Listings - Administration and human resources/personnel

Administration and human resources/personnel

So, what's it all about?

Have you read or seen The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?

It's basically a battle between order and chaos, with the mighty Aslan on one side and the White Witch on the other. The administration sector covers Aslan's army, who are employed to fight off the forces of chaos. Without them, business would fall apart in a barrage of lost files, missed appointments, wasted energy, unanswered phone calls and more.

Almost a fifth of the workforce are administrators of some sort. Their job is to make sure systems and processes run as Administration sector smoothly as possible, whether they're overseeing billion-pound global transactions or ordering the office Post-it ® notes.

In an entry-level administrative position, your day might involve answering phone calls and putting them through to the right people, distributing and collecting the post, updating records or entering data on a spreadsheet, filing, typing up letters, photocopying, or sending faxes and emails.

It's not just things that need administration, either. Just as important are ‘human resources' (HR) – that's ‘people' to you and me. The role of HR, or personnel, is to make sure an employer has the right people doing the right jobs.They work with management in recruiting and training new staff, as well as dealing with personal issues and disciplinary matters: they're responsible for seeing everyone is pulling their weight, rather than spending half the day on YouTube or taking every Monday off sick.

But they also make sure the needs of the employees are met and their rights are respected. This covers everything from holiday entitlements and making adjustments for people with disabilities to dealing with stress or bullying. It's a role where your people skills are every bit as important as your organisational ones.

Employers are crying out for trained administrators, so there are great prospects in this sector. Show a flair for organisation, efficiency and communication, and you could soon find yourself promoted to a more responsible position – maybe as a team leader, junior manager or personal assistant. Before you know it, you'll be running the place.

What qualities do I need?

have good communication skills
possess a good command of written English
have basic numeracy skills
work well as part of a team
have good typing skills
be computer literate
have a good telephone manner
be organised and methodical
manage your time well
be reliable and presentable
work quickly and remain calm under pressure

Vital Statistics

Hours: Most admin work revolves around typical nine-to-five jobs, although your hours and entitlements will vary according to the company you work for.

Environment: You'll generally be based in an office and working as part of a team. Make yourself popular by offering to fetch the coffee.

Location: You're generally likely to be based in one location, but where you choose is up to you. Wherever there are jobs, there's a need for administrators.

Apprenticeships in this sector

These are the Apprenticeships currently available in this sector. For more information and for details of the Apprenticeship framework, contact the Sector Skills Council listed after each.