Employment Specialist - Youth Employment Advisor in Taunton

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Salary: Grade 13, ranging from £26,847 to £29,071 per annum.

Contract:Fixed Term – 18 Months.

Hours: 37 Hours a week.

About the Role

Are you passionate about helping young people build brighter futures through employment?

We are looking for a Youth Employment Advisor to join Somerset's Supported Employment Team and play a key role in delivering the Jobs Guarantee Scheme. This exciting new programme will support young people who face barriers to employment to access meaningful job opportunities, develop their skills and confidence, and progress into sustained careers.

Working directly with young people, you will provide intensive, personalised support, helping young people aged 18-24 move quickly into paid employment while continuing to offer tailored support to help them sustain and progress in work as required. You will provide tailored support before, during and after employment placements, helping participants sustain employment, progress in their careers and achieve greater independence.

Through effective partnership working with employers, Jobcentre Plus and other support services, you will help create opportunities that enable young people to thrive in the workplace and achieve long-term employment outcomes.

We are looking for people with experience in youth support, employment services, careers guidance, skills development or related fields who can build positive relationships, motivate others and support young people to achieve their goals.

This is an exciting opportunity to help shape Somerset's approach to supporting young people into employment.

If you are passionate about improving employment opportunities for young people and helping them achieve their career ambitions, we would love to hear from you.

How You'll Make a Difference

• Manage a dedicated caseload of young people participating in the Jobs Guarantee Scheme.
• Build trusted and motivating relationships that encourage engagement, resilience and positive progression.
• Complete vocational and employment assessments to identify strengths, aspirations, barriers and support needs.
• Co‑produce personalised action plans focused on achieving sustainable employment outcomes.
• Provide high-quality employability support including CV development, job searching, applications, interview preparation and workplace readiness.
• Support young people to access training, qualifications and skills development opportunities that improve employability.
• Develop and maintain effective relationships with employers, training providers and community partners to create opportunities for participants.
• Work collaboratively with employer‑facing colleagues to identify suitable vacancies, work placements and progression opportunities.
• Match participants to opportunities that align with their skills, aspirations and support needs.
• Provide ongoing in‑work support to both participants and employers to maximise retention and successful employment outcomes.
• Maintain accurate records, evidence and case notes in line with programme requirements and council procedures.
• Work collaboratively with partner organisations to ensure participants can access appropriate support services where required.
• Follow safeguarding, Health and Safety, equality, data protection and information governance requirements.
• Contribute to service development, sharing best practice and supporting continuous improvement across the programme.

What You'll Bring

• An understanding of the challenges and barriers that can affect young people's journey into employment, including those relating to health conditions, disabilities, complex needs or other personal circumstances, and the ability to adapt your approach to meet individual needs.
• Knowledge of youth support, job search strategies, the local Somerset labour market and welfare‑to‑work or related services.
• An understanding of how effective advice, guidance and support can help individuals progress towards employment, training or other positive outcomes, and the ability to identify appropriate next steps and opportunities.
• The ability to build positive working relationships with employers, partners and other professionals, recognising the value of collaborative and multi‑agency working to achieve the best outcomes for young people.
• A commitment to achieving positive outcomes, with the ability to organise your work, monitor progress and take appropriate action to overcome barriers and support success.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust, motivate individuals and engage effectively with a wide range of people.
• A compassionate, resilient and solution‑focused approach, with the confidence to advocate for young people and appropriately challenge barriers that may prevent them from accessing support or opportunities.
• Good organisational and digital skills, including the ability to maintain accurate records, follow agreed processes, manage a varied workload and confidently use systems such as Microsoft Office.
• An understanding of the importance of safeguarding, confidentiality and data protection, and a commitment to applying these principles in practice.

Why Join Us?

At Somerset Council, we're a progressive organisation committed to improving lives and shaping better services for our communities. Based in one of England's most beautiful counties, it's a great place to build your career and enjoy an excellent quality of life.

• Generous annual leave plus bank holidays, with the option to purchaseadditional leave.
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), one of the UK's mostenhancedand secure pension schemes.
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangementstosupportwork‑life balance, where service needs allow.
• Health and wellbeing support, including access to confidential employee assistance services.
• Paid volunteering opportunities, helping you make a difference both inside and outside of work.
• 25 day’s annual leave (additionalto bank holidays).
• This is a frontline, caseload‑based role working directly with Somerset residents.
• You will need to travel across Somerset to support individuals.

Please note, we reserve the right to close this advert early if we receive a sufficient number of suitable applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role. We are only able to proceed with candidates who already have the right to work in the UK without the need for VISA sponsorship.

We believe diversity makes us stronger and are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and respected. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences, whose unique perspectives help us better serve the people of Somerset.