Learning Support Assistant (Adult) & Cognassist Facilitator

Location: Bedford College - Cauldwell Street Campus

Salary/Benefits: Salary between £25,585 and £30,915 per annum DOE and Qualifications, 27 days annual leave plus Bank holidays, People’s Pension, Retail and Leisure Discounts, excellent professional and personal development opportunities, accessing college courses.

Hours/Weeks: 37 hours per week - 52 weeks per year

Contract Type: Permanent - Full Time

This is a UK based contract, and you are required to have the Right to Work in the UK. Sponsorship is not available and any offer of employment will be subject to evidence of your Right to Work in the UK.

About the role: We are currently seeking a Learning Support Assistant (Adult) and Cognassist Facilitator to join our Foundation Learning and Additional Learning Support department at The Bedford College Group.

As a Learning Support Assistant and Cognassist Facilitator, you play an important role in the success of our students through:

• Cognassist Delivery & Facilitation: Lead adult learner cohorts through the Cognassist assessment, deliver presentations on its purpose and use, and ensure completion at the start of the learner journey.
• Learner Support & Case Management: Manage a caseload of around 300 learners, providing monthly one-to-one support meetings for those with matched Cognassist profiles and recording outcomes on the platform.
• Collaboration & Progress Monitoring: Work closely with curriculum teams to drive learner engagement, contribute to review and evaluation meetings, and maintain accurate Cognassist records, notes and progress reports.
• Student Engagement & Wider Participation: Support College functions such as inductions and open days, encouraging adult learners to use Cognassist strategies to aid progress and achievement.
• Compliance, Safeguarding & College Responsibilities: Uphold safeguarding, EDI and health & safety standards, participate in cross-campus activities, invigilation, and training, and undertake additional duties as required.

About you:

• Qualifications & Core Requirements: Level 2 Learner Support Certificate (or willingness to achieve), plus Level 2 Maths and English, with strong ability to use Microsoft Office applications.
• Experience Supporting Learners: Experience working with individuals in educational settings, including adult learners and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.
• Learner Experience & Professionalism: Consistently supports a high-quality, welcoming and inclusive learning environment, demonstrating strong performance, accurate record-keeping and effective communication across all formats.
• Teamwork, Initiative & Adaptability: Able to work independently and collaboratively, valuing colleagues' expertise, maintaining professionalism and representing the College positively within the community.
• Safeguarding, Boundaries & Flexibility: Committed to safeguarding responsibilities, maintaining appropriate professional boundaries, working flexibly across all Tresham sites with a positive and adaptable attitude.

For a more detailed breakdown of the job role and the requirements, please see the Job Description attached to this vacancy.

Interviews to be held: TBC

Successful candidates must also be able to demonstrate alignment to our organisational VISION values:

• Valuing Teamwork: We are one team who by working together can achieve great things, respecting the opinion and valuing the contribution each of us makes.
• Improving Continuously: We challenge ourselves to always do better by trying new things, sharing knowledge, reflecting on practice and learning from others.
• Student Centred: At our heart is always doing what is best for our students. We consider students in all of our decision making to create positive outcomes and memorable experiences for every student.
• Inclusive: We celebrate differences and diversity, recognising that we can learn from each other.
• Open and Caring: We care about the wellbeing of our staff, our students, our community and wider society, creating an environment built on trust where we listen, engage with and support each other.
• Nurturing Education Excellence: We promote educational excellence by delivering programmes that challenge our students to achieve their ambitions.

About The Bedford College Group: The Bedford College Group was formed in 2017 following the merger of Bedford College and Tresham College and is now the largest provider of education in the South East Midlands, with over 15,000 students passing through our doors each year.

Today, the Group is made up of a family of colleges across Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire: Bedford College, Central Bedfordshire College and Tresham College in the towns of Bedford, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough; Shuttleworth College, a specialist land-based college; The Bedford Sixth Form, (the only dedicated sixth form in Bedford); The Corby Sixth Form, (opened in September 2023); and the National College for Motorsport alongside Silverstone race circuit. To widen accessibility to education and training, the Group also has community-based Learning Centres in Bedford, Corby and Kettering which offer IT training.

Safeguarding our Students: The Bedford College Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to thorough vetting process which includes, an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide. The Bedford College Group's policy on Employment of Ex-Offenders is attached to this vacancy.

Candidates who are barred from working with children are reminded it is a criminal offence to apply for this post.

We reserve the right to bring forward the closing date of the adverts should we receive a sufficient level of interest!