{"id":2461259,"url":"https://alion.io/job/serco-ward-host-apprentice","title":"Ward Host Apprentice","company":{"id":1779743,"name":"Serco","domain":"serco.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/serco-com","size_band":"5000+","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"SuccessFactors","truth_index":null},"role":"Early Careers","role_family":"Early Careers","seniority":"intern","employment_type":"internship","work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Southampton, United Kingdom"],"countries":["GB"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":12,"max":null,"currency":"GBP","period":"hour","gross":null,"usd_annual":32000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Voice Agents","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-11T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-11","last_verified_at":"2026-10-14T14:14:03Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":33,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":33},"description":"Location: University Hospital Southampton, Hampshire, SO16 6YD\nSalary: £12.92 per hour, plus excellent benefits\nSchedule: Permanent contract, part-time (30 hours). Shifts vary by ward and may include early starts, evenings and weekends. Typical shift patterns may include 7am-2pm, 3pm-7pm and longer weekend shifts such as 7am-8pm.\nEligibility: Applicants must be aged 18-24** due to eligibility criteria for the apprenticeship.\nLaunch your career. Get qualified. Make a difference.\n Looking for your first step into the world of work? This could be a great place to start.\nAs a Ward Host Apprentice, you'll be based at University Hospital Southampton, working as part of our Ward Patient Catering team while completing a Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship in Health & Social Care.\nYour apprenticeship will take around 8 months and is completed alongside your role, with time to study on-the-job. You’ll gain hands-on work experience every day, with dedicated time for study and learning as part of your apprenticeship. You’ll develop practical health and social care skills, as well as the employability skills and behaviours that can help you take your next step.\nSo, what will you actually do?\nAs a Ward Host, you'll help make a difference to patients every day. You'll take meal orders using an electronic system, work with the hospital kitchen to prepare and deliver meals to wards, and make sure patients receive the right food and drinks.\nYou'll also be someone patients can rely on for friendly, positive service when they're in hospital. You'll work closely with patients and NHS colleagues, and being able to communicate well, show empathy and understand the importance of hygiene and dietary requirements is vital.\nIt's a hands-on role where no two days are the same, and you'll build practical skills and experience in customer service, hospitality, food service and healthcare.\nLearn more about the role on our careers blog.\nNo experience? No problem.\n You don't need previous experience to apply. We're looking for people with the right attitude, a willingness to learn, and genuine care for others. We'll support you from day one with induction, role-specific training, shadowing and competency assessments, as well as experienced colleagues who'll help you build your confidence and skills. If you're ready to start earning, gain experience and build your future, we'd love to hear from you.\nWhat you’ll do as a Ward Host Apprentice\nSpeak with patients, take meal orders and help them understand the available menu choices\nPrepare and serve meals, snacks, hot drinks and cold refreshments safely and efficiently\nUse tablet-based ordering systems and learn how to follow dietary and allergen requirements\nPrepare food and beverage trolleys, check temperatures and complete the required records\nMaintain a clean, safe and hygienic ward kitchen and patient dining environment\nWork closely with colleagues and clinical teams to provide a welcoming and respectful service \nDoes this sound like you?\nYou’re friendly, approachable and comfortable speaking with different people\nYou care about delivering a positive experience and treating everyone with dignity and respect\nYou’re reliable, organised and able to work as part of a busy team\nYou’re willing to learn, follow instructions and take responsibility for your development\nYou understand that a hospital can be fast-paced and emotionally challenging, and you’ll ask for support when you need it \nWhat you’ll learn\n You’ll begin with a structured induction covering Serco, the hospital environment, employee responsibilities, infection prevention and control, health and safety, safeguarding, customer service and communication. Your role-specific training will include food hygiene, allergen awareness, nutrition, beverage trolley operation, meal ordering systems and tablet-based ordering. You’ll also shadow experienced colleagues, receive feedback and coaching, and complete competency checks before working independently.\nThis apprenticeship is an opportunity to earn while you learn, develop transferable skills and gain experience in a busy healthcare environment. Whether this is your first job or your first step into hospitality and healthcare support, there’s space here for your ideas, your growth and your positive impact.\nFor more information on the role and what its like to work in a hospital environment, follow this link - Ward Host Apprentice Blog\nWhat we offer\n25 days’ holiday plus bank holidays (and the option to buy up to five additional leave days each year)\nUp to 6% contributory pension scheme\nOver 1,100 internal courses available, funding for qualifications and apprenticeships (we currently offer over 60 different apprenticeships), mentoring opportunities, and a focus on internal progression.