Sports Assistant Apprentice
The University of Reading
Reading (RG6 6DJ)
Closes in 15 days (Sunday 4 May 2025)
Posted on 9 April 2025
Contents
Summary
If you want to contribute to delivering an improved, impactful and inclusive sport and active wellbeing offer on an award-winning UK Green Flag campus, then we want to hear from you. You will form part of the Facilities & Operations team within the SportPark department, while completing the Customer Service Practitioner apprenticeship.
- Wage
-
£23,144 a year
- Training course
- Customer service practitioner (level 2)
- Hours
-
Shift pattern that covers early mornings on weekdays 6:30am-3pm and weekends 7am-2:30pm, and evenings on weekdays 2pm- 10:30pm and weekends 2pm- 9:30pm, as well as two weekends in every three.
36 hours a week
- Start date
-
Monday 16 June 2025
- Duration
-
1 year 3 months
- Positions available
-
2
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you’ll do at work
The Sports Assistant assists with the day-to-day operations and customer service of the SportsPark, as well as supporting the development and delivery of various sport and active wellbeing programmes across the university.
Your key responsibilities will include:
- To assist with the implementation of daily operational procedures and requirements, ensuring both industry and institutional compliance as well as the delivery of a high standard of customer service.
- To set up, inspect and take down a variety of sports facilities and associated equipment.
- To provide administrative and programming support to the Sport & Active Wellbeing team, working on events and projects as appropriate.
- To provide front-of-house support to members and users, as well as deal with enquiries to enable efficient customer service to take place.
- To carry out cleaning duties as necessary, ensuring a high level of cleanliness is maintained.
- To conduct regular inspections and patrols of the SportsPark, ensuring issues are recorded and tracked accordingly via appropriate operational software and systems.
- Ensure all Health & Safety procedures and legislation is followed appropriately.
- To support reception staff with customer queries and sales.
The postholder will report to the Sports Facilities Managers and will receive day to day supervision and guidance from the Sports Operations Coordinators within the Facilities & Operations team, as well as receive support from the Sport & Active Wellbeing Manager as appropriate.
Where you’ll work
Sports Park
Shinfield Road
Reading
RG6 6DJ
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
College or training organisation
HIT TRAINING LTD
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
More training information
Duration:
- 12 months practical period + 3 months EPA
Training:
- Online group sessions
- Online Portfolio with self-study
- 1 to 1 support from the trainer (in-person and online)
- Messaging and submission service that the learner can access 24/7
Essential training and development will also be provided as part of the role. You will learn key skills and complete training courses in customer service, health and safety, personal development and Information Technology.
There will also be additional learning opportunities through the SportPark directly by undertaking the Level 2 Gym Instructor qualification, as well as a range of personal and professional development courses through the university’s UoR Learn programme.
End Point Assessment:
- Apprentice showcase
- Practical observation
- Professional discussion
Qualification:
- Level 2 Customer Service Practitioner apprenticeship certificate
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 1/G or above)
- Maths (grade 1/G or above)
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
- Team working
- Initiative
- Interest in sport and fitness
Other requirements
You will be required to work on a shift pattern. You will be required to occasionally visit other university sport and fitness locations.
About this company
The University of Reading is a world-renowned institution, ranked 24th in the UK for 2025, and joint 169th in the QS World University Rankings in 2024. The University is 1st in the UK in the People & Planet University League and contributes £1billion to the UK economy. It has also just been awarded Sustainable University of the Year in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025. In addition, the University is well into delivering its three-year Sport & Active Wellbeing Vision, aimed at inspiring, growing and embedding sport and active wellbeing into the University and wider community.
https://sport.reading.ac.uk/ (opens in new tab)
Disability Confident
A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.
You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.
After this apprenticeship
Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, you will become eligible for progression from this role to a permanent Sports Assistant role (Grade 3).
In the future, there may then be opportunities to apply for a Sports Operations Coordinator role (Grade 4), leading to opportunities to apply for Facility Management and Operations Manager roles.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
The University of Reading
Samantha Sumner (Business & Operations Manager)
s.m.sumner@reading.ac.uk
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000314864.
Apply now
Closes in 15 days (Sunday 4 May 2025)
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