Democratic Services Apprentice
Job introduction
Would you like a chance to work within a political environment, and be involved in the heart of the decision-making process for the City? You will be working with the Leader of the Council, Councillors, the Chief Executive, Executive Directors and officers from all departments within the Council to support them in the democratic process. This is a wonderful opportunity to develop skills to provide you with the knowledge to pursue a career within political and democratic services.
Brighton & Hove City Council’s Democratic Services have an exciting opportunity for a Level 3 Business Admin apprentice. Democratic Services is responsible for supporting Councillors, and managing the decision-making process of the Council. This is an opportunity to work in a politically sensitive environment, supporting Councillors and officers.
The Business Administration at Level 3 is run by the Chichester College Group who is responsible for supporting you with your learning and carrying out assessments. Your role will be linked to the knowledge, skills and behaviours in the apprenticeship standard and once you are competent in all these areas you will take an End Pont Assessment before successfully completing. You will receive additional support from a nominated mentor, throughout the duration of the Apprenticeship.
The course will be delivered via online monthly workshops, with assessor meet/visits every 4-6 weeks, progress reviews every 8-12 weeks with other off the job learning during contracted hours. Face to face workshops may be possible if preferred.
What our previous apprentice says – “As somebody who had very little experience working in an office before last year – this apprenticeship allowed me to step right into the heart of the decision-making process in Brighton & Hove and provided me with all the skills necessary to effectively work in a political environment with officers, executive directors, and elected Councillors. The work itself is varied and exciting – one day you could be inaugurating the new mayor and the next you could be dealing with planning applications which forever reshape the skyline of our city.
It is difficult to communicate enough appreciation for the support I received from the Democratic Services team, the Council’s own apprenticeships team and of course Chichester College itself.
If you are interested in local politics, or just wanting to be a part of the mechanisms that govern our city, then this is definitely the apprenticeship for you – it truly is the best way to kickstart your career.”
For an informal discussion, please contact Anthony Soyinka - Head of Democratic Services on 07923442221.
Hear what our other apprentices have to say by watching this video
About the role
The apprentice will work in a politically sensitive environment, providing high quality administrative support to Councillors and officers within Democratic Services. The Team is responsible for a broad range of work, but its primary functions are supporting Councillors, administering committee meetings and convening school admission appeals. The successful candidate will be involved in all aspects of the team’s work, which would also include setting up and operating webcasting equipment so the public can view live meetings of the Council, providing administrative support for school appeal hearings, handling enquiries from the public, and maintaining the Councillor’s Register of Interest.
Flexible working is supported where possible, local government salary-related pension offered, a child care voucher scheme as well the benefits of gaining staff discounts around the City and through many of the UK’s largest retailers and accessing other services. As an Apprentice you are also eligible to gain an apprentice NUS card and can take advantage of the Catch the bus4work scheme and bus travel discounts with Brighton & Hove buses. See https://www.buses.co.uk/students
Entry Requirements
Please see the Essential Criteria listed in the Person Specification section of the Job Description for the particular requirements of this role.
Functional Skills
All Level 3 apprenticeships and above - Apprentices without evidence (a certificate) of level 2 English and Maths will need to achieve this level prior to completing training and you will also be required to take an English and Maths assessment prior to a formal offer being made.
Interviews: 12th May
Provisional Start Date: To be confirmed
Please note, your application will be shared with the training provider and an informal interview will take place with them to confirm eligibility prior to an offer being confirmed
Please declare your qualifications in the application as this may affect eligibility.
The duration of the apprenticeship will be up to 24 months and will be confirmed by the training provider on appointment (NB your contract will end on successful completion of the apprenticeship)
NB. This may be amended should you have any applicable prior learning.
Please read our Apply for a job at the council (brighton-hove.gov.uk) pages carefully. They give you all the guidance you need to complete your application as well as information on what will happen after you’ve submitted your application and at interview.
As part of your application, you will need to complete your education and work history and provide answers to some shortlisting questions. Your answers to the shortlisting questions are the most important part of your application as they will be used in the shortlisting process to assess whether you meet the essential requirements for the role that are set out in the person specification and to decide whether you should be offered an interview. Before you start your application, please read our guidance here (Shortlisting questions guidance (brighton-hove.gov.uk) as this gives important advice which will increase your chance of success in the shortlisting process.
This role is politically restricted. For further information on what this means for employees in post, please click on the document attachment below.
Additional information
Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is less than 37 hours or term-time only.
Work Permits: This role does not meet the requirement for UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) Points-based Immigration System. Successful candidates will need to evidence that they have the Right to Work in the UK.
In order to apply for an apprenticeship, you must have been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least the previous three years on the first day of the apprenticeship (or this includes EEA for UK or EEA Nationals with pre-settled or Settled Status) or have some other residency eligibility status. Please see Annex A of the latest employer funding rules: Apprenticeship funding rules - GOV.UK for a full list of residency categories and locations
If you are resident through a visa, leave to remain or other means please confirm type and that any expiry date covers the duration of the apprenticeship once it is due to start. Those on a student visa or non-UK/non EEA nationals who have been here in the last three years for other educational purposes may not be eligible. For further information regarding apprenticeship eligibility please see Annex A of the latest employer funding rules: Apprenticeship funding rules - GOV.UK.
Company information
Encouraging a diverse workforce
Our city is known and loved for its diversity. Not only is the mixture of people, culture and skills vital to the economic and social development of the city, it's what makes Brighton & Hove such a great place to live, work and visit. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. In order to achieve our aims of proportionate representation, we particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, male or trans.
Find out more about our commitment to being a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone can achieve their potential by reading about our fair and inclusive actions, our anti-racism strategy and the work we are doing to encourage a diverse workforce (brighton-hove.gov.uk).
For more information about our values and the benefits of working at the council, visit Why work for us (brighton-hove.gov.uk)