Position Details:
College of Social Sciences
Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary £20,782 per annum rising to £25,977 after 12 months service.
Apprentice Grade 3
Full Time
Fixed term contract for 15 months
Apprenticeship Standard: Facilities Services Operative Level 2
Training Provider: Mercury Training
Closing Date - 31 May 2026. Please upload a CV with your application.
Eligibility: The training delivered in apprenticeships is funded through the apprenticeship levy which is subject to Department for Education funding rules for apprenticeships. When reviewing applications the University and the training provider will be checking candidates meet this eligibility criteria Further information is available on our webpage
You have normally been a resident in the UK for the last 3 years. For exemptions please refer to the government funding rules for apprenticeships.
Our offer to you
People are at the heart of what we are and do.
The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.
We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.
We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.
Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.
The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.
Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham
Apprenticeship summary
Thisapprenticeshipisanexcitingopportunitytowork within the College of Social Sciences and College of Arts and Law and isdesignedto provide a wide range offacilities experience.
You will learntosupportthe effective running ofthe busy College facilities department providingsupportacrossall Collegefacilities comprisingabroad varietyofactivities. Theroleisnecessarilybroadinscopeandthepost-holderwillhave theopportunityofexperiencingandlearningabouteveryaspectofCollege facilities including spacemanagement,building maintenanceand health and safetyTherole will include day-to-day facilities assistance, office duties,andbasicprojectadministration with scope tolearn new areas astheapprenticeship progresses The apprenticeship is linked to professional registration with the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management.
Thepost- holderwillbenefitfromworkinginahighly-supportiveenvironmentwithaccesstopeersand seniorcolleagueswho will mentorandencouragepersonaland professionaldevelopment.
About the Colleges
The College of Social Sciences (CoSS) and College of Arts and Law (CAL) have a vibrant community with over 18,000 students, nearly 2000 staff comprised of academics and Professional Services staff across a range of disciplines and interdisciplinary fields. We have a highly diverse international staff body and take pride in our inclusive ethos, and we teach programmes in Dubai, Singapore and online as well as in Birmingham, and we have over 100,000 alumni in more than 185 countries.
The Facilities Team are based on Edgbaston Campus, working in an agile manner across several areas within the University. We work closely with our business partners to deliver a professional service to our building users. We aspire to implement industry FM (Facilities Management) standards across our Estate and we are looking to develop our digital skills and technologies to enhance End User experience.
Main duties the apprentice will learn
The apprenticewill be learningand developingskillsinthe followingareas
Fielding and dealing with staff, student and visitor queries
Assigningaccessvia IDcards
Reporting repairsvia thecentral Estatesteamand tracking maintenance requests
Coordinatekeymanagementprocess,thiswill involve setting upa spreadsheetand creatingakey logforupdating /tracking
Coordinating small office moves which will include arranging telephoneand PC moves
Ensure the office is tidy and delivered items are cleared away promptly
Participate in safety and environmental related activities as directed by manager
Communicate and collaborate with internal and external colleagues / services (e.g. Security, cleaning, engineers, contractors etc) including academic and professional services colleagues across the College and University.
Somediarymanagementorsupportin establishing suitable venuesandtimesfor meetings
Provision ofgeneral administrative support
As required, assist with printing, scanning, collating and laminating of documents
Order and distribute stationery/keys and maintain office stock levels
This apprenticeship would suit
A proactive individualwilling to learnhowtojugglemultipletasks
A goodcommunicatorand with the abilityto developgood working relationships with a rangeofacademicandnon-academiccolleagues
An enthusiasticperson with awillingnesstogothe extramile
Someone with an attention todetail
A confidentperson,willing togetinvolved in newactivities and who isnotafraidto askforhelpwhen they’re notsure
Someone who ishappy to balance routine office workwith more ad-hocactivities within the College
Required, skills, knowledge and experience
An abilityto communicate appropriatelywith colleaguesofall levelsboth in verbal and in writtenform
Competency in digital skills usingMS Teams, Wordand basicfunctionson MS Excel and PowerPoint
Confidentand inquisitive– with adesire to learnand develop within therole.
Someexperience andorunderstandingoftheexpectationsofworkingina professionalofficeenvironment
Career Pathway
Facilities Assistant
Office support or administrator
University Administrator
For enquiries please email: apprenticeships@contacts.bham.ac.uk
View our staff values and behaviours here
Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.
We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website
