Apprentice - Business & Administration

Essex County Council; Chelmsford; On-site; GBP 14,000 - 24,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority in Chelmsford is seeking a Business Administrator Apprentice for a fixed-term role to provide essential clerical and financial support. This position offers a pathway to gain valuable skills while working in a supportive environment. Applicants should have at least RQF Level 3 qualifications and a keen interest in developing a career in public service. Competitive salary and benefits included.

Benefits

Healthy work-life balance

Wide range of learning opportunities

IT equipment supplied

26 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Local Government salary-related pension scheme

Access to health and wellbeing support

Volunteering leave

Qualifications

• Self-development in a professional area.
• Experience in business support and dealing with enquiries.
• Ability to work within financial management systems.

Responsibilities

• Provide clerical and financial support to residential services.
• Deliver high-quality administrative systems.
• Maintain effective financial management and health and safety monitoring.

Skills

Communication skills

Data management

Relationship building

Financial monitoring

IT skills

Education

RQF Level 3 (A level) or equivalent

Tools

MS Excel

Outlook

Word

Job description

Apprentice - Business & Administration - Bridgemarsh Residential Home

Fixed Term, Full Time

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

Location: Chelmsford

Closing Date: Thursday 9th October 2025 at 11.59pm

Please note that this is a Fixed Term Contract opportunity for a period of 24 months.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Business Administrator Apprentice to join our team at Bridgemarsh Residential home. Are you looking to become a crucial part of a friendly, welcoming, and high achieving team? This could be the opportunity you are looking for!

Benefits:

• Healthy work life balance; flexible and hybrid working options.
• Wide range of learning and development opportunities.
• IT equipment and home-working equipment supplied.
• 26 days annual leave + bank holidays + choice to buy extra.
• Generous Local Government Salary related pension scheme.
• Access to hundreds of discounts and benefits through Essex Rewards.
• Access to our health and wellbeing support platform with LifeWorks.
• Disability Confident Leader: we are committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job.
• Up to 4 days per annum volunteering leave.
• National Apprenticeship Wage for the first 12 months of your Apprenticeship After 12 months of service, your salary will increase to the National Living Wage (currently £22,072 per annum as of 01 April 2024).
• A Level 3 qualification via Adult Community Learning (ACL).

Whilst undertaking an apprenticeship within Essex County Council, you can expect to be supported from your first day. You'll be invited to attend a specific onboarding event, have access to exclusive training material via My Learning platform, enrolled in the apprenticeship channel alongside colleagues on similar paths, invited to frequent gatherings, and offered peer-to-peer guidance. Additionally, you will have the chance to showcase your apprenticeship experience to external audiences. Apprenticeships are a valued career pathway to achieving your ambitions within Essex County Council, whilst gaining a qualification.

Our Level 3 apprenticeship is an advanced apprenticeship - it is the equivalent to two A Levels or T Level. These apprenticeships are a fantastic steppingstone into your preferred career. You'll work under the guidance of experienced professionals to develop a solid foundation in you chosen profession, while also contributing to the overall goals and objectives of the Essex County Council.

There is every opportunity to progress to further roles and training within Essex County Council. You will have the chance to put forward your ideas, grow your skillset and collaborate with an innovative team in a collaborative environment.

What our apprentices say:

"I really enjoyed my apprenticeship with ECC, I loved that the majority of the apprenticeship is on the job learning and minimal classroom work. The opportunities for career development have been much wider than I originally thought, and the apprenticeship is such a great way to start your career and get your foot in the door with your local council/ government."

"I love the apprenticeship process as you're getting paid as you learn. I have been able to make good connections with other employees and really good relationships throughout my journey so far. It's a great starting point to anyone who hasn't got a clear idea of what work they would like to pursue. Also, the apprenticeship allowed me to try multiple different types of jobs when opportunities came up, so I was able to see what I liked, and I was good at."

The Role

ECC Adult Social Care, has an effective model that includes four key principles: - prevention; early intervention; enablement and safeguarding. This will enable people, their families, and carers to be able to access information and tools to live healthily and independently. Providing an opportunity to respond pro-actively to growing service demand in a sustainable way, within the financial constraints of the Council.

The Business Administrator will focus on providing clerical, administrative and financial support to the residential services. Delivering high quality and responsive administrative systems to ensure that the service has effective financial management and Health and Safety monitoring. In addition, the role maximises the use of other systems to facilitate good quality data collection.

About you

• Educated to RQF Level 3 (A level) or equivalent by experience with a willingness to achieve the award within 24 months of starting the role.
• Evidence of self-development in particular professional area.
• Experience of delivering business support including translating data and dealing with external enquiries, within a social care setting.
• Strong communication skills and an ability to develop a rapport and engage with diverse groups of individuals, particularly challenging family situations.
• Experience of developing strong working relationships with partners, other agencies, and the local community, to achieve joint objectives and offer a supportive framework for vulnerable adults.
• Experience of working within Financial Monitoring Regulations and financial management systems.
• Knowledge of a range of computer-based systems including MS Excel, Outlook, and Word.

Essential Requirements for the role:

• Functional Skills Level 1 in Maths and English (or equivalent), which is a Grade D/E or 2/3 to begin the apprenticeship.
• Ability to reach a Level 2 Functional Skills in both Maths & English by the End Point Assessment (EPA), if you do not already have this.
• Have the right to work and study in England.
• Have been ordinarily resident in the UK or EEA for three years before the apprenticeship start date.

Please note that we must be provided with your GCSE certificate at the final stage of the recruitment process. If you have international equivalent qualifications a NARIC Statement of Comparability must be provided. If you do not already hold one you can purchase online

What will you be doing?

• Working as part of the residential short break service a key element of this role is planning the bookings for stays at the service as well as transport for individuals, liaising with families/ carers as well as other professionals.
• Responsible for delivering effective administrative support to ensure able to maintain the effective running of the residential home and working to deadlines.
• Provides statistical information to ensure regular management reporting on staff information, such as, sickness; annual leave; overtime and service user information is available to ensure accurate financial charging.
• Responsible for ensuring all relevant financial procedures, including Amenity Accounts, are in place to enable the safe and appropriate handling and banking of all monies, both cash and cheques.
• Responsible for regular updating of relevant systems to ensure accuracy and highlighting awareness of office processes to new staff.
• Responsible for dealing appropriately with members of the public, service users and their carers, ensuring complaints are dealt with effectively, in line with agreed policies and procedures.
• Delivering an efficient operation of the reception area by prioritising calls and providing a good service to visitors to ensure creating a good first impression.