Employer descriptions:
We are home to the UK’s leading chamber orchestra Royal Northern Sinfonia, a multi-genre programme of events & festivals featuring musicians from across the world, a junior conservatoire training the next generation of musicians, an extensive Programme of music for social impact, evening and day-time classes for people of all ages and a multi-genre artist development Programme.
At Sage Gateshead all genres of music have equal status and we believe passionately in international level excellence and the imperative of inclusion. Some of the musicians we have worked with recently are Kamasi Washington, KT Tunstall, LA Master Chorale, Terry Riley, John Grant, Nightmares on Wax, Maarju Nuut and St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra.
The coming five years will be a new era for Sage Gateshead. We have just secured the planning and completed fundraising to undertake capital work within our largest auditorium and on our concourse, with the aim of reaching a wider audience, working with a wider range of musicians and making our building an even better place to spend time.
Overview:
We are looking for a competent ICT apprentice to triage support requests for the team to find an efficient resolution for end-users. This will include leading on first-line support & escalating to second-line where needed. The ICT apprentice will also assist with project & system administration & departmental purchase ledger.
Working week:
36hrs a week.
Position in Organisation - Reports to:
Head of ICT & Building Services.
Works in conjunction with:
Programming Teams, Human Resources, Finance Team, Operational Teams.
Introduction to Sage Gateshead:
Sage Gateshead is an international music development centre – a new kind of cultural organisation for the 21st century.
Overall purpose of the role:
Acting as the lead first-line support engineer, this role will ensure all ICT processes are completed efficiently.
In addition, the post holder will be responsible for ensuring the administration for the department is up to date.
The main purpose of the role is to offer first-line technical support for staff members, manage the ICT Service Desk, triage problems, and support staff members of Sage Gateshead with any ICT issues they may have.
The successful applicant will be expected to work as part of an on-call rota and some out-of-hours maintenance will be required.
The apprentice will complete a BSC (hons) Digital & Technology solutions, as part of a degree apprenticeship, which includes 20% off-the-job (OTJ) training.
Responsibilities and Duties:
Service Desk:
- Serve as the first point of contact for customers seeking technical assistance (in-person/phone/email)
- Manage support procedures for all end line users through the ICT Help Desk
- Ensure timely and effective support is consistently delivered
- React to faults relating to all ICT related Software & Infrastructure
- Determine the best solution based on the issue and details provided by customers
- Perform remote troubleshooting
- Communicate/escalate faults to the rest of the ICT team where appropriate
- Liaise with external support and contractors where relevant
Event Provision:
- Effectively assist with plan and deliver ICT-related facilities required for Events, Concerts & Conferences within/related to Sage Gateshead
- Ensure events receive appropriate delivery and support
- Actively seek to improve our event offerings
- Feedback on successes of events and identify areas for improvement
Additional Duties:
- As and when necessary, work outside normal working hours, for example, to assist with carrying out maintenance or upgrades or provide support to Events
- Some business travel will be necessary, this may require overnight stays
- Assist the collective workload of the ICT team
- To perform any other duties as reasonably requested
An excellent ICT Apprentice will develop good technical knowledge as part of the role, completing the QA degree apprenticeship.
This is a dynamic role that must continually adapt to the changing requirements of the business.
About the Degree:
Programme Overview:
The BSc (Hons) Digital and Technology Solutions Degree Apprenticeship develops core technical skills, knowledge, and behaviours for the development of innovative digital solutions.
Through the combinations of structured and self-directed learning and on-the-job experience, learners will build the skills and knowledge necessary to become highly skilled professionals, ready to become the next digital and technology leaders of the future.
Learners will choose to study one of four specialism pathways on this Degree Apprenticeship, with one specialism module at both Level 5 and Level 6. These modules offer opportunities to develop technical areas of relevance to the learners’ roles.
The four specialisms available are:
- Data Analyst
- IT Consultant
- Network Engineer
- Software Engineer
Complementing academic learning and workplace experience, learners can enhance their qualifications as they progress to degrees with optional Microsoft Azure certifications across each level and specialism.
20% off-the-job (OTJ) training:
During the apprenticeship, 20% of the learner’s working hours should be spent on completing tasks contributing to the apprenticeship.
How exactly the 20% OTJ training is executed in real-time will differ for each learner and each employer dependent on circumstances and needs, but in general, it can include:
- Completing work on knowledge modules
- Completing work towards a professional qualification
- Shadowing or attending mentoring sessions
- Completing in-house training activities relevant to the programme
- Attending module workshops
- Coaching/mentoring
- Independent research
Programme Timeline Duration:
36 months + End-Point Assessment (EPA), typically 6 months.
What we are looking for:
Knowledge, experience and skills required:
A Level 3 qualification in a relevant STEM subject. This may include 2 A Levels, BTEC Diplomas, a related Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship, or equivalent qualifications.
Learners must be able to evidence Level 2, or equivalent, English and Maths before starting their End-Point Assessment.
Experience:
- Experience working in a customer service role
- Experience with Desktop Support
Skills and knowledge:
- Good organisational and problem-solving skills together with the ability to operate within tight deadlines.
- An ability to build strong working relationships coupled with a proactive attitude to drive future developments.
- Good communication skills especially when explaining technical matters to non-technical minded people.
- Ability to work as part of a team and assist other members of the team with their roles from time to time.
Other factors:
- Must be able to routinely access hard-to-access places (under desks etc).
- Some lifting and moving of equipment is required
- Able to be part of a rota system of On-Call and Out-of-Hours Duties when required
- Full UK driving license and access to own transport
Entry requirements
A Level 3 qualification in a relevant area in any grade. Acceptable qualifications include:
- 2 A-levels in one or more similar subject
- Level 3 apprenticeship in a similar subject
- International Baccalaureate at Level 3 in a similar subject
- BTEC Extended Diploma in a similar subject
- A Work experience route (2-3 years) in a similar subject-related role
Note: “Similar subject” relates to areas directly relevant to or commensurate with “Digital and Technology Solutions”
As to what constitutes a ‘similar subject’ this would therefore typically be areas such as but not limited to Level 3 digital apprenticeships, A-Level/BTEC Computer Science, Information Technology, Networking, Software Engineering, etc.
Note: Learners must not hold an existing qualification at the same or higher level than this apprenticeship in a similar subject
Terms and Conditions:
We believe Sage Gateshead is a great place to work - an innovative and friendly environment, where no two days are ever the same.
The holiday entitlement for this post is 25 days p/a pro rata, plus statutory holidays.
The salary for this post is £18,327 per annum, pro rata (SCP 16).
Benefits:
- We also offer subsidised parking for employees
- A discount in our café
- Access to a voluntary health cash plan
- Bike to work scheme
- Travel ticket scheme
- Auto-enrol pension with Scottish Widows
Important Information:
QA’s apprenticeships are funded by the Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), an executive agency of the Department for Education.
To be eligible for a Government funded apprenticeship you must have lived in the UK or European Economic Area (EEA) for the last 3 consecutive years.