Job details

Description

This role has a starting salary of £ £23,322 per annum, based on a 36-hour working week. This role is a 24-month fixed term apprenticeship opportunity.

We are excited to be recruiting a Level 3 Business Administration Apprentice for the fantastic User Voice and Participation team at Surrey County Council. We promote agile working as a team, and we split our time between working from home and working in the office (at least 2 days per week).

We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer of first choice reflecting the community we serve and welcome applications from all underrepresented groups, including those with EHCP's, additional needs or those who are care experienced.

Rewards and Benefits

• The chance to get paid to learn and use your own personal talents to shape your future
• 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About Us

As the User Voice and Participation Team, we work with children and young people to ensure they have their voices heard in the services that they access in Surrey. We run Surrey Youth Voice which is a partnership between us as the User Voice and Participation Team and young people in Surrey. There are a variety of ways we engage with young people, for example through participation groups, digital engagement, and events.

Participation means taking part in something. In our experience, participation not only helps shape communities and services, but participation also supports children and young people build self-belief and develop important life skills such as independence. We listen to children and young people's feedback to get a real understanding of what is and isn't working in Surrey services, including health, social care, and education. 

This role will primarily support the emotional wellbeing and mental health workstream within the team. The workstream runs a participation group called Consulting Youth Advisors (CYA) who are a group of young people passionate about improving emotional wellbeing and mental health services in Surrey. They come together to share their views on all things emotional wellbeing and mental health, with the aim of creating positive change. This role will also be supporting a really exciting peer led research programme where young people will learn social research skills and conduct their own research within the topic of mental health. This role will be supporting the youth researchers and amplifying their findings to make positive change.

About your Apprenticeship

We want this apprenticeship to be an opportunity for you to gain experience across a wide range of duties putting you in the best position to succeed in your apprenticeship qualification and take the first steps on your career journey! In this role, you will:

• Build positive relationships with young people, supporting young people to feel comfortable and share their views on emotional wellbeing and mental health services to make positive change
• Support the organisation of fun and engaging participation groups. This includes building positive relationships, recruiting young people, preparing agendas and creating engaging participation activities 
• Prepare engaging communications such as emails, blogs and social media content to promote the work of the emotional wellbeing and mental health workstream
• Attend engagement events to promote the work of the wider User Voice and Participation team and hear feedback from young people that do not attend Surrey Youth Voice participation groups
• Prepare engaging resources that support young people to have their voices heard and get involved
• Support the In Our Own Words peer-led youth research programme, supporting young people with their own mental health research 

We won't be expecting you to jump in and be able to do this all from day one. You'll first go through an induction period allowing you to get used to the office and the team. As you gain more confidence in your role, you'll be supported to do more and more!

The learning side of your apprenticeship will be delivered by Surrey Adult Learning. As you progress through your course, you'll have 1 day a week that will be dedicated to your apprenticeship studies. 

As your qualification comes to an end and you begin to turn your eye to the future, we have a fantastic support programme in place that will put you in the best position to take the next step on your exciting career journey. Our desire is for all our apprenticeships to be the first step on a long and successful career journey within SCC.

Application Questions

Applying with us is simple! We aren't asking for a CV; all we ask is that you answer a few questions about yourself and the role you're applying for to see if this job is a good match for you! They will be: 

1. What excites you about applying for this apprenticeship?
2. Tell us about a time when you took the initiative to learn something new outside of education. It could be a hobby, skill, or subject that interested you. How did you go about learning it? What did you gain from the experience? Did you come up against any challenges?
3. Describe a team project or group activity you were involved in. What was your role and how did you contribute to the team's success? Did you come up against any obstacles? How did you overcome them?
4. What motivates you to get involved in projects that aim to make positive change for young people?

Please note: This apprenticeship is only available for those who will not be enrolled in another government funded programme as of 1st September 2025 and do not possess a qualification at a higher or the same level as this one in the same subject. If you have any questions regarding your eligibility please contact recruit@surreycc.gov.uk.

If you do not hold an English and Maths GCSE graded A-C or 4-9, you will be required to complete these in addition to the apprenticeship. Additional tutoring and support will be provided.

Contact Us 

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.

For an informal discussion please contact Ellie Fountain by e-mail or telephone at Eleanor.fountain@surreycc.gov.uk / 07977 098012.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 31st August 2025with interviews planned for early September 2025.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Local Government Reorganisation

Surrey County Council is preparing for Local Government Reorganisation which will allow us to implement the Government led policy of devolution, which is all about giving more powers to local areas. 

Currently, Surrey has a two-tier council system, with 11 district and borough councils and a county council, all responsible for different services. All these councils will be reorganised into a smaller number of new unitary councils which will come into effect in April 2027. At this point, this role will be transferred, with all existing terms and conditions intact into one of the new unitary councils. 

Join our dynamic team and shape the future of local government. Make a lasting impact with innovative solutions and improved services for our community. Help us build a brighter future for our residents! Please see more information here: Information for applicants on Local Government Reorganisation - Surrey County Council.

Our Behaviours

The Surrey Way behaviours are a guide that supports our council to work together effectively and deliver our best for our customers and communities, and for each other. Discover more about ourbehaviours.

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description. Our Life at Surrey handbook also provides insights of the culture at Surrey and how as a valued employee, you can help shape our Council.

Our Commitment 

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applicants where: 

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application 
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form 

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.

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