Executive Support Apprentice
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Company: UK Research and Innovation
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Location: Wiltshire, SN2 1PL
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Type: Apprenticeship
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Salary: £19,514.00 per year
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Sector: Business and administration
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Ref: NAS-2000038105
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Application Deadline Date: 12/07/2026
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Start Date: 01/09/2026
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Positions Available: 1
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Working Week: Monday to Friday, working hours TBC
Brief Description
Are you highly organised, enjoy working with others, and have an interest in how senior leaders and teams operate? Join UKRI as an Executive Support Apprentice and develop key skills in administration, communication, and coordination within the External Affairs and Communications Private Office.
Training to be Provided
The apprenticeship is delivered in partnership with New College Swindon over 18-21 months. The first 15-18 months form the ‘practical period’, combining on- and off-the-job training with New College Swindon and UKRI to develop and apply the required Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours of the Level 3 Business Administrator Apprenticeship. This includes attendance at a blend of in-person and virtual facilitated workshops throughout the practical period.
In the final 3-months of the apprenticeship, learners will undertake and lead a work-based improvement project, deliver a presentation on the project, complete a Knowledge Test, and take part in a professional discussion underpinned by a work-based portfolio as part of the End Point Assessment.
Future Prospects
You’ll gain hands on experience in prioritisation, communication, professional judgement, and coordination, all essential skills for progressing within the Private Office.
Vacancy Detail
This is a key role within a small, friendly, and high performing team at the heart of the directorate, providing direct support to senior leaders and contributing to the smooth running of the office while supporting the delivery of effective communications across UKRI. The apprenticeship offers a structured opportunity for someone organised and curious to develop strong professional skills in administration, communication, and coordination, with full support provided throughout to build experience, confidence, and an understanding of how a major public organisation operates.
As a Private Office Administration Apprentice, you will:
- Support Deputy Directors of Communication by helping to manage their diaries and scheduling meetings, visits, and events
- Work with Private Secretaries to help prepare senior leaders for their commitments and understand how to prioritise effectively
- Arrange domestic and international travel, working with internal and external partners to identify the most efficient options
- Help maintain the team’s SharePoint site, ensuring documents, processes, and resources are well organised and easy to find
- Assist with risk management, corporate compliance, and directorate wide activities as needed
- Contribute to planning and delivery of team events, including directorate Away Days
- Support colleagues across the Private Office to ensure the team operates smoothly, professionally, and collaboratively
Other Information
To be eligible to be considered for the apprenticeship programme you must:
- Have evidence of 2 GCSE including maths and English GCSE at grade 4/C or above (or equivalent i.e. Level 2 Functional Skills)
- Have lived in the UK and/or EU for 3 consecutive years prior to the apprentice start date. Please check your eligibility here
- Confirm that this apprenticeship offers substantive new skills and knowledge and that you have not already achieved an equivalent or higher-level qualification in a similar or related subject
As part of our shortlisting process, we may be required to determine your eligibility to undertake the programme based on the information provided within your application. By applying for this apprenticeship, you are giving permission for your details to be shared with the relevant training provider.
As this job does not fulfil the UK Government minimum criterion for obtaining sponsored migrant worker status, we will be unable to apply for sponsorship for anyone not eligible to work in the UK. At interview, all shortlisted candidates are required to bring with them identification documents and original documents that prove they hold or can obtain the right to work in the UK. You can check your eligibility here: https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa/y