Vacancy Details Job Title Customer Services Officer - Student Financial Support and Admissions Closing Date 18/09/2025 23:59 Pay Up to £19,739.98 depending on experience and qualifications Hours 30 Hours x 52 Weeks Type Part Time Please note: HoW College reserves the right to extend the advertising period for this vacancy or close the vacancy early in line with volume of applicants. We would therefore advise interested candidates to apply promptly. WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR: To become a Customer Services Officer (Student Financial Support and Admissions) in our Information Systems and Student Experience department, we need someone who is friendly, approachable, and passionate about supporting learners in FE. The successful candidate will have the chance to acquire new skills and develop their abilities in a wide range of activities. We have a variety of students from the surrounding area, we are a welcoming and inclusive community that champions diversity and equality across our college. Our departments collaborate to establish and uphold the inclusive HoW culture, we keep this in mind as we manage interactions with the public, fellow employees, and nearby schools. This position is based in our Worcester campus, all applicants must be prepared to travel to our other campuses or surrounding areas as required. WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING: To find a more detailed list of your day-to-day responsibilities, please refer to the key roles and accountabilities section on our Job Description. In summary, as someone who has Level 2 (at least) qualification in both Maths and English, or a willingness to gain, you will support in many aspects. To name a few: Front of House & Customer Services Admissions Enrolment Internal Customer Services Student Financial Support ABOUT US. Heart of Worcestershire College, the county's largest further education institution, offers a diverse range of academic, vocational, and community courses throughout its campuses. In all we do, our principles of diversity, integrity, partnership, and trust come through, enabling us to offer timely and knowledgeable services both within and outside of our immediate neighbourhood. By 2030, we also intend to be 90% green! Our goal is to advance, innovate, and inspire. We're looking for people who want to come along for the journey because our growth will be your growth. THE PERKS. A career with us entails much more than a pay check, because we know our employees are our most valuable resource. You can look forward to the following perks with us. Confidential Employee Assistance Programme (available 24/7, 365 days a year); giving access to free confidential counselling Regular Continuing Professional Development Opportunity to gain further qualifications and enhance professional development through our Awards process Generous holiday allowance Agile and Flexible working (Dependent upon role) Employee discounts & benefits package including high street and travel discounts Fantastic progression opportunities A mentor to support you in your new role Cycle to Work Scheme Free onsite parking (Certain Campuses only) Opportunities of volunteering within local community and charities WE HIRE PEOPLE. Every person we hire has a different mix of experiences, cultures, and identities, as well as a unique background and physical make-up. Together, we strengthen HoW. The College is striving to attract, develop and retain the very best people by offering a motivating and inclusive workplace in which talent is truly recognised. We want you to know that HoW is an equal opportunity employer as you are probably applying for or considering applying for a job with us if you are reading this. This College expects everyone to share its commitment to promoting and protecting children, young people, and vulnerable adults' welfare and equality of opportunity. For us, this means that we always work to be as inclusive as possible in all areas of employment and that we will not allow any form of discrimination. BIT MORE INFO. All successful applicants will be required to complete and pay for a Disclosure & Barring Service check. Along with online verification to ensure the safety of our pupils. Closing date for this post is: 18th September 2025 Interview date: TBC To apply please visit https://vacancies.howcollege.ac.uk/ For further information on the role, please contact our HR Department on 01527 572592 or hr@howcollege.ac.uk. If you are viewing this advert on Indeed, Total Jobs or another job board, it is worth noting there is more information about the position on the Heart of Worcestershire website, this will include the role profile. Job Description AIM AND PURPOSE OF THE JOB To work as part of the Customer Services Team to provide a high-quality service from course enquiry through applications and enrolment, with particular focus on the Student Financial Support and Admissions processes KEY ROLES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES Student Financial Support To provide information advice and guidance to prospective students, current students, parents, and college staff in relation to sources of financial support and funding available to students during their studies. To co-ordinate the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund, the 19 Learner Support Fund and other financial support schemes at college. To be responsible for processing all financial support applications To ensure that information provided regarding financial support is accurate, up to date and comprehensive. Deal with enquiries relating to the College's various bursary schemes and offer advice to students in financial hardship Support the processing of bus and train applications liaising with WCC and West Midlands Trains when required. Check completed bursary forms and collate necessary evidence Admissions To assist in the creation, implementation, and on-going administration