\nEmployee Assistance Programme, Bupa Anytime HealthLine, wellbeing app, 30% off at Serco-managed leisure centres, and 24/7 access to a virtual GP service\nDiscounts across around 1,000 retailers, from food and clothing to days out, entertainment and travel\nPaid volunteering day, tax-free charitable giving through Payroll Giving Scheme, donate your pennies from your monthly pay to the Serco People Fund Charity\nOur employee networks support connection by providing spaces for collaboration, learning, and belonging. They represent and empower all our colleagues including veterans, LGBTQIA+ employees, women, parents and carers, people with disabilities, and people from all cultural backgrounds. \nVetting and checks: \n This role is subject to a Standard Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. A Standard DBS check reveals both spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings held on the Police National Computer (PNC).\nApprenticeship eligbility:\nTo be eligible for this apprenticeship, you’ll need to:\n**Be aged 18-24. If you are age 21-24 you will be subject to additional eligibility. \nHave the right to live and work in the UK, including being a UK or Irish citizen, an EEA or Swiss national with the appropriate status, or holding valid UK immigration status or permission to live in the UK for purposes other than education.\nHave been ordinarily resident in the UK, the Islands, British Overseas Territories, Ireland, Gibraltar, the EEA or Switzerland for at least the previous three years, subject to applicable apprenticeship funding rules.\nNot currently be studying towards another qualification or apprenticeship that conflicts with the apprenticeship you are applying for.\nNot currently be receiving government funding for another qualification or apprenticeship, including through a student loan.\nMeet the apprenticeship funding requirements if you have previously completed or part-completed an apprenticeship. Please provide details of any previous apprenticeship, including the level, title and completion or withdrawal date.\nBe able to travel to the relevant workplace and attend the required training.\nBe happy for your details to be shared with our external training provider, who will deliver the learning element of the apprenticeship and may contact you during the recruitment process.\nIMPORTANT\n Apprenticeship eligibility depends on your individual circumstances, including your residency or immigration status and previous qualifications or apprenticeships. You must meet the government’s eligibility requirements for apprenticeship funding for this qualification. If your circumstances don’t fit the options above, you may still be eligible and we’ll review your circumstances on a case-by-case basis. Eligibility will be confirmed as part of the recruitment process.\nApplication and Selection Process\nApply >> Answer Eligibility Screening Questions >> Complete Voice Agent Screening Call >> Invite to Interview >> Offer\nLet’s impact a better future, together. Apply today.\n\nA little bit about us:\nAt Serco, everyone plays a vital part in delivering essential public services that make a real difference. As a global team of 50,000 people across Defence, Transport, Justice, Immigration, Healthcare, Leisure and Citizen Services, we’re united by a shared purpose: to improve the services that communities rely on. Guided by our values of Trust, Care, Innovation and Pride, our people make meaningful impact, every single day.\nOur inclusive recruitment commitment:\nWe prioritise your skills and potential. As a Disability Confident Leader, the Top Great British Employer of Veterans 2026, and a Gold Inclusive Employer Standard holder, we champion equal opportunities for all. We offer flexible and hybrid working where possible and make reasonable adjustments throughout recruitment and employment.\nGuaranteed Interview Scheme: Applicants with disabilities, veterans and people with convictions, who meet the minimum job criteria, are guaranteed an interview. Simply opt into the relevant scheme on the application form.\n Ban The Box: We also support fair access for those with unspent criminal convictions through our ‘Ban the Box’ pledge (some roles may have security exemptions).\nFor support with your application, please contact .","description_format":"text","description_chars":9099,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Hybrid work"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United Kingdom","iso":"GB","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Facilities Management","Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)","Call Center Services"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-13T17:27:12Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":14,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.392,"p_room":0.36,"age_days":33,"expected_fill_days":18,"reasons":["conf:2","win:tail","crowd:junior,brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-14T06:34:16Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":32000,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/serco-ward-host-apprentice","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/serco-ward-host-apprentice.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-14T15:46:10Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"assistant_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":3153,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-15T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":1779743},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=1779743"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fserco-ward-host-apprentice"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fserco-ward-host-apprentice"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fserco-ward-host-apprentice"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/serco-ward-host-apprentice\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fserco-ward-host-apprentice"}]}