XA643 Contact Officer (Entry Level) Apprenticeship Programme **External**

Wakefield, Bradford
Salary £19,452 - £20,706, plus 20% shift allowance and 13.45% weekend enhancement, as applicable
THIS VACANCY HAS BEEN ADVERTISED EXTERNALLY

Contact Officer (Entry Level)

Apprenticeship Programme

Contact Management Centre

Operational Support

Dudley Hill, Bradford and Laburnum Road, Wakefield

Salary £19,452 - £20,706, plus 20% shift allowance and 13.45% weekend enhancement, as applicable.

As a Contact Officer for West Yorkshire Police, you will be responding to both emergency and non-emergency calls, and you will literally be making a difference to - and in some instances actually helping to save – peoples’ lives.

Many people may only use our services once in their lifetime; others might regularly need our assistance. Collectively, our ambition is to provide the highest possible quality of service to them all, so that we can protect and reassure the vulnerable, tackle crime and disorder and bring offenders to justice. You will have a critical role to play in making sure that the communities of West Yorkshire have confidence in their police service and that they are satisfied with the actions we take. This is not just about working in a call-centre; this is about exceptional public service and teamwork to ensure the best possible outcomes for people who need our help.

You will receive training in gathering critical information – often in challenging circumstances - carrying out dynamic risk assessments and determining what immediate actions to take along with bespoke IT training for our Force systems.

To be successful in this demanding role, you will already have experience of computer packages such as Microsoft Office and you will have the ability to successfully complete various IT courses required for this role.

You must have a minimum typing speed of 28 words per minute and a good command of English, both verbal and written. You must be able to work as part of a team. Previous experience of working in a call-centre environment is useful but not a requirement.

All training courses will follow an Apprenticeship Training Programme Route, this is an opportunity to work and learn the job whilst gaining an Apprenticeship qualification.

For more information about this role and see the link https://www.college.police.uk/career-learning/career-development/competency-and-values-framework-cvf (This link may be copied and pasted into your browser).
For career progression opportunities, please see the below link https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/jobs-volunteer/contact-officers/contact-officers-advanced-level-despatcher (This link may be copied and pasted into your browser).

For the Apprenticeship you will either already have pass grades in both English Language and Mathematics at Level 2/GCSE grades A*-C/9-4 or equivalent or you will complete the Functional Skills qualification to level 2 standard during the training programme.

You will be supported to achieve the Emergency Service Contact Handling Standard (Level 3) throughout the training programme. Upon successful completion of the End point Assessment at the end of this training programme you will be qualified to the Level 3 Emergency Service Contact Handling Standard and you will continue in employment as a Customer Contact Officer. The training programme is expected to last approximately 13-14 months.

We are looking for candidates who are prepared to work flexible hours to suit the requirements of the Contact Centre in order that we can keep our communities safe. As well as vacancies for full time staff working a 24/7 shift pattern, we strongly encourage applications from candidates seeking part-time hours, job-sharing and those who will require flexible working arrangements.

Our Contact Management function also offers a career progression scheme; once you are competent in the role of Contact Officer (Entry Level) and have successfully completed your probationary period, there are opportunities to progress onto the Scale 4 (£21,135 - £23,406) Advanced Level Role (20% shift allowance and 14.03% weekend enhancement, as applicable). This can be done by ‘upskilling’ and learning other functions within the room to enhance your call handling skills and gain the ability to be flexible across these functions, this option is managed by your line manager. Please note a minimum tenure period of 2 years applies to all new joiners into the Contact Management Unit.

Online familiarisation webinars will be taking place on Monday 23rd August at 6pm and Tuesday 24th August at 1pm. To register your interest and specify which session you would like to attend, please email contact.pdu@westyorkshire.police.uk for more details and to receive a link to the session.

Assessments are expected to be held from 1st September, and interviews are expected to be held from 13th September, both at our Force Headquarters in Wakefield City Centre.

All trainees will be required to complete the above training on a full time basis. Once trainees leave the Training HUB, they will join their respective teams. Job Share trainees will be expected to work a further 2 full sets of shift at full time hours in the Contact Management Centre prior to starting their agreed job share hours.

Applicants should be aware that it is not always possible to carry out adequate vetting checks on persons who have not been resident within the UK for the last three years. Therefore, where this applies, applicants may be refused on the grounds that it was not possible to vet them to the appropriate standard.

West Yorkshire Police is committed to improving the diversity of its workforce to better reflect the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all minority groups and individuals who identify with one or more of the protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act 2010. Applications are also welcome from those who have gained transferable skills and experience outside of Operational Support.

For a detailed description of the Competency and Values levels required please refer to the http://www.college.police.uk/What-we-do/Development/competency-and-values-framework/Documents/Competency-and-Values-Framework-for-Policing_4.11.16.pdf (This link may be copied and pasted into your browser). This document will assist you in completing the Evidence of Achievement section of the application form.

The application process will close at 23:55 hours on 31 August 2021.

Once you have submitted your application, successfully-shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an assessment.

We are aiming to ensure candidates are posted onto training course dates, which are currently available in September, November 2021 and February 2022. These course dates are provisional and subject to change.

The post is suitable for job share.

Any shift enhancements/weekend allowances are based on the published Force pattern any deviations from this could mean the enhancements/allowances may differ or not apply, for full details refer to staff Terms & Conditions.

20%, Weekend Enhancements

This opportunity is closed to applications.