Job Description
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Job Details:
We're looking for an organised, proactive and relationship-focused Work Experience Team Leader to help lead the delivery of USP College's work experience and industry placement programme across both campuses.
You'll help ensure every learner can access meaningful, high-quality placement opportunities that support their career ambitions and build their confidence for the workplace. You'll lead a team of Employment Skills Advisors and Industry Placement Advisors, work closely with curriculum and careers colleagues, and develop strong partnerships with local employers.
This is a varied role where you'll combine team leadership, employer engagement, learner support and operational planning. You'll play an important part in helping students take their next steps into employment, apprenticeships and further training.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Lead and support the Work Experience team
Line manage Employment Skills Advisors and Industry Placement Advisors across both campuses, including supervision, appraisals, workload allocation, absence planning and professional development.
Coordinate work experience and industry placements
Plan, maintain and oversee the annual work experience schedule, ensuring placements are organised effectively around curriculum requirements, college events, exams and learner needs.
Manage team performance and targets
Set, monitor and report on team targets for work experience and industry placements, identifying risks, resolving barriers and escalating concerns where needed.
Build employer partnerships
Develop and maintain strong relationships with local employers and organisations to create work experience, industry placement, apprenticeship and employment opportunities.
Match learners to suitable opportunities
Support the effective matching of students to placements, taking account of their career goals, skills, location, support needs and employer requirements.
Work collaboratively across the College
Partner with Heads of Learning, curriculum teams, Progress Coaches, Student Support Services and the Careers Team to provide a consistent, high-quality service for learners and employers.
Ensure safe, compliant and accurate delivery
Make sure appropriate safeguarding, DBS, health and safety, employer liability and placement checks are completed. Maintain accurate records on Grofar, the College CRM and other internal systems, including data required for funding returns.
Promote employability and celebrate success
Deliver information sessions, workshops and training for students, staff, parents and employers. Support learners with CVs, applications, job searching and interview preparation, while sharing placement success stories to raise the profile of the programme.
What You'll Bring:
You'll have experience of leading or supervising a team, alongside a strong understanding of work experience, industry placements, employability or employer engagement. You'll be confident communicating with a wide range of people and able to build positive relationships quickly.
You'll also be highly organised, comfortable managing competing priorities and committed to delivering an excellent service for learners, employers and colleagues. A sound understanding of safeguarding, health and safety and data recording in a further education setting would be an advantage.
The Right Candidate Will Have:
Essential:
A good all round standard of education, particularly in English and Communications
Willingness to undertake IOSH & HSS8 qualifications as required
Sound knowledge and understanding of issues relating to work experience placements, work trails and employment recruitment practices in a FE college.
A sound knowledge of Health & Safety within the workplace
Knowledge and understanding of local labour market opportunities and of local/national trends in relation to USP College
Desirable:
ILM Management Qualification or equivalent
IOSH Management of Health & Safety Qualification
HSS8 (formerly Unit 'D') Qualification
Why choose us?
Our strategy is to create a Career Focused, Digital Learning environment, ensuring that the learner experience and our relationship within our community, local and regional employers, are at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to be selected as finalists for the AoC Beacon awards for effective use of digital Technology in FE. Providing a high achieving, focused learning environment allowing our students to achieve the grades they need for higher educations, or the skills and aptitude required to secure a suitable role in their chosen career. Our college is set in the leafy suburbs of Essex, with easy access to surrounding areas and amenities, we are based in a well-connected location both by road and rail.
What we offer:
A dedicated and friendly team of professionals who are keen to develop and learn
Excellent pension provision
Annual Staff Awards
CPD days - opportunities to grow and development through mentorship and coaching
Free onsite parking
Staff appreciation days
Eye care vouchers
Onsite Starbucks & Restaurant
Well-being days & activities
Electric Vehicle Scheme*
Discounted gym membership
Hybrid Working available
Fully immersive teaching rooms allow simultaneous online teaching at multiple locations
Free Employee Assistance Programme available 24/7, 365 days offering legal & financial advice, as well as general support & guidance
* subject to terms & conditions
This role is considered exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020. Which means that when applying for certain jobs and activities certain spent convictions and cautions are 'protected', so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide. It is an offence to apply for the role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.
Shortlisted candidates will be required to complete a self-declaration of their criminal record or information that would make them unsuitable to work with children. Self-declaration is subject to Ministry of Justice guidance on the disclosure of criminal records, further information can be found onGOV UK
USP College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, we therefore expect all staff to share this commitment. The successful applicant will be required to undertake an enhanced disclosure via the Disclosure and Barring Service, and any other checks that the role requires to ascertain suitability for working with children and/or vulnerable adults, which may include online searches.
We will hold and process any personal data, including sensitive (special category) personal data, relating to you in accordance with our legal obligations, in the manner set out in the Privacy Notice for staff and in accordance with our Data Protection Policy, which is set out on the College's website,found here. You should familiarise yourself with our Data Protection Policy (and all other subsidiary policies to it) and comply with them at all times. Neither the Privacy Notice for Staff nor those policies form a part of your contract of employment.