Occupational Summary
A finance worker or financial consultant on a Level 3 apprenticeship works in frontline customer-facing roles within banks, building societies and wider financial services. The apprentice deals with customers in branches, call centres, online or via social media, handling individuals, businesses or small portfolios. Typical duties include identifying customer needs and recommending appropriate products and services such as current accounts, credit cards, loans, savings and insurance; promoting digital channels; making proactive contact to deepen relationships; resolving complex complaints; and coordinating with other teams. Mortgage, complex investment or other regulated opportunities are referred to specialists.
The programme contains 23 knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs), has a typical duration of 12 months and a maximum funding band of £8,000. End-point assessment is performed via professional discussion, portfolio of evidence and workplace observation.
View official Skills England source text
This apprenticeship has been designed for use in Banks and Building Societies, but may have wider application across Financial Services, including Life Insurers. Within these organisations there are a number of front line roles that deal with customers and require a high level of technical knowledge and skills across a wide range of products – these may happen in a branch, over the phone, through the internet / social media or an operations centre that supports other areas. They may deal with individuals, businesses or a small portfolio of accounts. Typical activities could include, depending on the organisation, understanding customer needs and meeting those needs with the right products and services eg type of bank account / credit card / loans / insurances; promoting new digital services to encourage customers to use these channels, proactively calling customers to deepen relationships, resolving tricky complaints, working with other areas of the organisation to meet customer needs. Products within the scope of this role are core banking, savings and insurance. Any mortgage, complex investment or other regulated product opportunities will be referred to specialists.
Important Notice
The v1.3 previously published in preview has been removed pending the launch of v2.0 under assessment reform policy.
What's in the Delivery Pack?
Every section is tailored specifically to the ST0185 standard, using official KSB data, the published assessment plan, and sector-specific context.
KSB Interpretations
Plain-English interpretation of every Knowledge, Skill and Behaviour
EPA Preparation
End-point assessment readiness, gateway checklist and method guidance
Delivery Risks
Occupation-specific risks, mitigations and early warning signs
Delivery Model Options
Model-selection guide comparing day release, block release and front-loaded approaches
On/Off-the-Job Mapping
Which KSBs are best taught by the provider vs developed in the workplace
Initial Assessment & RPL
Starting points, prior learning recognition and programme adaptation
English, Maths & Digital
Where functional skills embed naturally and standalone qualification guidance
Employer Engagement Guide
Employer commitments, progress reviews and workplace engagement guidance
Get the ST0185 Delivery Guide
Unlock all 8 AI-powered sections — KSB interpretations, EPA preparation, delivery risks, employer engagement, and more. Tailored to Senior financial services customer adviser.
From £14.99 · Instant PDF download · en-GB throughout
Typical Job Titles
Knowledge, Skills & Behaviours
Knowledge
8- K1: Understands the role their sector plays in Financial Services, the business they work in, the end to end customer experi...
- K2: Understands the different areas of the organisation they need to work with to deliver for the customer.
- K3: Understands where their organisation sits in the market and its impact on / role in the local economy.
- K4: Broad understanding of the Financial Services legal and regulatory framework, together with how this applies to their ro...
- K5: Broad understanding of the products and services offered to customers by their organisation, together with sound knowled...
- + 3 more items
Skills
9- S1: Delivers excellent service, identifying and meeting or exceeding customer requirements. Educates customers in the use of...
- S2: Uses a wide range of company systems and processes to deliver services to customers, Takes the initiative to meet challe...
- S3: Consistently supports colleagues /collaborates to achieve results. Builds/maintains strong working relationships within ...
- S4: Deals effectively with customers/colleagues, using sound interpersonal skills and communicating well through a range of ...
- S5: Works to deliver the best customer outcome when handling problems and complaints. Uses questioning to gain insight and f...
- + 4 more items
Behaviours
6- B1: Identifies opportunities to improve performance and service. Takes ownership of specific changes through to implementati...
- B2: Seeks feedback and acts on it to improve their performance. Builds their own capability through ownership of their own d...
- B3: Truthful, sincere and trustworthy in their actions. Shows integrity by doing the right thing.
- B4: Maintains appropriate confidentiality at all times.
- B5: Adapts positively to changing work priorities and patterns when new tasks need to be done or requirements change.
- + 1 more items
End-Point Assessment
Assessment Plan
Type: PDF
Version & Source
- Version
- 1.2
- End-point assessment plan revised
- Last changed
- 19 Feb 2026
- Earliest start
- 9 Jan 2025
- Approved for delivery
- 27 Aug 2015
- EQA Provider
- Ofqual
- Sector Subject Area
- 15.1 Accounting and finance
- Trailblazer
- TB0189
- Last checked
- 11 Mar 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What knowledge, skills and behaviours are in the ST0185 standard?▼
The Senior financial services customer adviser apprenticeship has 8 knowledge items, 9 skills, and 6 behaviours that apprentices must demonstrate.
How long is the Senior financial services customer adviser apprenticeship?▼
The typical duration is 12 months, with a maximum funding band of £8,000.
What does a delivery guide for ST0185 include?▼
The KSB Planner delivery guide includes plain-English KSB interpretations, EPA preparation guidance, delivery risk analysis, on/off-the-job mapping, employer engagement strategies, and more — all tailored to ST0185.
Data sourced from Skills England. KSB Planner delivery guides are an interpretation and planning aid based on official published source material — not an official regulator-issued document.