CAL Automotive and Forklift Truck/Powered Access (Apprenticeships).

We’re looking for a Curriculum Area Lead – Automotive and Forklift Truck/Powered Access (Apprenticeships). The Curriculum Area Lead plays a critical role in ensuring the effective delivery and operational management of courses and programmes within assigned curriculum areas. Reporting to the Head of Department, the postholder will oversee the day-to-day management of curriculum delivery (Teaching, Learning and/or Assessment). They will ensure effective quality assurance, staff development, and resource allocation to meet strategic targets and deliver outstanding outcomes for all student cohorts and/or apprentices. Curriculum Area Leads are expected to undertake a limited amount of teaching/assessing to maintain subject expertise, model best practice, and remain actively engaged in the student learning experience.

What Skills Are We Looking For

• Strong leadership and organisational skills – able to manage multiple priorities simultaneously, lead curriculum delivery effectively, and ensure teaching, learning and/or assessment activities run smoothly across programmes.
• Excellent communication and people management skills – confident in line managing staff, providing constructive feedback, supporting performance improvement, and building positive working relationships with colleagues, learners, apprentices, and employers.
• A proactive and solution-focused mindset – able to identify challenges early, think creatively, and implement practical solutions that enhance learner experience, staff performance, and curriculum outcomes.
• A commitment to quality and continuous improvement – skilled in using data, KPIs, and quality assurance processes to monitor performance, drive improvement, and meet internal and external standards.
• Effective planning and delivery capability – able to see initiatives through from concept to completion, ensuring actions are delivered on time, within available resources, and aligned to College priorities.
• Adaptability and resilience – comfortable working in a dynamic curriculum area, responding positively to change, and supporting teams through development, growth, and improvement.
• A strong understanding of vocational and apprenticeship provision – with the ability to align curriculum delivery to employer needs, awarding body requirements, and learner progression.

Responsibilities For The Role

• Leadership and Management
  • Provide operational leadership to the curriculum area, ensuring successful delivery of all courses/programmes and an outstanding experience for all students and/or apprentices.
  • Line manage teaching staff within the area, including conducting performance appraisals and setting development goals.
  • Act as a mentor for new or newly appointed teaching and/or assessing staff, including internal quality assurance processes and external student teachers.
  • Lead on the implementation of curriculum strategies and initiatives in alignment with the College’s strategic objectives.
  • Monitor and report on key performance indicators such as recruitment, retention, achievement, and positive progression.
  • Support in maintaining a consistently positive and professional learning culture and environment for all.
  • Support the implementation of personal development initiatives within the curriculum area, ensuring learners and apprentices acquire the skills, confidence, and resilience to thrive academically and in their careers.
• Teaching, Learning, and Assessment
  • Role model best practice in teaching and learning and/or assessment.
  • Support the development and delivery of innovative and high-quality teaching strategies that cater to diverse student needs.
  • Ensure the consistent use of effective assessment practices and compliance with awarding body requirements.
  • Conduct lesson observations and/or review of assessment practice across curriculum teams, providing constructive feedback to ensure continuous improvement in teaching, learning and/or assessment.
  • Collaborate with your team to ensure curriculum delivery and assessment practices actively promote the development of learners' interpersonal and professional skills, equipping them for future employment and life beyond education.
• Curriculum and Quality Assurance
  • Coordinate the design, development, and review of schemes of work, lesson plans, and assessment strategies within the curriculum area.
  • Monitor curriculum performance against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) actions, taking prompt action where performance does not meet expectations.
  • Ensure all courses meet internal and external quality assurance standards, including preparation for inspections and audits.
  • Lead on the completion of annual programme level Self-Assessment Reports (SARs) and Quality Improvement Plans (QIPs) for the curriculum area.
• Staff Development and Support
  • Facilitate continuous professional development (CPD) opportunities for staff, ensuring alignment with College priorities.
  • Mentor and support new and existing staff to develop their teaching and administrative practices.
  • Promote collaboration and the sharing of best practices across the team.
• Operational Management
  • Oversee timetabling, resource allocation (including cover arrangements), and course administration to ensure efficient delivery of provision.
  • Monitor departmental budgets and ensure compliance with financial policies and targets.
  • Ensure effective communication with internal and external stakeholders, including learners, parents/carers, and employers.
  • Ensure a positive student experience and high satisfaction from enrolment to certification.
  • Foster a positive student culture and high standards of conduct by promoting active engagement, ensuring excellent attendance, gathering student feedback through voice collection, faculty forums, and student parliaments, and collaborating on disciplinary procedures with College staff.
• Safeguarding and Equality
  • Promote and uphold the principles of safeguarding and Prevent within the curriculum area.
  • Ensure equality, diversity, and inclusion are embedded within all aspects of the area’s work.
• Other Duties
  • Actively contribute to College-wide initiatives, projects, and events as required.
  • Undertake other duties commensurate with the grade and responsibilities of the role as directed by the Head of Department.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion are integral to everything that we do. We are committed to these values and are central to our mission. We’re committed to finding reasonable adjustments for candidates with specific needs or have a disability during our recruitment process, and all applicants will be considered fairly and equally. We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind. If you’d like to request a reasonable adjustment, please contact the recruiting manager. We aim to support our employees in achieving a healthy work-life balance. We recognise that many of our employees have responsibilities and are committed to providing support for our employees. We are working hard to support flexible and new ways of working where possible and offer a wide range of benefits. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references. Please apply as soon as you can as we reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a suitable number of applications.