Surface Access Apprenticeship

Role Profile

Join Our Surface Access team in LLA's Commercial Department as an Apprentice - London Luton Airport Apprenticeship Programme.

Assessment Centre date: Week commencing 1st September 2025

Final Stage Interview date: Week commencing 8th September 2025

Start date: October 2025

We’re excited to share a great opportunity through our London Luton Airport Apprenticeship Programme. We're inviting local residents from LU1 to LU4 to join our Surface Access team. We want people who really know the town and how it works, ready to roll their sleeves up, and bring fresh ideas into how we plan and improve public transport, walking, and cycling to and from the airport. You'll also be working towards a Level 3 Business Administrator qualification with Bedford College.

This is your chance to be at the heart of our mission to grow London Luton Airport’s commercial success, through unlocking our key transport objectives outlined in our Surface Access Strategy and have a real impact on our staff, passengers, partners, and business performance.  As part of our dynamic and fast-paced Commercial directorate you will also have the opportunity to work with other teams including Car Parking, Retail, Revenue & Strategy, and Commercial Property; adapting to business needs and getting a 360° insight into how the airport’s Commercial directorate works.

About the Apprenticeship

The Level 3 Business Administrator Apprenticeship will give you the skills and knowledge to provide high-quality business support and coordination in a large, dynamic organisation like ours. You'll learn how to manage information, support commercial decision-making, and gain valuable hands-on experience right here at the airport.

Your typical duties will include:

  • Supporting the Surface Access team with day-to-day administrative tasks.
  • Assisting in the preparation of reports, presentations, and business proposals for transport operators and other key collaboration partners.
  • Conducting research on new transport route opportunities to support business development initiatives.
  • Collaborating with Marketing, Sustainability, Procurement, Finance, and Legal teams to deliver on our key transport objectives.
  • Helping to coordinate meetings, minute-taking, and following up on actions.
  • Supporting data collection and analysis to track the performance of transport operators, passenger trends, and commercial KPIs.
  • Supporting our Travel Plan Executive in the delivery of Staff Travel initiatives, events and engagement campaigns.
  • Contributing to the preparation of commercial agreements and documentation.
  • Supporting the organisation of partner visits, events, and promotional activities.
  • Assisting in updating internal systems and databases with accurate information.
  • Tracking spend and highlighting any budget risks to leaders.
  • Supporting the team in preparing submissions for awards and industry accreditations.
  • Assisting with internal communications to share commercial updates with colleagues.
  • Helping to organise travel, logistics, and other arrangements for the Aviation Commercial team.

Training and qualification

  • You will be enrolled in the Level 3 Business Administrator Apprenticeship with Bedford College, where you'll gain specialist knowledge in business operations, administration, stakeholder engagement, and compliance.
  • Duration: Typically 18 months (15 months apprenticeship, 3-month gateway period to prepare for EPA).
  • Delivered by an accredited provider, blending on-the-job experience with classroom learning.

The successful apprentice will attend 10 mandatory monthly delivery sessions in college from 9.30am to 4.30pm, apprentices can attend our Bedford or Dunstable campus and will cover topics such as: 

  • Introduction, Managing Performance, Professionalism and Quality
  • The Organisation, Value of your Skills and Personal Qualities 
  • Legislation, Regulations, Policies, Procedures and Processes 
  • IT, Record and Document Production Skills 
  • Stakeholders, Communication and Interpersonal Skills 
  • Planning and Organisation 
  • Business Fundamentals including Decision Making and Problem Solving 
  • External Environmental Factors 
  • Project Management 
  • Project Workshop 

Typical work pattern

  • 37 hours per week (Including one study day)
  • Typical working hours are between 09:00 – 17:30
  • Opportunities for hybrid/flexible working hours based upon performance and business needs

Who we're looking for

  • A passion for transport, aviation, business, and making a positive impact on staff and passengers
  • An interest in transport, project management and analytics
  • Strong communication skills, both written and verbal
  • A team player who enjoys collaborating across different departments and with external partners
  • Organised, with great attention to detail and an ability to manage multiple projects
  • Eager to learn and willing to represent LLA at industry events and conferences
  • Confident using Microsoft Office and interested in learning business systems and reporting tools
  • Committed to our mission to grow London Luton Airport’s commercial success and airline partnerships

Qualifications Required / Desirable

Minimum requirements:

  • English and Maths at GCSE Grade 4 (C) or above, or Functional Skills Level 2 or above

Desired requirements:

  • Previous experience or volunteering in administration, business, events, customer service, or commercial environments is a plus.
  • Confidence using digital tools, presentation skills and data analysis.

Eligibility

To apply, you must be:

  • Living in England for the past 3 years and have the right to work in the UK
  • 5-year checkable work/education history  
  • Not currently enrolled on any other courses
  • Aged 18 or over
  • Local Luton Resident (LU1-LU4)

All apprenticeships are subject to passing enhanced background checks in aviation. This job description is intended to give an appreciation of the role and the range of duties and responsibilities to be undertaken. It does not attempt to detail every activity. Specific tasks and objectives will be agreed on an on-going basis. The apprentice will be required at all times to perform any other reasonable tasks, as requested by the Line Manager, in order to meet the operational needs of the business.

For any further information, please contact the Human Resources department [email protected] London Luton Airport Operations Ltd collects your personal information when you submit your application. For more details about the personal information LLA collects, how we collect it, why we need it, what we do with it, how long we keep it and what your rights are, please see our privacy notice at www.london-luton.co.uk/privacy-notice.

LLA is committed to fostering, promoting and preserving a culture of diversity, equality and inclusion, as we carry out our mission.  We will always be respectful and seek to learn from those different from ourselves.  We strive to be an equal opportunities employer, and we are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee has a negative experience for being who they are.  We welcome all applications!

To apply:

Please submit your CV and covering letter here. Within your covering letter please make sure to answer the following questions:

  • Do you have the right to work in the UK?
  • Do you live within LU1-LU4? (as part of our eligibility criteria)
  • Why are you interested in this apprenticeship and what do you hope to gain from it?
  • What skills, experiences or personal qualities do you have that make you a good fit for this role?
  • What excites you most about starting a career in this field and what do you hope to achieve by the end of this apprenticeship?