Work Experience and Placement Officer in London

About Us: Newham College London, now merged with NewVIc Sixth Form College, is the largest post-16 education provider in Newham. With campuses in East Ham, Stratford, Plaistow, and the London City Institute of Technology (LCIoT) in Canning Town, we serve over 11,000 students across a range of pathways – including 16–18 study, adult education, apprenticeships, and higher education. With over 600 staff, four main campuses, and an annual turnover of £60 million, Newham College is one of the borough’s largest employers and plays a key role in driving local economic and community development.

The Role: As Work Experience & Placement Officer, you will be responsible for the end-to-end planning, coordination, and delivery of high-quality work experience and industry placements for a defined caseload of 16–18-year-old learners, including those on study programmes and T Levels. Operating within the Apprenticeships & Business Development Directorate, you will act as a key interface between employers, curriculum teams, and learners, ensuring placements are compliant, well-managed, and deliver positive outcomes for all stakeholders. This is a business-facing role requiring strong employer engagement, operational coordination, and a clear focus on performance against agreed KPIs.

Key responsibilities:

• Manage a caseload of learners undertaking work experience and T Level industry placements
• Plan and coordinate placements in collaboration with curriculum teams to ensure curriculum alignment and compliance
• Proactively source, secure, and develop high-quality employer placement opportunities
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with employers, learners, curriculum teams, and internal support services
• Act as the primary point of contact for employers and curriculum teams within the allocated caseload
• Deliver against agreed KPIs and targets relating to employer engagement, placement volumes, and learner participation
• Monitor learner attendance, progress, and performance while on placement, providing feedback and intervention where required
• Conduct student interviews, inductions, and DBS processes as appropriate
• Assess employer suitability, complete health and safety checks, and ensure placements meet safeguarding and compliance requirements
• Maintain accurate records using the College CRM and management information systems
• Collaborate with Business Development and other employer-facing teams to promote wider college programmes, including apprenticeships
• Support employer engagement events and promotional activity, including occasional evenings and weekends

Our Ideal candidate should have the following qualifications, skills and experience:

• Qualification at Level 3 or above, with a minimum of Level 2 in English and Maths
• Strong knowledge of T Levels, work experience delivery, and related funding and compliance requirements
• Experience of sourcing and engaging employers to provide work placements or work-related opportunities
• Experience of working in a target-driven or performance-focused environment
• Ability to manage a varied caseload, prioritise workload effectively, and meet challenging deadlines
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence and build long-term partnerships
• Strong organisational, administrative, and IT skills, including experience of CRM systems
• Confidence working with young people and supporting learners to succeed in the workplace
• A collaborative, customer-focused approach aligned to safeguarding, equality, diversity, and inclusion principles

Safeguarding of Children and Vulnerable Adults: In line with Keeping Children Safe in Education, all employment offers are subject to employment checks. These include (some of which are dependent on the role and the individual): Enhanced DBS including Children’s Barred List check, DfE teaching/management Barred List check, online searches, overseas criminal record check, evidence of identity and Right to Work in the UK, satisfactory references, confirmation of medical fitness, evidence of relevant qualifications and a check of previous employment history. The College is committed to safeguarding and promotes the welfare of all learners and expects its staff to share this commitment. You will be required to become familiar with the College's policies, and comply with the requirements to safeguard and protect the welfare of children and young people and vulnerable adults. All staff are asked to complete mandatory training in relation to KCSIE and other key areas, and to read the relevant policies.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: The College has a strong commitment to working towards the implementation of equality of opportunity in both service delivery and employment. The College’s mission and strategic objectives directly support this aim. All employees are required to actively support the development, dissemination and implementation of this aim and related policies and programmes.

Recruitment Process: The email account you use to apply will be used for all recruitment communication. Please ensure that you use an email account that you regularly monitor. All application forms must be fully completed, including a full record of education and employment history. Incomplete applications will not be considered for shortlisting. We regret that we are unable to respond to every application. Therefore, if you do not hear from us within four weeks of the closing date, please assume your application has not been successful. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early, should we receive sufficient applications. Please note that we do not accept CVs.