Reception and Apprenticeship Administrator

Bedford ESOL; Kempston; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 27,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days annual leave plus bank holiday

People’s Pension

Retail and Leisure Discounts

Accessing college courses

Job summary

Bedford College Group is seeking a Reception and Apprenticeship Administrator at Kempston Campus. The role focuses on front-of-house reception, student administration, and administrative support to the Apprenticeships Directorate.

You will ensure smooth day-to-day operations, manage enquiries, and assist with events while upholding safeguarding and college policies. The post requires GCSE English and Maths, strong customer service, and willingness to travel between campuses where required.

Qualifications

• GCSE English and Maths (Grade A*-C/9-4 or equivalent), with experience in customer service, reception/front-of-house environments, email communication and handling challenging situations professionally to achieve positive outcomes.
• Friendly, welcoming and customer-focused with excellent face-to-face, telephone and written communication skills.
• Able to maintain accurate records and work effectively within a team in a busy environment.

Responsibilities

• Front of House Customer Service - deliver a professional, friendly reception service to visitors, students and staff.
• Reception & Operational Support - manage day-to-day front desk operations, sign-in, inquiries, IDs, parking, post and cash handling.
• Student & Learner Administration - prepare course-related documentation and direct learners to classrooms.
• Administrative & Team Support - assist Apprenticeship Directorate with attendance monitoring and coordination.
• Compliance, Events & Professional Development - support Open Days and Enrolment and promote safeguarding and wellbeing.

Skills

Customer service

Reception

Communication

Record keeping

Teamwork

Education

GCSE English & Maths

Job description

Role: Reception and Apprenticeship Administrator

Location: Bedford College - Kempston Campus

Salary/Benefits: Salary is between £23,557 and £26,754 per annum DOE and Qualifications, 27 days annual leave plus Bank holidays,People’s Pension, Retail and Leisure Discounts, excellent professional and personal development opportunities, accessing college courses.

Hours/Weeks: 37 Hours / 52 Weeks

Contract Type: Permanent – Full Time

This is a UK based contract, and you are required to have the Right to Work in the UK. Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer sponsorship and any offer of employment will be subject to evidence of your Right to Work in the UK.

About the role:

We are currently seeking a Reception and Apprenticeship Administrator to join our Apprenticeships department at The Bedford College Group.

As a Reception and Apprenticeship Administrator, you play an important role in the success of our students through:

• Front of House Customer Service - Deliver a professional, friendly and customer-focused reception service, acting as the main point of contact for visitors, students, staff and external customers while upholding service standards and the College’s reputation.
• Reception & Operational Support - Manage day-to-day front desk operations including visitor sign-in procedures, telephone and email enquiries, student/staff ID cards, parking permits, lost property, post distribution, cash handling and maintaining a safe, organised reception area.
• Student & Learner Administration - Provide frontline support to students by preparing course-related documentation, directing learners to classrooms, maintaining records, processing requests and ensuring customer interactions comply with College policies and procedures.
• Administrative & Team Support - Assist the Apprenticeship Directorate with administrative tasks such as attendance monitoring, EPA booking coordination, register accuracy, correspondence, cross-department communication and other duties delegated by management.
• Compliance, Events & Professional Development - Support Group events including Open Days and Enrolment, attend training activities, and actively promote safeguarding, equality, diversity and inclusion, health and safety, and continuous professional development in line with College policies.

About you:

• Qualifications & Experience - GCSE English and Maths (Grade A*-C/9-4 or equivalent), with experience in customer service, reception/front-of-house environments, email communication and handling challenging situations professionally to achieve positive outcomes.
• Customer Service & Communication Skills - Friendly, welcoming and customer-focused, with excellent face-to-face, telephone and written communication skills, a polite telephone manner and a commitment to creating a positive learning and working environment.
• Organisation & Teamwork - Able to maintain accurate records, prioritise workloads, work effectively within a team, liaise with others and perform efficiently in a busy, open-plan environment with fluctuating demands.
• Professionalism & Compliance - Demonstrates professional behaviour and appearance, works within policies and procedures, promotes safeguarding, maintains appropriate boundaries, supports health and safety requirements and upholds organisational values and reputation.
• Flexibility & Development - Committed to continuous learning and development, adaptable to changing work demands, willing to work evenings and occasional Saturdays, and able to travel independently between campuses as required.

For a more detailed breakdown of the job role and the requirements, please see the Job Description attached to this vacancy.

Interviews to be held: TBC

Successful candidates must also be able to demonstrate alignment to our organisational VISION values:

• Valuing Teamwork - We are one team who by working together can achieve great things, respecting the opinion and valuing the contribution each of us makes.
• Improving Continuously - We challenge ourselves to always do better by trying new things, sharing knowledge, reflecting on practice and learning from others.
• Student Centred - At our heart is always doing what is best for our students. We consider students in all of our decision making to create positive outcomes and memorable experiences for every student.
• Inclusive - We celebrate differences and diversity, recognising that we can learn from each other.
• Open and Caring - We care about the wellbeing of our staff, our students, our community and wider society, creating an environment built on trust where we listen, engage with and support each other.
• Nurturing Education Excellence - We promote educational excellence by delivering programmes that challenge our students to achieve their ambitions.

About The Bedford College Group

The Bedford College Group was formed in 2017 following the merger of Bedford College and Tresham College and is now the largest provider of education in the South East Midlands, with over 15,000 students passing through our doors each year.

Today, the Group is made up of a family of colleges across Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire:Bedford College, Central Bedfordshire College andTreshamCollegein the towns of Bedford, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough;ShuttleworthCollege,a specialist land-based college; The Bedford Sixth Form, (the only dedicated sixth form in Bedford); The Corby Sixth Form, (opened in September 2023); and the National College for MotorsportalongsideSilverstonerace circuit.To widen accessibility to education and training, the Group also has community-based Learning Centres in Bedford, Corby and Kettering which offer IT training.

Safeguarding our Students

The Bedford College Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to thorough vetting process which includes, an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide. The Bedford College Group's policy on Employment of Ex-Offenders is attached to this vacancy.

Candidates who are barred from working with children are reminded it is a criminal offence to apply for this post.