of a centrally co-ordinated admissions process, taking account of existing good practice and the needs of curriculum areas To assist with processing application forms To liaise with CRQ Leaders and Managers over interview dates, course enquiries and any items arising from the Admissions process and the early part of the Learner Journey To maintain records on and produce reports from the Admissions database, or other software systems To arrange interviews for curriculum teams To communicate with applicants and parents about the stage of their application and request further information such as Support 4 Success forms and references as required by curriculum teams To undertake other clerical duties required to maintain a high-quality Admissions process Front of House & Customer Services Support College Open Events as required Support Information Events and New Parent Evenings as required To cover Receptions across the estate as required Meet and greet prospective students, members of the public and other visitors Deal with general College enquiries through email and telephone communication To undertake training in the roles of First Aid and Fire Marshalling To undertake training in the roles of Exam Invigilation Enrolment Support enrolling students into the College throughout the year as required Support all enrolment events including Part Time, HE and Professional Provide advice on fees and funding issues to prospective students Work with Admissions and Advice Centre Manager and Finance Teams to ensure that fees or other relevant payment is in place Take payments throughout the academic year for student fees, trips, and any other necessary payments Internal Customer Services Support the internal post system including franking of outgoing mail as required Follow cash banking processes and liaise with external agencies to ensure the prompt and accurate recording of monies taken in refectories, salons and through main cash tills Utilise all College systems to provide information and advice, including Pro Monitor and Unit E GENERAL ACCOUNTABILITIES To commit to the safeguarding and promotion of the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults To participate in the College's Performance Management Scheme and attend such training events as are necessary to enable him/her to carry out the duties of the job description. To continually improve teaching, learning and assessment through proactive CPD and sharing best practice. To actively participate in the College's Quality System, including quality improvement strategies and initiatives. To undertake such other duties as may be assigned commensurate with the grade and purpose of the post. To actively support College Safeguarding, Equality and Diversity policies. To take reasonable care for the health and safety of him/her and for others affected by his/her work. This Job Description is current at the date shown below and is a guide to the work you will be required to undertake. In consultation with the post holder, it may be changed from time to time by the College to meet changing circumstances. CONDITIONS OF SERVICE The appointment is subject to the Conditions of Service for Business Support Staff. All successful applicants will undergo the following checks: Enhanced DBS 2 x References, one of which must be your current or most recent employer Qualification validation check Medical check SALARY The salary range for this post is from £16,437.00 to £17,475.00 per annum/pro rata. Your starting salary will be dependent upon your qualifications and experience. Once you have successfully passed your probationary period, your salary will increase within the salary band on an annual incremental basis, until you reach the top of the salary scale. HOURS OF WORK The hours of work will be based on 37 hours per week, 52 weeks per annum. ANNUAL LEAVE The post carries 25 annual leave days pro rata, plus eight public bank holidays pro rata plus a further five concessionary days pro rata as 'leave to be taken at the principal's discretion'. After 2 years continuous service, your annual leave entitlement will increase to 30 days per annum. Please note that only in exceptional circumstances, with your Directors permission, will staff be able to take more than 3 consecutive weeks of leave in any leave year. PENSION SCHEME The College operates an occupational pension scheme, namely the 'Local Government Pension Scheme'. PROBATIONARY PERIOD All newly appointed staff must serve a 6-month probationary period. During the probationary period you will have to attend the Corporate staff induction day, a Teaching and Learning Induction session if you deliver learning and additional mandatory courses on: Equality & Diversity session, Prevent, Safeguarding Training session and Health & safety training session. Failure to attend these will prevent you from successfully completing your probation. FIRST AID & FIRE MARSHALL As defined in the person specification of the job description, those staff with these responsibilities are required to undertake first aid and or fire marshal duties across the College, when called upon to do so. Staff must ensure they are up to date with the relevant training. REFERENCES Please note that without 2 satisfactory references being received before the end of the probationary period, new staff will not be able to successfully pass their probationary. LOCATION The successful applicant will be based at Worcester but may be required to work at other locations from time to time MEDICAL The successful applicant will be required to satisfy the Medical Officer as to his/her fitness to carry out the duties of the post. VALIDATION OF QUALIFICATIONS The College will undertake qualification validation by writing to the appropriate educational institute. Only those qualifications which are essential for the post will be followed up. CONTRACTUAL REQUIREMENT TO OBTAIN A QUALIFICATION If you are required to obtain a