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Apprenticeship

Level 2 Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship

The person your customer actually speaks to

An apprenticeship is a real, paid job. The apprentice works for an employer and trains with us at the same time, and comes out with a nationally recognised qualification and the experience to go with it.

Speak to us today

The short answer

12 monthsPlus assessment: 3 months
Fully funded for most employersSmaller employers pay nothing towards the training.
Level 2Nationally recognised
Standard ST0072The official reference for this apprenticeship
Before they start

What an apprentice needs

The entry requirement for this apprenticeship will be decided by each employer.

Ideally, the apprentice should already hold, GCSE Maths and English at a grade E or 2 (new GCSE grading), or Level 1 Functional Skills in Maths and English; the apprenticeship cannot be completed without these. If enrolled without the required level of Maths and English, the apprentice will be required to achieve these alongside the apprenticeship standard before Gateway is reached to enable progression to End Point Assessment (EPA) and will work towards these under supervisor of an assigned Functional Skills Tutor.

Please Note: The learner must have live interactions with customers 85% of the day.

The employer sets the real bar, so treat this as a guide. If somebody is close but not quite there, it is still worth the conversation.

What they’ll learn

Often the first point of contact, in any sector, and the one whose behaviour decides what a customer thinks of you.

  1. They will handle the whole range of what a customer asks for

    Orders, payments, advice and guidance, meet and greet, sales, after care and service recovery. One-off contacts and routine ones.

    Covers orders and payments, advice and guidance, sales, after care, service recovery

  2. They will do it on whichever channel the customer chose

    Face to face, telephone, post, email, text and social media, and in the customer's own locality where the job calls for it.

    Covers face-to-face, telephone, email, text, social media, digital service

  3. They will know the product well enough to be useful

    Service skills alone are not enough. They will know what you sell and how it works, and deliver within your service standards and any regulation that applies.

    Covers product and service knowledge, customer service standards, regulatory requirements

  4. They will find out whether it worked

    Measuring customer satisfaction and gaining insight from it, rather than assuming the interaction went well because nobody complained.

    Covers measuring satisfaction, gaining customer insight

Assessment

Nobody springs anything on anyone

Apprenticeship Showcase Practical Observation Professional Discussion

1
Throughout

Coursework and portfolio

Work launched in class and completed in the job, building the evidence the assessor will look at.

2
Every 8 to 10 weeks

A review with you

The employer, the apprentice and the tutor. Half an hour. Progress, targets, and anything getting in the way.

3
Before the end

A full mock

Marked by a tutor who is not theirs, so the feedback is honest and the real thing holds no surprises.

Getting started

What it takes, on both sides

If you're the employer

  • A real role that covers the standard. Your Employer Relationship Officer will check it before anyone enrols.
  • Time released for teaching, on a timetable you'll have from day one.
  • Half an hour every 8 to 10 weeks for a three-way review.
  • Your say-so when the apprentice is ready for their final assessment.

If you want to be the apprentice

  • A job. An apprenticeship is employment, so you need an employer before you can start.
  • Already working in this kind of role? Your manager can put you forward directly.
  • An initial skills scan with us, so we know where you're starting from.
  • No employer yet? That's the usual starting point, and finding one is the part we help with.
Where it leads

This is a step, not a destination

Level 3 Customer Service or Business Administrator

Not sure what comes after this one? Tell us the role and we'll tell you honestly which of our apprenticeships, higher apprenticeships or university-level courses fits next.

Progression

Where this course can take you

  1. Before you start
  2. This course Level 2
  3. Further study

Check you have what you need in the entry requirements.

Not sure? Talk to us and we will help you find the right starting point.

Further study

See all 22 courses

At this college

At University Campus Doncaster

At North Lindsey College

Careers it can lead to

  • Customer Service Occupations £23,800 a year
  • Call and Contact Centre Occupations £25,900 a year
  • Receptionists £12.78 an hour
  • With further study or experience Customer Service Managers £31,400 a year
See all 6 careers

With further study or experience

  • Customer Service Supervisors £33,300 a year
  • Human Resource Managers and Directors £48,700 a year

Typical pay is the UK median for each job (Lightcast, October 2026).

How to start this apprenticeship

It takes two, an employer and an apprentice. Pick your side.

I'm an employer

Put someone on this programme

Recruiting, or formalising the training of someone already in post? Start with a conversation. We'll check the role, sort the funding, and get them enrolled.

Speak to us today 0800 358 7575

Or advertise a vacancy through us and we'll handle the recruitment.

I want to be an apprentice

You'll need an employer first

An apprenticeship is a job, so an employer has to take you on before you can start. Already employed in this kind of role? Your manager can put you forward directly.

No vacancy that suits? Register your interest and we'll tell you when one comes up.