Find out more about our... Communities Apprenticeship

Find out more about our Communities Apprentice position

With just a few days left to submit your application for our Communities apprentice position, we’re taking a closer look at the roles of our Community Connectors and exploring where a Business Admin Qualification could take you.

One of Karbon’s aims as a housing association is to shape strong, sustainable places for our communities, which is where Karbon’s Customer and Community Engagement team comes in.

Our team of Community Connectors work together to actively shape the communities and places where Karbon properties are located.

By partnering with others, such as local charities, authorities, and community projects and groups, the team work to create places that promote health, happiness and wellbeing.

These partnerships help the team to understand the support needed in each community, guiding Karbon to invest in things that make a solid and lasting difference to the lives of our customers.  

This year the Community Connectors have invested over £670,000 in community initiatives.

• AIM North East, a community organisation in Hadston, secured £13,000 from Karbon to deliver a support and care programme.
• Aspire Learning, Support & Wellbeing, based in Chester-le-Street, secured £11,000 to kick start a 12 month project at their centre.
• Derwentside Breast Friends was awarded a small grant of £932, to fund promotional materials to get the word out about its cancer support group in Consett.

The day to day responsibilities of a Community Connector include;

• Connecting members of the local communities with the services that Karbon provides
• Engaging with community members to identify the need of communities
• Help tackle and overcome the challenges that local communities face
• Deliver grants and funding for community groups and projects which help the communities thrive
• Help community groups and projects to identify funding opportunities to help them to improve and grow

Alongside your role as a Community Connector, you’ll be studying for a Business Admin qualification at Derwentside College.

Karbon employee, Abbey Brown, completed an apprenticeship within the community team, studying for a Level 2 in Business Admin.

“My business admin qualification was brilliant for so many reasons. It provided me with all the basic administration skills needed to secure a support role in either a public or private sector organisation, improved my communication skills no end, and massively boosted my confidence.

“Alongside the qualification, the on the job experience I gained working in the Karbon community team meant I was became a well-rounded colleague and a really valued member of the team.

“I was fortunate enough to secure a full time job with Karbon after completing my apprenticeship, but even if I hadn’t the Business Admin qualification would have opened me up to so many potential careers, including customer service, HR, marketing etc.

“To anyone thinking about taking the apprenticeship route, I would definitely recommend it. There’s nothing to lose but so much to gain. As well as getting a qualification you are earning, and by surrounding yourself with really experienced people who you can learn a lot from, you are building your skills and confidence massively.”

To find out more about this position and the other apprenticeships available, visit our apprenticeship page