforms. Use active listening and open questioning to structure conversations and discussions, and able to challenge when appropriate. Manage and chair meetings and clearly present actions and outcomes. Ability to apply influencing and persuading skills, to the dynamics and politics of personal interactions
- Able to articulate organisational purpose and values. Support the creation of an inclusive, high performance work culture. Enable others to achieve by developing and supporting them through coaching and mentoring
- Able to build teams, empower and motivate others to improve performance or achieve outcomes. Able to delegate to others, provide clear guidance and monitor progress. Ability to set goals and accountabilities
- Able to build rapport and trust, develop networks and maintain relationships with people from a range of cultures, backgrounds and levels. Able to contribute within a team environment. Effectively influence and negotiate, being able to have challenging conversations and give constructive feedback. Work collaboratively with internal and external customers and suppliers
- Able to reflect on own performance, identifying and acting on learning and development needs. Ability to understand impact on others. Can manage stress and personal well-being, and confident in knowing core values and drivers
- Able to create personal development plan, and use widely recognised tools and techniques to ensure the management of time and pressure effectively, and prioritisation and strategic alignment of activities
- Use evidence-based tools and ethical approaches to undertake problem solving and critical analysis, synthesis and evaluation to support decision making
Training schedule
The Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (BA (Hons) Management Practice) combines practical workplace experience with academic study, helping you develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed for a successful career in business and leadership.
On successful completion, you will achieve:
- Level 6 Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship
- BA (Hons) Management Practice from Henley Business School, University of Reading
- CMI Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership
Most of your time will be spent working and learning on the job at Star Central, supported by experienced colleagues and a dedicated mentor. Alongside this, you will undertake university-led study, including online learning and 21 on-campus study days at the Whiteknights Campus, Henley Business School, University of Reading over the three-year programme (Year 1 – 8 days, Year 2 – 8 days, Year 3 – 5 days).
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 5)
- Maths (grade 5)
A Level in:
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
- Problem solving skills
- Team working
Other requirements
If you are currently in Year 13, please include your predicted grades within your personal statement.
Your school or college will be required to provide a reference and confirm your predicted grades. Please ensure that the appropriate school or college leader is aware of your application, provide their official work email address in the reference section of your application, and ask them to be prepared for any reference requests we may send.
No more than 2 years’ work experience.
About this employer
Star Academies is a high-performing multi-academy trust that runs more than 30 primary and secondary schools. We are a values-based organisation that works to improve the life chances of young people in areas of social and economic deprivation to help them succeed at the highest levels of education, employment and the professions. Every single day you’ll be rewarded with the opportunity to shape a young person’s future - our STAR values embody what we believe is needed to succeed. Professional development is key to our ongoing success, so we continually invest in our employees through our learning and development centre, Star Institute. With a wealth of training, mentoring and progression opportunities across a growing group of academies, joining our team of leading education experts could propel your career to the next level. We can also offer you a range of rewards and benefits, including competitive salaries and pension schemes, generous holiday entitlements and healthcare cash plans.
Company benefits
We can also offer you a range of rewards and benefits, including competitive salaries and pension schemes, generous holiday entitlements and healthcare cash plans.
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).
Star Academies is a high-performing multi-academy trust that runs more than 30 primary and secondary schools. We are a values-based organisation that works to improve the life chances of young people in areas of social and economic deprivation to help them succeed at the highest levels of education, employment and the professions. Every single day, you’ll be rewarded with the opportunity to shape a young person’s future – our STAR values embody what we believe is needed to succeed.
Professional development is key to our ongoing success, so we continually invest in our employees through our professional development hub, Star Talent Academy. With a wealth of training, mentoring and progression opportunities across a large, growing group of academies, joining our team of leading education experts could propel your career to the next level.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
THE UNIVERSITY OF READING
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000042681.
Apply now
Closes in 11 days (Sunday 26 July 2026)
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.