Apprentice Customer Services Assistant

Are you ready to take the first step into a rewarding career in Customer Services? Would you like to work within a friendly and supportive team who values your growth and development? Our Library team at Harlow are now recruiting for a confident, organised and enthusiastic individual, with a passion in providing excellent customer service to join their team as a Customer Services Apprentice. With comprehensive support throughout the apprenticeship leading to a nationally recognised qualification, this could be the perfect opportunity to kickstart your career!

Please note that this role will require you to work on site and will include some weekend working.

The estimated start date for this role will be mid August 2025.

Benefits:

• Healthy work life balance.
• 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.
• Up to 4 days per year Volunteering leave.
• Complete a Level 2 Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship to earn a nationally recognised qualification.

Essex County Council is proud to offer an excellent benefits package to all its employees. More information can be found here pay and reward .

What our Apprentice’s say:

“My apprenticeship experience has been a really valuable way to learn real life skills whilst engaging in a real work environment. There is so much variety to the work and no day is the same. I was initially sceptical about taking on an apprenticeship, but I feel they are the future of getting into work.”

“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:

As an Apprentice Customer Services Assistant, you will provide a high level of customer service, working with a wide range of customers, volunteers, stakeholders and partners.

The role will involve welcoming and interacting with customers and identifying their individual needs. As an Apprentice, you will actively seek to meet those needs, providing a quality service which enables customers to make full use of the facilities available.

This position will predominantly be based in Harlow Library, with the occasional need to travel to another library.

About You:

You will:

• Have a good level of computer literacy with MS office and the ability to learn and operate in-house systems and processes quickly.
• Be able to work with a high level of speed and accuracy including experience of handling confidential and sensitive information.
• Be able to communicate confidently and tailor your communication to meet the needs of the audience.
• Be able to use your own initiative and work effectively as part of a team to resolve problems and meet desired outcomes.
• Have an awareness of the services which public libraries, registration and the coroners service currently offer to customers.
• Be able to understand the need to deliver a service which has our customers as the focus of activities. Therefore, experience working in a busy, customer facing environment would be an advantage.

Essential Requirements for the role:

• You will need to be 16 years of age at the start of the apprenticeship.
• You will need to have the right to work and study in England.
• You will have been ordinarily resident in the UK or EEA for three years before the apprenticeship start date.
• You cannot have previously completed a qualification that is Level 2 or above in field that is related to Customer Services.
• As apprentices have employed status you must have the right to permanently live, work and study in the UK. Apprenticeships are not covered by student visas.

Please note that we must be provided with your education certificates 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 – you can find more information here Statement of Comparability (enic.org.uk).

What will you be doing?

• Understand the needs of customers and deliver the best possible outcomes through excellent customer service.
• Provide support and training to customers using information communications technology (ICT) equipment and software.
• Answer telephone enquiries from customers promptly (including operation of a switchboard where appropriate), providing accurate information – including referral to other services as appropriate - in a timely fashion.
• Oversee and provide customers with guidance in the use of self-service equipment.
• Comply with the individual responsibilities for Health Safety & Welfare in the workplace, including ensuring safeguarding children, in accordance with work role.
• Undertake all stock circulation and management procedures, including sorting, shelving and tidying of returned material, reservations, fines, membership and similar activities.
• Contribute to promotional activities, marketing and display work and the achievement of agreed targets for income generation.
• Contribute to the compilation of statistical returns, and any other general administrative duties.
• Responsible for locking and unlocking, as necessary, acting as keyholder.
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

Why Essex?

To read more about us please visit:

Climate, Environment and Customer Services - Working for Essex

Entry to work - Working for Essex

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex . With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles , including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

How to apply:

Start your journey within the Essex Libraries Team by clicking the APPLY button now!

If you are interested in finding out more about this role or require further information, we would love to hear from you. Please email: work.placements@essex.gov.uk .

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service .

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community .

Additional Information:

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email work.placements@essex.gov.uk

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