What’s in it for you? This is a great opportunity if you have recently left university or school and are interested in starting a career in Local Government, or if you are looking to advance your career in Local Government administration. As an Apprentice Democratic Services Officer, you will join an experienced team of professional officers who will help to support and guide you as you progress in the role to ensure the delivery of a high-quality customer focused service to councillors and members of the public. This is an excellent opportunity to gain exposure to the decision-making processes in a Local Government environment and will provide you with the opportunity to develop your skills and knowledge to progress your own personal development. You will work towards completing a Level 3 Business Administration Apprenticeship. Our apprenticeships are designed to give you the hands-on experience needed in a real job that brings out the best in you, with real responsibilities, real challenges, real projects and scope to grow your career. Once you have successfully completed your 18-month apprenticeship you will join the team as a full time Democratic Services Officer on a permanent contract at Grade 8, £26,421 - £30,296 (pay award pending). Apprenticeships are for anyone of any age, we welcome applications from applicants who have chosen not to attend university, university leavers or from those working in administration looking for a career opportunity in Local Government. What You Will Be Doing You will be part of the Democratic Services Team providing administrative support to all of the council’s formal committee meetings and informal working groups. You will work on a variety of tasks including: Organising meetings, publishing agendas and taking minutes Dealing with communications from councillors, members of public and council officers Using MS Teams to deliver hybrid committee meetings and facilitate remote attendance at meetings Under supervision and guidance you will assist with being a point of contact for Councillors, officers and members of the public (answering the telephone and responding to emails), meeting coordination & management, preparing and distributing agendas, minute taking. About You You will be a proactive, organised individual with good attention to detail, strong communication skills and a keen interest to learn You will have good working knowledge and experience of using a wide range of IT applications including Microsoft Outlook, Word and Teams with a positive ‘can do’ attitude. You will work with colleagues to deliver services efficiently and resolve problems that arise. You will be able to prioritise and work to deadlines as well as working on your own initiative and as part of a team. Ideally you will possess the skills to deal with difficult people sensitively and assertively.