Youth Progression Advisor (Trailblazer)

This is a unique opportunity to make a real difference to young people's lives by supporting them into education, employment, or training.

Fixed Term until 31 March 2027. Three Full-Time Equivalent Posts based in South Cambridgeshire, Cambridge City and Huntingdon. Cambridgeshire County Council is recruiting Youth Trailblazer Advisers to join our newly established Youth Progression and Transitions Team, supporting young people into education, employment, and training.

You will work directly with young people aged 18–21 who are NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) or at risk of becoming NEET, with some preventative work for those aged 15–18. You will offer tailored one‐to‐one support, helping young people overcome barriers, build confidence, and progress into positive opportunities.

These roles are funded by the Youth Guarantee Trailblazer project, delivered in partnership with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. You will be part of a developing and innovative programme designed to improve outcomes for young people across the county. Post-holders will be based in district locations and will work in close collaboration with schools, colleges, training providers, Jobcentre Plus, and other partner agencies.

Interviews will take place on Wednesday 25 February 2026. If you would like any further information please contact: Mark Cowdell – mark.cowdell@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

Responsibilities

• Provide personalised one‐to‐one support to young people who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET.
• Assess needs, identify barriers to participation, and co-design tailored support plans.
• Deliver high‐quality information and advice to help young people re-engage with learning, employment or training.
• Work with schools, colleges, training providers and employers to support retention in post‐16 learning.
• Maintain accurate and timely case records in line with service processes.
• Contribute to the delivery of key performance indicators for both the project and the wider service.

About you

• Motivated and committed to supporting young people and their families to achieve positive outcomes.
• Able to build strong, trusting relationships with young people and a range of professionals.
• Organised, with the ability to prioritise and manage your workload effectively.
• A confident communicator, able to engage with diverse audiences using a range of methods.
• Able to manage challenging situations professionally and maintain boundaries.
• Willing to participate in ongoing learning and development.

Skills & Experience

• Experience of working with young people facing complex or multiple barriers.
• Understanding of education, employment and training pathways.
• Evidence of effective partnership working across agencies.
• Good working knowledge of safeguarding and relevant legislation.
• Awareness of Jobcentre Plus, DWP processes, and young people's benefits.
• Ability to produce accurate, high‐quality records and assessments.

You will be required to hold a full and valid driving license and have access to a vehicle or have the ability to otherwise travel efficiently between locations, both countywide and beyond. Appointment to this post will be subject to the outcome of an Enhanced Disclosure obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service. The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

About us

Cambridgeshire is a great place to work and live with a diverse population, an urban centre in Cambridge, historic Isle of Ely, Huntingdon and St Ives as well as more rural landscapes. Our four values are central to our culture, driving everything we do. We are proud to serve the diverse communities of Cambridgeshire and want our workforce to be reflective of this diversity. We are committed to building a workplace that is compassionate and inclusive as well as diverse, so if you think you could be a good candidate for this role please consider applying and speak to the recruiting manager if you have any questions.

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, along with our employee network IDEAL and self‐organised peer support groups help us to foster an inclusive, supportive and safe working environment where people feel valued, respected, and empowered. We collect relevant diversity data for monitoring as part of the recruitment process to understand the diversity of our applicants and monitor any trends throughout the recruitment processes so that we can take meaningful action.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We fully support providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process, as well as when you join us, and we encourage candidates to contact the Hiring Manager, whose details can be found in the advert, to discuss any adjustment needs. Through a Guaranteed Interview Scheme, we will offer an interview to all applicants who disclose a disability and meet the essential criteria for a job vacancy. On your application form you can indicate you are disabled. Some examples of reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process could include additional time to complete an assessment or printing a document on pastel coloured paper with larger font size and line spacing. We would value talking about what might be possible to enable you to join us and thrive, so if there is something that would help you to do your best during your journey with us, please get in touch.

Visit our jobs and careers section to find out more about our wide range of learning and development opportunities; apprenticeships; our wellbeing package; staff benefits; our commitment to equality, diversity and Inclusion.