This role has a starting salary of £23,576 per annum, based on a 36 hour working week. This role is a 24-month fixed term apprenticeship opportunity.
We're excited to be hiring a new Level 4 Public Relations and Communications Apprentice within Surrey County Council's Corporate Communications team.
Our headquarters is Woodhatch Place in Reigate, but we work from multiple locations across the county. This job also allows you to work from home and occasionally out and about across the county with at least 2 days in an office per week. This apprenticeship will give you exposure to multiple areas of local government communications, a great way to build your skills and experience.
We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer of first choice, reflecting the community we serve and welcome applications from all underrepresented groups, particularly those who may have care experience and/or additional needs, and disabilities, and/or have accessed emotional wellbeing and mental health services.
Rewards and Benefits
- 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years' service
- Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
- An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
- Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
- Paternity, adoption and dependants leave
- A generous local government salary related pension
- Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
- 2 paid volunteering days plus 1 team volunteering day per year
- Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
About Us
We are a forward-thinking communications team, always looking to try new things and stay at the forefront of modern communications techniques and channels.
The communications service works with the leadership of the council to promote the aims and achievements of the council to residents, partners, and key stakeholders. This service plays a key role in liaising with stakeholders both within the council and externally, ensuring the delivery of high-quality communications service that promotes the needs of individual services of the council. Members of our team come from a diverse range of backgrounds, with communications experience in a range of disciplines.
Please note: This apprenticeship is only available for those who will not be enrolled in another government funded programme as of 1st September 2024 and do not possess a qualification at a higher or the same level as this one in the same subject.
About your Apprenticeship
We want this apprenticeship to be an opportunity for you to gain experience across a wide range of duties putting you in the best position to succeed in your apprenticeship qualification and take the first steps on your career journey! In this role, you will:
- Create fun and engaging content for our social media channels, supporting a range of campaigns
- Look for opportunities to promote positive stories about the work of the council across various digital platforms
- Liaise, communicate, and build relationships with other internal departments and partner organisations
- Support the handling of media relations with support of wider Comms service
- Develop strong writing and editing skills across a range of media, including digital, to ensure a high quality of publicity material
We won't be expecting you to jump in and be able to do this all from day one. You'll first go through an induction period allowing you to get used to the office and the team.
As your qualification comes to an end and you begin to turn your eye to the future, we have a fantastic support programme in place that will put you in the best position to take the next step on your exciting career journey.
If you do not hold an English and Maths GCSE graded A-C or 4-9, you will be required to complete these in addition to the apprenticeship in order to achieve the apprenticeship qualification. Additional tutoring and support will be provided.
Applying with us is simple! We aren't asking for a CV; all we ask is that you answer a few questions about yourself and the role you're applying for to see if this job is a good match for you! They will be:?
- What excites you about applying for this apprenticeship?
- Tell us about a time when you took the initiative to learn something new outside of education. It could be a hobby, skill, or subject that interested you. How did you go about learning it? What did you gain from the experience? Did you come up against any challenges?
- Describe a team project or group activity you were involved in. What was your role and how did you contribute to the team's success? Did you come up against any obstacles? How did you overcome them?
- We work in a fast-paced team with demanding clients and deadlines, juggling many projects at a time. How do you prioritise your work and what do you do if you're struggling to keep up??
- How would you create social media content to engage with residents in Surrey?
Please see the Public Relations Communications Assistant Apprenticeship Standard before applying, linked on our website.
Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment. The job advert closes at 23:59 on 28/07/2024 with interviews to follow.
Our Commitment
Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applications where:
- The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
- The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form
Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.