Business Support Apprentice - Placements Team

Are you organised, confident communicating with people, and looking to start your career in administration and business support?

We have an exciting opportunity for a Birmingham Care Leaver to join our Placements and Placements Commissioning Teams as a Business Support Apprentice.

This apprenticeship will provide valuable experience in a professional office environment while supporting services that help secure the right homes and placements for children and young people.

What You'll Be Doing

As a Business Support Apprentice, you will provide a range of administrative and business support activities, including:

• Supporting the Placements Team and Placements Commissioning Team with day-to-day administrative tasks.
• Supporting communications with providers and helping to organise and record attendance at provider forums.
• Assisting the Placements Team to manage and monitor vacancies across supported accommodation providers, children's homes and foster care agencies.
• Updating and maintaining placement intelligence logs and helping to ensure actions are completed and closed appropriately.
• Following up with social workers to gather feedback on placements.
• Booking and coordinating meeting rooms.
• Communicating with external providers across Birmingham to help improve our understanding and use of local children's homes and accommodation services.
• Building positive working relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for someone who:

• Is enthusiastic and eager to learn.
• Has good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Is confident speaking with people by telephone, email and in meetings.
• Can organise their work and pay attention to detail.
• Has basic IT skills and is willing to develop their knowledge further.
• Can work effectively as part of a team.

Skills You'll Develop

During this apprenticeship, you'll gain experience in:

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Forms
• Business administration and office processes
• Professional communication
• Data recording and information management
• Stakeholder and provider relationship management
• Teamwork and customer service

Why Apply?

This role offers a fantastic opportunity to gain recognised qualifications, develop valuable workplace skills and build a rewarding career while making a positive contribution to services supporting children and young people across Birmingham.

This vacancy is ringfenced for Birmingham Care Leavers. We actively encourage applications from young people aged 17.5 to 25, who have experience of care and are looking to take their first steps into a professional career.

We have been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted, following a 2023 inspection. This is a fantastic achievement for Birmingham Children's Trust, with many positive highlights focusing on areas including the quality of staff leadership, partnership working, safeguarding and corporate parenting.

This is a hybrid role based in Birmingham so you must have the correct right-to-work documents to work in the UK. Sadly, we do not support those who require sponsorship.

Onboarding Process Please note as part of our onboarding process, the successful candidate will be required undergo a series of background checks with Experian including Experian DBS, Experian Right to Work, and Digital ID verification. These are essential pre-employment requirements.
Our Benefits

• A generous annual leave package of 30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 5 years of service and 35 days after 10 years of service.
• Free on-site parking at our offices on One Avenue Road (Aston) and Lifford House (Stirchley). We also provide onsite electric car charging ports which are free to use!
• Full access to our amazing internal employee benefits scheme including, Occupational Health services, Rewards Schemes, Benefits discounts (including the Blue Light Card), Health & Fitness and Personal Wellbeing support and much more!
• Flexible and hybrid working policy - we are well adapted to a hybrid model of working which includes a combination of time spent in the office and at home and we offer a variety of working patterns.
• Pension Scheme - You will receive a generous local government career average pension scheme in line with the local government pension scheme.

Don't miss out! We reserve the right to close this vacancy early once we have received the required number of applications. To avoid disappointment, please submit your application and supporting statement at the earliest opportunity.

Benefits

Help us to change children and young people’s lives!

At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to making a positive impact on the lives of over 10,000 children and young people in our city every day. Our mission is to support the most disadvantaged children and young people in Birmingham, ensuring they are safe, happy, and healthy.

Why Join Us?

• Impactful Work - be part of a team that makes a real difference in the lives of the city’s most vulnerable children.
• Supportive Environment - enjoy a supportive and collaborative work culture where your contributions are valued.
• Career Development - benefit from tailored development programs, supportive supervision, and a range of learning opportunities to enhance your skills and advance your career.
• Generous Benefits - take advantage of our competitive reward package including generous leave allowance, Local Government pension scheme, and additional benefits.

Please note: We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. We therefore encourage you to submit your application and supporting statement as soon as possible to avoid missing out on this opportunity.

Our Values

We approach our work with care and compassion, actively listening to the needs of the children and young people we serve. We involve them in the decisions that affect their lives, ensuring their voices are heard and respected.

We are committed to using our resources wisely, ensuring that every penny is spent where it counts the most. We foster collaboration among schools, health professionals, and the police, working together to create a supportive network for our young people.

We believe that when we work as one cohesive team, the children and young people of Birmingham are more likely to thrive. Our unified approach ensures that we provide the best possible support and opportunities for their growth and development.

Join us and together, we can create a brighter future for all.

Safeguarding

At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

Depending on the role, you may be asked to undergo the appropriate level of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to assess your suitability for working with children and young people.

The level of check (Standard, Enhanced, or Enhanced with Barred List) is determined based on the specific responsibilities of the role and the level of contact with children and young people.

We are committed to the fair treatment of all applicants, including those with criminal records. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar an individual from working with us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of the offence.