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What You’ll Gain As A Learner
Through expert teaching, quality resources and ongoing support from industry professionals, you will gain the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed to become an expert in your organisation’s products and services. Our support will help you provide specialist information which supports sales and customer service teams. With nearly 20 years of training expertise and a 99% learner success rate, we are your trusted partner in supporting your career growth and helping you provide smooth customer service.
What You’ll Gain As An Employer
Your success is our priority. We provide expert teaching through quality resources and ongoing support to take your staff to the next level as they progress in their customer service career. Helping them develop advanced skills and hone knowledge and behaviours needed to be an expert in your organisation’s products and services. With nearly 2 decades of training expertise and a 99% learner success rate, leave the teaching to us as we support the next generation of customer service and sales
Frequently Asked Questions
The Level 3 Customer Service Specialist Apprenticeship is an advanced customer service programme designed to develop in-depth knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to deliver high-quality customer support and improve service delivery within an organisation.
Customer Service Specialists act as a key point of contact for customers and colleagues, handling more complex queries, resolving issues and contributing to improvements in customer experience. The role also involves developing strong product and service knowledge and supporting the continuous improvement of customer service standards.
This apprenticeship is suitable for individuals who are already working in a customer-facing role and are ready to take the next step in their career. It is ideal for those who want to take on greater responsibility, handle more complex customer interactions and help influence positive change in service delivery.
Learners are typically expected to have some prior experience in a customer service role due to the advanced nature of the programme. They must also be employed in a role that allows them to meet the apprenticeship requirements and be committed to completing the full programme.
You will develop advanced skills in managing customer relationships, handling complex situations and improving service delivery. The programme covers analysing customer journeys, influencing business strategy, and making recommendations for improvement. You will also build leadership, communication and decision-making skills to enhance customer experience and support organisational success.
Off-the-job training is structured learning that takes place during your paid working hours but is separate from your normal day-to-day duties. You’re required to complete a minimum of six hours per week of this training to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed for your apprenticeship. Activities can include online learning, workshops, research, mentoring and other development tasks relevant to your role.
You can also use our Learner Enrichment Calendar to help plan and log suitable off-the-job activities that count towards your training hours, giving you a variety of ways to grow your skills throughout the programme.
All off-the-job training hours must be recorded on your e-portfolio system, Aptem, to ensure your progress is tracked throughout your apprenticeship.
For the learner, there is no cost.
For employers, the cost depends on whether you pay the apprenticeship levy:
- Levy-paying employers: You can use your apprenticeship levy funds to cover the full cost of the programme. These funds are accessed through your digital apprenticeship service account.
- Non-levy employers: The government will fund 95% of the training cost, meaning you only pay the remaining 5%. Based on the £5,000 funding band, this equates to just £250.
This makes apprenticeships a highly cost-effective way to develop your workforce, with the majority of training costs covered through government support.
To complete this apprenticeship, learners must have been a UK, EEA, or EU resident for at least the last three years.
Additionally, if you are aged between 16 and 18 and do not have a Level 2 qualification or equivalent (GCSE grade 4/C) in Maths and English, you will be required to work towards obtaining these as part of your apprenticeship.
For those aged 19 and above, completing Maths and English (Functional Skills) is optional rather than mandatory to complete your apprenticeship. However, this needs to be discussed and agreed upon with your employer.
Functional Skills are nationally recognised qualifications in Maths and English that help learners develop practical skills used in the workplace and everyday life. These qualifications support areas such as communication, problem-solving, reading, writing and numeracy.
The Childcare Company understands that completing Functional Skills in Maths and English alongside your apprenticeship can feel daunting at first, as well as time consuming. That’s why we provide enhanced support to make the process as straightforward and efficient as possible.
We’ve partnered with Pass Functional Skills (PASS) to give you access to a new, improved online learning platform designed to help you achieve your qualifications more quickly and with greater confidence.
Through this platform, you’ll benefit from a clear and structured learning journey, including a diagnostic assessment to identify your starting point, personalised learning pathways, and high-quality interactive resources. You’ll also have access to bite-sized learning modules, practice questions, mock assessments, and progress tracking tools to help you stay on track.
Alongside this, you will continue to receive support from your tutor or development coach throughout your apprenticeship, ensuring you have guidance, feedback and encouragement at every stage of your Functional Skills journey.
Yes. Apprentices are employees and are entitled to paid holidays and workplace benefits in the same way as other members of staff. Holiday entitlement will normally be outlined within your employment contract and may vary depending on your employer and working hours. Most apprentices are entitled to at least 20 days of paid holiday per year plus bank holidays.
As an apprentice, you will earn a wage while gaining valuable experience and working towards a recognised early years qualification. Apprentices are also entitled to workplace rights including rest breaks and a safe working environment.
Once you’ve completed this programme, you can continue to build your skills and progress your career across customer service, business administration and management roles. A natural next step could be to broaden your experience with our Level 3 Business Administrator Apprenticeship, which supports you in developing wider organisational and administrative skills that are valuable across many business environments.
You can also further your leadership development through qualifications such as our C&G Level 3 Diploma for Team Leaders, which prepares you for supervisory or team leader roles.
For those looking to progress into more senior leadership and management positions, our C&G Level 5 Diploma for Operational Leaders and Managers is an excellent next step, helping you build the skills needed to manage teams, improve performance and take on greater responsibility within an organisation.
