Level 3 Apprenticeship – Business Administrator

Course Overview

Apprenticeships are a popular choice for people aged 16 or above, looking for on the job training and the opportunity to gain nationally-recognised qualifications whilst earning a wage. Most of your training will be directly linked to the career you have chosen, gaining practical experience in the workplace.

Entry Requirements

You will need to have achieved GCSEs at grade 9 – 4 (or comparable qualification) in English and maths. Please note, you will also be required to undertake an initial assessment prior to enrolment in order to assess your current level of English and maths. Your interviewer will discuss with you what minimum level you will need to achieve at initial assessment.

Whilst your technical skills and knowledge will develop over the course of your Apprenticeship you will also need to demonstrate to potential employers that you possess the relevant skills and personal qualities and are willing to work and learn.

To begin this course you must be eligible to work within England or the European Economic Area (EEC) and be employed for a minimum of 30 hours in a relevant job role and be able to attend college on a part-time basis. Your employer must commit to supporting you throughout your apprenticeship and provide on-the-job learning as well as your college based off-the-job learning.

If you do not have an employer to support your apprenticeship the college will support you to find an employer through our dedicated employer support team.

Please note that all apprenticeships are subject to availability of space.

What the course covers

Business administrators have a highly transferable set of knowledge, skills and behaviours that can be applied in all industries. The role may involve working independently or as part of a team and will involve developing, implementing, maintaining and improving administrative services. Business administrators develop key skills and behaviours to support their own progression towards management responsibilities.

The responsibilities of the role are to support and engage with different parts of the organisation and interact with internal or external customers. With a focus on adding value, the role of business administrator contributes to the efficiency of an organisation, through support of functional areas, working across teams and resolving issues as requested. The flexibility and responsiveness required allows the apprentice to develop a wide range of skills.

The business administrator is expected to deliver their responsibilities efficiently and with integrity : showing a positive attitude. The role involves demonstrating strong communication skills (both written and verbal) and adopting a proactive approach to developing skills. The business administrator is also expected to show initiative, managing priorities and own time, problem-solving skills, decision-making and the potential for people management responsibilities through mentoring or coaching others.

The apprenticeship includes:

• Skills – IT, record and document production, decision making, interpersonal skills, communications, quality, project management, planning and organisation.
• Knowledge – the organisation, value of their skills, stakeholders, relevant regulation, policies, business fundamentals, processes and external environment factors.
• Behaviours – professionalism, personal qualities, managing performance, adaptability and responsibility.

End Point Assessment

Summary of Assessment

Assessment methods
The End Point Assessment (EPA) consists of three elements, all of which may be completed online. All assessment methods need to be passed. Each assessment method should directly assess the knowledge, skills and behaviours of the Standard. The assessor has the final decision.

Knowledge Test:
The apprentice undertakes a multi-choice test to last a maximum of 60 minutes and include 50 equally weighted multi-choice questions with four possible answers each. The assessment should typically be passed before the apprentice progresses to the interview and presentation. The test is to be completed online and requires invigilating.

Portfolio-based Interview:
The interview is for 30-45 minutes and graded by the Independent End-point Assessment Organisation (EPAO). The Portfolio of Learning provides a structure for this conversation. The Portfolio should provide at least one piece of evidence for each of the minimum KSBs outlined in the Assessment Methods and Grading annexed table. This should be submitted to the EPAO a month prior to interview. Evidence is gathered on-programme and the employer should facilitate this through relevant tasks and support, as outlined in the annexed table. The training provider should support where needed. The employer and training provider should review the Portfolio with the apprentice and make a judgement on whether they should be progressed to EPA.

The interview assesses understanding and learning shown in the Portfolio; the Portfolio is not directly assessed.
The interview assesses:

• understanding of the portfolio to validate competence shown
• self-reflection of performance, demonstrating knowledge and how appropriate skills and behaviours have been applied
• judgement and understanding to explain appropriate examples.

The Portfolio of Learning contains evidence of:

• a minimum of 8-12 pages is expected for consistency
• at least one of each of the minimum knowledge, skills and behaviours as outlined in the annexed Methods and Grading table
• practical observation and/or evaluation by the employer to be included, such as acknowledgement of a skill shown or evidencing work completed on a particular project with manager comments, which is then discussed at interview
• Note: the portfolio is not directly assessed; it is used to frame discussion at interview, where KSBs are to be demonstrated.

Project Presentation:
The apprentice delivers a presentation to the EPAO on a project they have completed or a process they have improved. The presentation lasts 10-15 minutes, with a further 10-15 minutes for a Q&A session. The project is completed from month 9 of the apprenticeship and should be completed prior to EPA being triggered. The project is submitted to the EPAO and they provide a question to answer in the presentation, for example:

• How have you improved a process or operating practice?
• What were the steps you took to implement the project?
• What worked well and how would you improve the results in future?

The presentation should summarise the aim, outcome and responsibilities of the KSBs shown in the project. The presentation should demonstrate how they approached a task and the skills shown in doing so, building towards how they would improve the results going forward. The presentation is expected to be produced using Microsoft Office PowerPoint or Prezi, demonstrating a minimum level of IT skills.

Fees and funding

A 5% employer contribution fee may be applicable depending on the age of the apprentice and the size of your organisation.