Active Kingston Apprentice

About the Borough

Found in zone 6 with good transport links in and out of London, Kingston is a vibrant and diverse university town which creates the rich sense of community shared across the borough and its Residents. Kingston boasts an idyllic riverside location, good shopping and great restaurants, as well as a mix of modern and historic town centre. Kingston has lots of open parklands and cycle routes that help connect the district town centres into an enjoyable place to live and work.

We are passionate about working closely with our residents and vulnerable groups to help them maintain their independence and create a balance between support and independent living.

About the Service and Team

About the Active Kingston Team

Active Kingston is part of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and is passionate about helping people across the borough lead healthier, happier and more active lives.

Guided by our Active Kingston Framework, we work with local communities, schools, sports clubs, leisure providers and a wide range of partners to create opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to enjoy sport and physical activity.

A key focus of our work is tackling inequalities in participation and helping people who face barriers to being active. Through our Framework, we bring organisations and communities together to make physical activity more accessible, inclusive and part of everyday life.

We're a friendly, supportive and enthusiastic team that values fresh ideas, creativity and working together to make a positive difference in our communities.

As an Active Kingston Apprentice, you'll have the opportunity to get involved in a variety of projects, events, campaigns and community initiatives that support the delivery of the Active Kingston Framework, while developing your skills, building confidence and gaining valuable experience in a supportive working environment.

About the Role and Our Ideal Candidate

About the role

Purpose of the job

To support Active Kingston's leisure services, community sport programmes and projects while developing practical skills through a Level 3 apprenticeship.

What you'll be doing

This is a varied, hands-on role where no two days will be quite the same! You'll work alongside experienced colleagues and have the opportunity to get involved in different aspects of Active Kingston's work, helping us make sport and physical activity more accessible to people across the borough.

As part of the team, you'll:

• Help keep our leisure facilities running well – Join colleagues on visits to leisure centres and community sports facilities, help carry out inspections, record findings and follow up on any issues that need attention.

• Support community events and activities – Get involved in organising and delivering sports events, physical activity programmes and other projects that encourage residents to be more active.

• Work with local partners and residents – Help respond to enquiries and communicate with leisure providers, sports clubs, community organisations and residents, building your confidence and communication skills along the way.

• Help keep the team organised – Support the day-to-day running of the service by arranging meetings, updating records, preparing documents and using digital systems to keep information accurate and up to date.

• Learn how Council services and projects are managed – Gain experience of monitoring contracts, managing sports and leisure facilities, supporting budgets and processing invoices, while contributing to the delivery of the Active Kingston Framework.

You'll be supported throughout your apprenticeship by experienced colleagues and will have dedicated study time to work towards your Level 3 Community Sport and Health Officer qualification.

About you

We're looking for someone who is enthusiastic, motivated and keen to learn. You don't need previous experience working in sport, leisure or local government, what matters most is your attitude, willingness to get involved and interest in making a positive difference in your community.

You don't need to be particularly sporty either! We're interested in people who understand the importance of helping others lead healthier, more active lives.

What we're looking for (essential):

• An interest in sport, physical activity, health and wellbeing, and supporting local communities.

• Good communication skills and the confidence, or willingness to develop the confidence, to speak with colleagues, partners and members of the public.

• Basic IT skills and a willingness to learn how to use different digital systems.

• A positive, organised approach, with good attention to detail and a willingness to take on different tasks.

• The ability to work well with others, ask questions and take responsibility for your own learning and development.

• A commitment to completing the Level 3 Community Sport and Health Officer apprenticeship and meeting the relevant apprenticeship eligibility requirements.

It would be great if you also have (desirable):

• Experience of helping at school, college, community events, sports clubs or through volunteering.

• An interest in organising activities, events or projects.

• Some awareness of the barriers that can prevent people from taking part in sport and physical activity.

These are not essential, and we encourage you to apply even if you haven't had these opportunities before.

Above all, we're looking for someone with enthusiasm, curiosity and a willingness to learn. If you enjoy working with people, like trying new things and want to build a career while making a difference in your local community, we'd love to hear from you.

Our Offer to You

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work life balance, some of which include:

• A generous annual leave entitlement of 25-32 days, plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply) depending on service and grade.
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave
• Three volunteering days per year in Kingston
• Hybrid working (dependent on the role)
• Flexible and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks
• Learning and development portal offering a range of courses
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Electric vehicle leasing scheme
• Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support

Application Process

Apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application and check your CV details have been uploaded correctly in the relevant sections.

We understand and recognise the benefits of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace and are embracing AI where appropriate, to boost our productivity and streamline how we deliver our Council services efficiently; to provide the best possible outcomes for our residents and communities.
However, we reserve the right to reject applications where it is apparent that AI-generated content has been used in isolation and without personalised responses. At Kingston we value authenticity and are looking for individuals who can clearly demonstrate their own skills, experience and motivation for the role that they are applying for and embrace and demonstrate our STAR values.
Here at Kingston we have core values of Transparency and this is to be demonstrated during the application process and completion of the supporting statement and will be further tested at interview and selection stage for those who progress forward.

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

As part of our award winning Diversity Programme we anonymise all applications received to reduce conscious and unconscious bias enabling every application to be reviewed on the knowledge, skills and experience shown in your application. We encourage our interview panels to be as diverse as possible (age, cultural, neurodiverse etc.) to reduce bias where possible. We are fully committed to removing barriers and enhancing the diversity of our workforce.

Additional Information

We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from under represented groups.

To support our workers and their families we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

We are also proud to be a disability confident employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. As an accredited London Living Wage Employer all our employees are guaranteed the London Living Wage regardless of their length or type of contract.

The UK has a points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance. Sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.