Apprentice - Library and Archive Services Assistant - 2 x fixed term opportunities for 20 months
Salary: Apprenticeship grade £24,796 p.a.
Qualfication: Level 3 Library information and archive services (LIAS) apprenticeship with LMP Education.
37 hours per week (if working in the central library this will include some Saturday working)
We have 2 great opportunities to join our library team. One will be working within our Central Library in Portsmouth whilst the other will be working with out Portsmouth School Library Service.
Please state on your application which role you are applying for.
As part of the application process please answer the following questions on the Cover letter/ Personal statement section of the application form.
You may copy and paste the questions onto the application form to answer.
Question 1:
Tell us why you have applied for this apprenticeship?
Question 2:
We are looking for people with excellent customer care skills. Why do you think these are so important for this apprenticeship?
Are you interested in working within a library setting and could see yourself in a role where you help people feel welcome and make the most of the service? We have 2 great opportunities to join our library team as an apprentice where you will gain hands-on experience whilst working towards a Level 3 qualification. One will be based within our Central Library in Portsmouth, whilst the other will be working with our Portsmouth School Library Service in Paulsgrove.
What is the role (s):
Central Library, Portsmouth: Based at Portsmouth Central Library you will be supporting both the public library team and the Modern and Historical Records officers based at the Portsmouth History Centre. The service supports everyone who lives, works or studies in the city and offers a wide range of services including our Archive services, where we aim to collect, preserve and share the rich heritage of the city and the modern records service, managing paper and digital records of Portsmouth City Council. You will help customers access library and archive resources whilst providing excellent customer service at the counters and enquiry desks. You will take a lead role in library activities for all ages including rhymetime and storytelling sessions, assisting customers with self-service kiosks, processing new memberships and payments as well as organising and repairing library stock.
Portsmouth School Library Services: Based in our team in Paulsgrove, the service helps primary, secondary and special schools develop and use high quality library collections to inspire reading and help learning. As well as promote a love of reading with school staff and pupils across the city you will work as part of the team to support schools and host visiting authors at events. You will select books to issue to schools and work closely with schools to develop and maintain their library space. As well as assisting with stock purchase, delivers and adding new stock you will welcome visitors and issue are return books using the computerised library management system. The successful applicant will gain experience of the children's offer as delivered by public libraries, participating in promotional events and activities, supporting branch libraries as necessary.
For a full description of both roles please click on the job profiles attached.
Who is the person?
We are looking for applicants who are enthusiastic, energetic and eager to learn. With a friendly, approachable and confident manner you will be organised with a strong attention to detail. You will be comfortable using IT and learning new systems and enjoy working with all ages levels and be confident working in customer service roles. You will be able to maintain accurate records and have good literacy and numeracy skills as well as the ability to communicate clearly and effectively in spoken English.
For the school's role, you will know a lot about children's books (or will be willing to learn and will be keen to work alongside authors and publishing houses to promote and support events.
For further details of these exciting opportunities and the full details of the tasks you will be involved in please refer to the attached job profiles.
About Portsmouth City Council
What we can offer you
Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act.
Read more about working at Portsmouth City Council and our benefits on our careers portal homepage: Careers Portal - Find jobs with Portsmouth City Council
Additional Information:
Please also answer the 2 questions in the job advert - these can be added to your application form.
Please also answer the following questions in your application for this apprenticeship
To qualify for an apprenticeship, you will need to answer the following questions:
Do you have an education, health or care plan provided by the local authority or have you been in the care of the local authority?
Are you a citizen of the United Kingdom or another country within the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA).
Have you been ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom or another country within the EU or EEA for at least 3 years from current date. Do you depend on a visa or other permission to reside in the United Kingdom?
If you have answered 'Yes' to the previous question, please describe below what type of visa/permission you have. You will need to bring in your passport and visa or evidence of immigration permission when you enrol so that we assess your eligibility to receive Government funding for the apprenticeship programme.
Portsmouth City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
DBS Disclosure at Enhanced level will be required prior to any offer of employment and this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
Every post is subject to PCC and Portsmouth Safeguarding Children’s Board safer recruitment procedures.
We are a disability confident employer and Armed Forces Covenant gold standard. More information can be found at Equality, diversity and inclusion - Careers portal. We are committed to offering an interview to all those candidates that qualify under one of our commitments and meet the minimum criteria, however for roles that receive a large number of applications, this is not always possible, and we will select the candidates that best meet the minimum criteria.
We will email applicants from time to time; please ensure you check e-mail folders as sometimes our e-mails may go into spam/junk folders.
Should you require any support in completing the application form please contact recruit@portsmouthcc.gov.uk. or call the recruitment team on 023 92 616800.
