Level 2 Administration Assistant Apprenticeship Standard
Where an office career actually starts
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.
The short answer
What an apprentice needs
No entry qualifications. This is the level built for people starting out.
Individual employers set their own selection criteria.
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
Every organisation has jobs a capable school leaver could do well and nobody has ever been taught to do properly. This is the standard for exactly those jobs.
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They will know how the place actually works
What the organisation is for, how it is structured, where their job sits in it and who the people they keep emailing actually are. Somebody who understands why the process exists follows it better than somebody who has only been told to.
Covers the role and responsibilities of an administration assistant, organisational structure, sector awareness, policies and procedures, stakeholder relationships, external factors
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They will handle your information without you checking it
Accuracy taught as a skill rather than assumed as a trait, alongside what the law actually requires of them around records and data. This is the part that costs organisations money when it is missing, and the part nobody usually teaches a junior.
Covers information handling, accuracy and quality of work, data protection and GDPR, digital safety and security
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They will write it and say it properly
An email that closes a query instead of starting three. A phone manner that does not need rescuing. Minutes that are actually usable, including knowing what to redact. And the confidence to deal with a person at the desk who is not happy.
Covers written communication, verbal communication, meetings including redacting, professional standards and workplace conduct, professional etiquette and customer service, organisational feedback
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They will own the diary, not just fill it
Booking systems, resource management, prioritising when three people all want it today, and knowing the difference between a problem to solve and a problem to escalate. Knowing where their authority ends is as useful to you as knowing where it starts.
Covers time management tools and techniques, diary and bookings systems, resource management, problem solving and escalation, working within boundaries
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They will bring back tools you are not using yet
Artificial intelligence is in the core programme at Level 2, not held back for later, alongside the digital systems and social media the job now assumes. A school leaver will often be the person who shows the office something.
Covers introduction to digital systems, using digital tools to process information, social media, artificial intelligence
Nobody springs anything on anyone
Coursework and portfolio throughout, a review with the employer, then gateway and a full mock before the independent end-point assessment. Nobody springs anything on anyone.
Coursework and portfolio
Work launched in class and completed in the job, building the evidence the assessor will look at.
A review with you
The employer, the apprentice and the tutor. Half an hour. Progress, targets, and anything getting in the way.
A full mock
Marked by a tutor who is not theirs, so the feedback is honest and the real thing holds no surprises.
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.
This is a step, not a destination
Business Administrator at Level 3.
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.
Where this course can take you
- Before you start
- This course
- 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.
Talk to us about where you could study after this course.
Careers it can lead to
- Other Administrative Occupations £22,500 a year
- Human Resources Administrative Occupations £25,300 a year
- Book-keepers, Payroll Managers and Wages Clerks £25,700 a year
- Finance Officers £27,400 a year
See all 14 careers
- Records Clerks and Assistants £24,600 a year
- Data Entry Administrators £28,500 a year
- Personal Assistants and Other Secretaries £14.53 an hour
- School Secretaries £13.42 an hour
With further study or experience
- Human Resources and Industrial Relations Officers £28,000 a year
- Financial and Accounting Technicians £63,100 a year
- Database Administrators and Web Content Technicians £32,200 a year
- Chartered and Certified Accountants £39,100 a year
- Human Resource Managers and Directors £48,700 a year
- Data Analysts £31,200 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.
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 7979
Or advertise a vacancy through us and we'll handle the recruitment.
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.