subject: Administration And Office Workwhat You Need. [print this page] Office work is an awarding job with great responsibility, and good administrative and office workers are always in high demand. The most basic administrative role is a clerical or administrative assistant and most people who are starting off will begin here. The main role of an administrative assistant is to carry out general office jobs, which will vary slightly between offices. For this type of position, employers rarely require much previous qualifications from their applicants, but may ask for a good GCSE in English and Maths. Most employees who do not have previous experience of office work can usually be trained at the workplace whilst getting paid. Training can lead to gaining an NVQ, through assessments at work and at a college. It is also possible to complete apprenticeships in business administration, which again consists of training with an employer to gain an NVQ.
The level of training needed will depend on an employees specific academic qualifications. For those with GCSEs, the training will be more intense than those starting with A-levels or a degree.
Applicants who have gained their A-levels can also expect to have more responsibility within the workplace, and those with a degree might be able to enter the profession at a trainee-manager level.
As well as academic qualifications, the requirements will vary for those applying for office jobs that contain more responsibility than an administrative assistant. For example, some workplaces, such as banks, insurance companies or building societies might look for office workers who can work with figures. These establishments often have training schemes for their employees, again to work towards an NVQ. Trainees can also opt to gain specialised qualifications, for example in bookkeeping or accounting.
Those applying for secretarial positions will often be expected to have gained GCSEs between A* and C, and sometimes A-levels or a degree. Secretaries will also need to take a course to be trained especially for the job. Receptionists are more often than not expected to have previous experience of office work, and often start off as office administrators before progressing to a receptionist position. As well as general office skills, receptionists are required to have keyboarding, clerical and numeracy skills. Of course, there are courses that train receptionists on these general skills, as well as specialist courses that train for specialised workplaces, such as hotels or medical establishments.
