Microsoft Office Specialist Apprenticeship - Belper, Derbyshire (DE56)

Remit IT Academy is one of only four training providers offering IT apprenticeships fully endorsed by Microsoft.

Completing an IT Apprenticeship will provide you with a trade for life which you can use throughout your career. This apprenticeship could lead onto working in many different industry sectors as well as providing you with industry skills, which may one day lead to you setting up your own business.

What is an IT Application Specialist apprenticeship?
This apprenticeship programme is aimed at the end user and will focus on the Microsoft Office applications for Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook. This apprenticeship programme is designed for people new to or in existing roles in which they will be working with IT systems and software. The framework offers a wide range of units that the apprentice can study to match their particular organisational and job role requirements.

What is the work like?
As an IT Application Specialist apprentice your main job role will involve using IT applications in support of colleagues or customers in any sector or industry. Responsibilities may vary depending on the employer but duties usually include:

Providing support and assistance to colleagues to make effective use of available IT systems and software
Developing, testing and implementing solutions to improve workplace productivity through the use of IT
Using the advanced features of IT Application Software in the creation and amendment of many types of formatted information including documents, diagrams, spreadsheets and presentations.
How will I learn on an IT Application Specialist apprenticeship?
E-learning, online training material and testing software is included in the programme which will allow you to be ready to take the optional Microsoft Office certification exams for Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook. This programme usually takes one year to gain an Intermediate Apprenticeship at level 2 and a further year to gain an Advanced Apprenticeship at level 3. To do this you will not need to attend the IT Academy, as all training will be done in the work placement and through self-study. Self-study material is supplied and is fully supported by the IT Academy assessors. The time you spend at work will be where you get to learn practical skills from seeing the real working environment. You will shadow qualified members of staff so that you are able to learn first-hand how to go about the job. You will also get the opportunity to assist in the activities. Once you pass your assessments and exams and progress through your course you will be able to start completing tasks on your own. To ensure you are competent in completing tasks on your own a Remit assessor will visit you regularly at your work place to complete reviews and assessment testing with you.

What skills are required for me to gain this apprenticeship?
As an IT user you will need to demonstrate:

Good IT skills
Strong organisational skills
Good written and verbal communication
An understanding of customer service
A good work ethic with a determination to succeed
Ability to work within a team or covering your own caseload of work
Who I will be working for and background information:

Within LB Plastic's Building Products Design team we are increasingly asked to provide information driven by concerns over climate change.

Building Regulations are moving to reduce energy loss through the building fabric both to reduce the cost of energy bills for heating buildings in the face of rising global energy costs but also to reduce climate change gases such as CO2 given off by burning fossil fuels which power domestic heating systems.

Additionally we are asked to provide structural deflection data by calculating design wind speeds and loadings where there is a risk of structural damage from strong winds.

Our window and door products and curtain wall screens are measured against both these criteria.

The propensity for heat loss depends on the U value or thermal transmittance of an element in the building fabric such as windows or doors.

Windows and Doors can be measured for their thermal performance using the thermal software 'Therm , version 5.2'. This is a near universal method of measurement which has been used by the window and door industry for the past few years.

Design Apprentices would be taught the principals of operating this thermal transmittance calculator through training both inside LB Plastics and through training programmes outside the company that are run to support the glazing industry.

From these product assessments emerge a graded product performance from E at the worst to A+ at the best.

This grading allows consumers to make easier informed purchasing choices based on cost and relative ratings.

Storm derived building fabric deflection is also calculated through a standardised software system, designed by the Building Research Establishment (BRE). This estimates the likely deflection from a products location based on post codes. Considerations such as height above sea level, records of historic wind speed averages, prevalence of sheltered or exposed terrain. From this information on wind loading and exposures we can produce Product design choices through Autocad illustrating parts and assemblies appropriate to meet the structural needs of the location and create simple line drawings to illustrate this to building designers and specifiers.

Numerical aptitudes are helpful but IT skills are as important to operate these established software systems. The three key IT skill areas are in the use of Microsoft Word, Excel and the design software Autocad. Additional training courses can be provided on Autocad.

Salary:

During your apprenticeship, the employer you are working for will pay you a salary. This will be a minimum of £2.73 an hour. Some employers pay more than this and some offer other benefits and incentives.