Customer Service Apprentice

Summary

Make a difference and earn too! Strood Community Shop CIC is an independent charity retailer based in the town of Strood. In this retail opportunity you'll deliver tangible benefits to your community whilst delivering great customer service. You'll be able to see how working in our charity retail store brings real benefit to the community.

Annual wage: £11,648 a year
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Training course: Customer service practitioner (level 2)
Hours: 5 days over a 6 day period (Monday - Saturday). Shifts to be confirmed.
35 hours a week
Possible start date: Friday 8 November
Duration: 1 year 3 months
Positions available: 1

Work

As an apprentice, you’ll work at a company and get hands-on experience. You’ll gain new skills and work alongside experienced staff.

What you’ll do at work

Deliver excellent customer service
Contribute to the efficient operation of the shop and the generation of profits, which can be used for our charitable objectives
Ensure the shop is adequately stocked and merchandise is in a manner designed to attract customers
You’ll play an essential role to ensure our customers receive exemplary service every time they visit our store
You will be dealing with customers, answering queries, selling goods, handling payments and making sure that goods are attractively displayed
You’ll also work on our donations team, accepting donations from customers and processing them
You’ll develop an awareness of what our customers want and therefore select the best stock that is most likely to sell
You may also work on our delivery and collection services, working with the van driver to deliver larger items to customers
You’ll also be the first point of contact for people enquiring about our advice centre, these are likely to be vulnerable people and you’ll be capable of dealing with people in a sympathetic, non-judgemental manner
We employ a number of learning-disabled people in our shop, and you’ll work in a manner that reflects our values as an inclusive employer
You’ll ensure you work at all times in a manner that ensures the health and safety of both you, your colleagues and the general public.
You will also assist in delivering our community programmes such as Cuddle Corner, the advice service, school uniform bank and similar services.

Where you’ll work

60-68

HIGH STREET

STROOD

ROCHESTER

ME2 4AR

Training

An apprenticeship includes regular training with a college or other training organisation. At least 20% of your working hours will be spent training or studying.

College or training organisation

IPS INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

Your training course

Customer service practitioner (level 2)

Equal to GCSE

Course contents

Use a range of questioning skills, including listening and responding in a way that builds rapport, determines customer needs and expectations and achieves positive engagement and delivery.

Depending on your job role and work environment: Use appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication skills, along with summarising language during face-to-face communications; and/or

Depending on your job role and work environment: Use appropriate communication skills, along with reinforcement techniques (to confirm understanding) during non-facing customer interactions.

Depending on your job role and work environment: Use an appropriate ‘tone of voice’ in all communications, including written and digital, that reflect the organisation’s brand.

Provide clear explanations and offer options in order to help customers make choices that are mutually beneficial to both the customer and your organisation.

Be able to organise yourself, prioritise your own workload/activity and work to meet deadlines.

Demonstrate patience and calmness.

Show you understand the customer’s point of view.

Use appropriate sign-posting or resolution to meet your customers needs and manage expectations.

Maintain informative communication during service recovery.

Your training plan

Continuously develop their personal effectiveness and impact as a Customer Service Practitioner, increase knowledge and confidence to influence behaviours, consider Employment Rights and Responsibilities, gain the essential skills to aid career progression and receive support from a dedicated team of qualified Trainers.

For this Apprenticeship Standard, learners will benefit from the completion of the Level 2 BTEC Diploma in Customer Service and so the Apprentice is also required to successfully achieve three mandatory units which are completed by either online assessment or written assignment.

The completion of this qualification requires monthly visits from a qualified IPS Trainer to develop the Apprentice’s skills and progress the build of the Apprentice portfolio to prepare for End Point Assessment.

Requirements

Desirable qualifications

GCSE in:

Maths and English (grade pass)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

Communication skills
Customer care skills
Team working
Initiative
Polite
Willing to learn
Time Management

Other requirements

This apprenticeship has a 15-month duration and will include a mix of working and studying. The successful candidate(s) are expected to complete the full programme for the entire duration. Enrolment onto your apprenticeship programme is subject to prior attainment checks, and your Personal Learning Record will be reviewed upon successful appointment. We are also obligated to follow the guidelines around eligibility, set out by the government apprenticeship funding rules. NB: Please include minimum qualifications (GCSE Maths and English grades) in your apprenticeship application. Tailor your application to the vacancy, dedicating 1-2 paragraphs for each question to demonstrate interest in the role and the company. **If you are unsuccessful, you will be automatically added to our Talentpool list where future vacancies will be sent to you. If you would like to opt out of this mailing list please select unsubscribe in the email.**

About this company

Strood Community Enterprises is a charity retailer. Strood Community Shop CIC was set up to do one thing: make life better for everyone in Strood. Our Vision - the community of Strood is somewhere people from all walks of life can thrive, prosper and achieve in whichever way they choose. Our Mission - We want Strood to be a place where everyone can belong. We want to break down the barriers to achievement among young people and help build their confidence so they can thrive. We want to build the confidence of young people. We believe that isolation and loneliness is a pandemic all of its own, and we want to bring our community together and connect people, and support them to improve their mental health. We’ll focus on people who need our help most but provide a service to everyone. We’ll work with other charities that are trying to help the same community, particularly when they are specialists in what they do, and use our resources to help them. Strood Community Shop CIC will primarily serve people who live and work in Strood and its surrounding areas. But we also recognise that Strood is a crossroads which many people pass through every day. So people come to Strood for all manner of reasons and therefore we will strive to serve more than just our primary community. We are tackling three priority areas at the moment, young people, social isolation and mental health. We use the shop in Strood town centre as the foundation on which we can build our services. The shop provides the location which will exist for as long as people continue to support us.

https://strood.org/ (opens in new tab)

After this apprenticeship

Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship there is a chance for a permanent position.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

IPS INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

Mandy Rai

mandyrai@ips-international.com

01634298808

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000280421.

Apply now

Closes in 11 days (Sunday 3 November at 11:59pm)

When you apply, you’ll be asked to sign in with a GOV.UK One Login. You can create one at the same time as applying for this apprenticeship.

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