Apprentice Support Analyst Core Systems Optimisation Team 106825AP Apprentice Grade 4

The University of Birmingham; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational institution in Birmingham is offering a full-time apprenticeship focused on customer service. This role involves providing first-line support and learning to analyze issues while working in a collaborative environment. Ideal candidates will have GCSEs in English and Maths, a commitment to exceptional service, and willingness to embrace a diverse workplace. The position also includes extensive training and benefits, making it a great career start in IT support.

Benefits

40 days paid holiday

Occupational sick pay

Pension scheme

Flexible working arrangements

Qualifications

• A commitment to excellent customer service.
• A basic working knowledge in Microsoft Windows and familiarity with Mac OS X.
• Good oral and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide first line support on core systems issues.
• Record all contact with users in IT Service Management tool.
• Monitor incoming incident records to identify trends.
• Resolve reported issues and assign complex issues to colleagues.

Skills

Excellent customer service

Microsoft Windows

Mac OS X

Troubleshooting

Good communication

Education

GCSE English and Maths at grade A C / 4‑9

Job description

Core Systems Optimisation Team (CSOT) Finance Office

Location : University of Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary 21733 per annum rising to 27166 after 12 months service.

Apprentice Grade 4

Full Time for 15 Months

Apprenticeship Standard : Customer Service Practitioner Level 2

Training and Eligibility

Training Provider : HIT Training

Closing date : 4th January 2026 – Please upload a CV with your application.

Eligibility : The training delivered in apprenticeships is funded through the apprenticeship levy which is subject to Department for Education funding rules for apprenticeships. When reviewing applications the University and the training provider will be checking candidates meet this eligibility criteria. Further information is available on our webpage.

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond support them to succeed and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector‑leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full almost 5000 professional services jobs in a wide‑range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work / life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and depending on the role we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible addition you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year one paid day a year for volunteering occupational sick pay and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised child nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus including main bus routes and a train station on campus we have a state‑of‑the‑art sports centre with pool shops places to eat and drink our own art gallery museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Apprenticeship context

The Core Systems Optimisation Team (CSOT) Service Desk handles everything from individual technical problems to system outages relating to the university's core systems footprint. They are a single point of contact for our users - helping them to easily find solutions request help and contact other CSOT teams.

Apprenticeship summary

The apprentice will learn how to analyse new issues and requests. This includes taking phone calls from users helping them in‑person using online live chat and our web‑based contact form. They will resolve most queries and accurately assign more complicated or time‑consuming issues to other colleagues.

Team members are expected to contribute individually and within a collaborative working environment. This helps us to deliver excellent customer service and meet our service standards. The post holder should demonstrate the values of the CSOT team by maintaining open and honest communication collaborating with others and being inclusive and approachable.

Duties during this apprenticeship you will learn the following duties :

• Providing first line support on all core systems related issues via all the Service Desks contact methods.
• Ensuring all contact with users is recorded accurately in the IT Service Management tool.
• Identifying trends within recent and ongoing issues by monitoring incoming incident records and collaborating with colleagues.
• Utilising skills experience and documented knowledge to provide solutions to users for the majority of reported issues.
• Accurately triage more complex or time‑consuming issues to other CSOT support teams by building a thorough understanding of our services and support teams.
• Developing a broad understanding of the University's organisational structure business functions strategic aims and key stakeholders to accurately assess the impact of issues.
• Participating in ITIL‑based Incident and Problem Management in line with documented processes.
• Occasionally carrying out remote desktop support to resolve minor issues.
• Ensuring that technical solutions are documented within the IT Service Management tool for future reference.
• Being an advocate for our users and escalating whenever CSOT support is falling below expected levels to ensure issues are resolved in acceptable timescales and excellent customer service is delivered.
• Contributing to the creation and maintenance of knowledge base articles ensuring documentation is easy to follow written in Plain English and tailored to the correct audience.
• Any other duties that may reasonably be required in line with your position within CSOT or to help deliver excellent customer service.
• Supports equality and values diversity moderates own behaviour to avoid unfair discriminatory impact or bias on others.
• You will be expected to engage fully with the University of Birmingham apprenticeship scheme attending mandatory group days and contributing to the successful promotion of the scheme by representing your department in a positive manner.

This apprenticeship would suit :

The apprenticeship would suit an individual with a positive attitude towards the provision of exceptional customer service in a demanding IT environment. They will be a people person polite approachable and welcoming able to talk to customers face to face over the phone or via electronic medium. They will be confident able to build strong relationships with team members and customers. They will be hard working calm under pressure with a strong desire to learn.

Required Knowledge Skills Qualifications Experience

• GCSE English and Maths at grade A C / 4‑9 or other equivalent level 2 qualification.
• A commitment to excellent customer service.
• A basic working knowledge in one of the following (and familiarity with the other) :
• Microsoft Windows
• Mac OS X
• Basic knowledge of mobile devices including tablets and smartphones.
• The ability to maintain an open and approachable demeanour.
• The ability to maintain a high level of accuracy under pressure.
• Good oral and written communication with the ability to tailor responses to specific audiences.
• The ability to work effectively as a member of a team towards quality service goals and deadlines.
• The ability to prioritise and schedule workload in the face of conflicting demands.
• A structured and methodical approach to troubleshooting and problem solving.
• A willingness to adopt and champion new ways of working.
• An understanding of the importance of equality diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
• The ability to identify and respond to equality and diversity issues in line with relevant policies and procedures.

Career Pathway

On completion of this apprenticeship you may be able to progress into one of the following roles :

Support Analyst

Functional Expert

Employment details

Employment Type : Full‑Time

Experience : years

Vacancy : 1

Key Skills : Anti Money Laundering, Healthcare Attorney, Desktop Support, Data Entry Operation, Home Care, Adobe Photoshop

View our staff values and behaviours here

Use of AI in applications : We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.

Required Experience : IC

Employment Type : Full‑Time

Experience : years

Vacancy : 1

Anti Money Laundering, Healthcare Attorney, Desktop Support, Data Entry Operation, Home Care, Adobe Photoshop

Key Skills : Anti Money Laundering, Healthcare Attorney, Desktop Support, Data Entry Operation, Home Care, Adobe Photoshop

Required Experience : IC

Employment Type : Full‑Time

Experience : years

Vacancy : 1