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Serco Limited; Southampton; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 22,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days’ holiday plus bank holidays

Pension scheme

Internal courses and apprenticeships

Employee Assistance Programme

Discounts across retailers

Volunteer day

Career progression support

Job summary

Serco Limited in Southampton is seeking a Ward Host Apprentice to support the Ward Patient Catering team at University Hospital Southampton while completing a Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship in Health & Social Care. The apprenticeship runs for about 8 months and combines on-the-job training with study time.

You’ll gain hands-on health and social care skills, along with employability behaviours, while learning to follow dietary and allergen requirements in a fast-paced hospital setting.

Qualifications

• Applicants aged 18-24 due to eligibility criteria for the apprenticeship.
• You’ll gain hands-on work experience while completing a Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship in Health & Social Care.
• You’ll receive induction, role-specific training and mentoring from experienced colleagues.

Responsibilities

• Speak with patients, take meal orders and help them understand the available menu choices.
• Prepare and serve meals, snacks, hot drinks and cold refreshments safely and efficiently.
• Use tablet‑based ordering systems and learn how to follow dietary and allergen requirements.
• Prepare food and beverage trolleys, check temperatures and complete the required records.
• Maintain a clean, safe and hygienic ward kitchen and patient dining environment.
• Work closely with colleagues and clinical teams to provide a welcoming and respectful service.

Skills

Customer service

Communication

Teamwork

Willingness to learn

Job description

Ward Host Apprentice

Company: Serco Limited Salary: £12.92 per hour Hours: Full-time Location: Southampton, SO16 6YD Job type: Permanent Posting date: 11 Sept 2026 Closing date: 25 Sept 2026

Location: University Hospital Southampton, Hampshire, SO16 6YD

Salary: £12.92 per hour, plus excellent benefits

Schedule: Permanent contract, part-time (30 hours). Shifts vary by ward and may include early starts, evenings and weekends. Typical shift patterns may include 7am–2pm, 3pm–7pm and longer weekend shifts such as 7am–8pm.

Eligibility: Applicants must be aged 18-24 due to eligibility criteria for the apprenticeship.

Launch your career. Get qualified. Make a difference. Looking for your first step into the world of work? This could be a great place to start. As a Ward Host Apprentice, you'll be based at University Hospital Southampton, working as part of our Ward Patient Catering team while completing a Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship in Health & Social Care. Your apprenticeship will take around 8 months and is completed alongside your role, with time to study on‑job. You’ll gain hands‑on work experience every day, with dedicated time for study and learning as part of your apprenticeship. You’ll develop practical health and social care skills, as well as the employability skills and behaviours that can help you take your next step.

We’ll support you from day one with induction, role‑specific training, shadowing and competency assessments, as well as experienced colleagues who’ll help you build your confidence and skills.

If you’re ready to start earning, gain experience and build your future, we’d love to hear from you.

What you’ll do as a Ward Host Apprentice

• Speak with patients, take meal orders and help them understand the available menu choices
• Prepare and serve meals, snacks, hot drinks and cold refreshments safely and efficiently
• Use tablet‑based ordering systems and learn how to follow dietary and allergen requirements
• Prepare food and beverage trolleys, check temperatures and complete the required records
• Maintain a clean, safe and hygienic ward kitchen and patient dining environment
• Work closely with colleagues and clinical teams to provide a welcoming and respectful service

Does this sound like you?

• You’re friendly, approachable and comfortable speaking with different people
• You care about delivering a positive experience and treating everyone with dignity and respect
• You’re reliable, organised and able to work as part of a busy team
• You’re willing to learn, follow instructions and take responsibility for your development
• You understand that a hospital can be fast‑paced and emotionally challenging, and you’ll ask for support when you need it

What you’ll learn

You’ll begin with a structured induction covering Serco, the hospital environment, employee responsibilities, infection prevention and control, health and safety, safeguarding, customer service and communication. Your role‑specific training will include food hygiene, allergen awareness, nutrition, beverage trolley operation, meal ordering systems and tablet‑based ordering. You’ll also shadow experienced colleagues, receive feedback and coaching, and complete competency checks before working independently.

This apprenticeship is an opportunity to earn while you learn, develop transferable skills and gain experience in a busy healthcare environment. Whether this is your first job or your first step into hospitality and healthcare support, there’s space here for your ideas, your growth and your positive impact.

What we offer

• 25 days’ holiday plus bank holidays (and the option to buy up to five additional leave days each year)
• Up to 6% contributory pension scheme
• Over 1,100 internal courses available, funding for qualifications and apprenticeships (we currently offer over 60 different apprenticeships), mentoring opportunities, and a focus on internal progression.
• Employee Assistance Programme, Bupa Anytime HealthLine, wellbeing app, 30% off at Serco‑managed leisure centres, and 24/7 access to a virtual GP service
• Discounts across around 1,000 retailers, from food and clothing to days out, entertainment and travel
• Paid volunteering day, tax‑free charitable giving through Payroll Giving Scheme, donate your pennies from your monthly pay to the Serco People Fund Charity
• Our employee networks support connection by providing spaces for collaboration, learning, and belonging. They represent and empower all our colleagues including veterans, LGBTQIA+ employees, women, parents and carers, people with disabilities, and people from all cultural backgrounds.

Vetting and checks: This role is subject to a Standard Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. A Standard DBS check reveals both spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings held on the Police National Computer (PNC).

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

About Disability Confident

Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.