qualification as a contractual requirement, the College reviews its CPD budget on an annual basis regarding availability of funds and cannot therefore guarantee that newly appointed staff will receive either part or full funding for the course fees. However, student loan facilities are available. MATHS AND ENGLISH All staff are required to have a minimum level 2 qualification in both English and Maths. If you are not already in receipt of one or both qualifications, you will be expected to obtain it (them) during your employment at the College. SAFEGUARDING The College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All newly appointed staff will be required to undertake safeguarding training during their probationary period. Heart of Worcestershire College adheres to the Department of Education's guidance on 'Keeping children safe in Education'. As part of your induction, you will be required to read and understand part 1 of this document. DISCLOSURE & BARRING CHECK All successful applicants will be required to complete and pay for a Disclosure & Barring Service check. The costs of this check will be deducted from the applicants first salary payment from the College. The College adheres to the DBS Code of Practice and has policies covering the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders and the Secure Storage, Handling, Use, Retention and Disposal of Disclosures and Disclosure Information. Copies of these are available on request. RECRUITMENT OF EX-OFFENDERS The College is committed to the fair treatment of its staff, potential staff, or users of its services, regardless of race, gender religion, sexual orientation, responsibilities for dependants, age, physical/mental disability, or offending background. As an organisation we use the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) to assess the suitability of all prospective appointments. We undertake not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a Disclosure based on conviction or other information revealed. Applicants/employees are required to declare any pending criminal prosecutions they may have as well as any spent criminal convictions, cautions, reprimands, and final warnings as defined under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. The only exception to this requirement is that applicants/employees do not need to disclose any 'protected' cautions, or convictions as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2013. Please read the 'Guidance Note to applicants on disclosing information about cautions and convictions in their application' document before you complete your application form. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar you from working with us. This willdepend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of any offences. TRAINING All successful applicants will be required to undertake all mandatory training and update sessions and any appropriate training and development as required, including Health and Safety. SMOKING POLICY HoW College is a Smoke Free environment from the effects of direct/indirect contact with smoking, including using the following: Cigarettes E-cigarettes Vaporisers Pipe smoking Cigars And all other associated smoking products APPLICANTS WITH DISABILITIES Candidates with a disability should contact the HR Department before interview if they require any adjustments to be made for the interview and/or selection tests. APPLICATIONS A completed application form should be submitted. Curriculum vitae will not be accepted as a substitute. It would greatly assist the shortlisting panel if the information submitted on your application clearly identifies and demonstrates how your qualities match those listed under the essential requirements on the person specification. Please remember that it is not sufficient to merely repeat what is in the specification - you must show how you meet each requirement. You must also provide details under 'previous employment' which must include all employment undertaken since leaving full time education. Completed application forms should be submitted by 18th September 2025 via our website at www.howcollege.ac.uk. INTERVIEWS The Interview date for this post is TBC; short-listed candidates will be notified with the details for interview. In view of the high cost of postage, it is not our intention to notify unsuccessful applicants. If you have not heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful and accept our thanks for your interest in applying. Applicants invited to attend interview will be required to bring with them on the day of the interview: ID for a DBS check and also proving their right to work, qualifications as listed in their application form. Person Specification Requirements Attainment (e.g. Qualifications, Experience) Essential: Word processing skills to an advanced level Competence in spreadsheets and databases Level 2 qualifications in English and Maths, or a willingness to gain Desirable: Interest to extend and develop IT skills Administrative or Customer Services qualifications General Skills Essential: Recent experience of working at a similar level of administrative post, with broad administrative duties Customer Services experience Desirable: Proven record of dealing with a wide cross section of the public Specific Special Skills Essential: Able to work under pressure and meet deadlines High personal standards of efficiency and effectiveness A good team player Good written communication and interpersonal skills Desirable: Experience of Admissions and Enrolment processes and database Disposition/Personal Qualities Essential: Friendly, flexible, and willing to work on own and take initiative Flexible and responsible attitude Patience, tolerance, and the ability to work with diverse teams across College Desirable: Mature, calm and professional attitude General Points Essential: Usual medical and criminal clearances Desirable: No Desirable General Points