Work Experience Team Leader

We're looking for an organised, proactive and relationship-focused Work Experience Team Leader to help lead the delivery of USP College's work experience and industry placement programme across both campuses.

You'll help ensure every learner can access meaningful, high-quality placement opportunities that support their career ambitions and build their confidence for the workplace. You'll lead a team of Employment Skills Advisors and Industry Placement Advisors, work closely with curriculum and careers colleagues, and develop strong partnerships with local employers.

This is a varied role where you'll combine team leadership, employer engagement, learner support and operational planning. You'll play an important part in helping students take their next steps into employment, apprenticeships and further training.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead and support the Work Experience team
• Line manage Employment Skills Advisors and Industry Placement Advisors across both campuses, including supervision, appraisals, workload allocation, absence planning and professional development.
• Coordinate work experience and industry placements
• Plan, maintain and oversee the annual work experience schedule, ensuring placements are organised effectively around curriculum requirements, college events, exams and learner needs.
• Manage team performance and targets
• Set, monitor and report on team targets for work experience and industry placements, identifying risks, resolving barriers and escalating concerns where needed.
• Build employer partnerships
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with local employers and organisations to create work experience, industry placement, apprenticeship and employment opportunities.
• Match learners to suitable opportunities
• Support the effective matching of students to placements, taking account of their career goals, skills, location, support needs and employer requirements.
• Work collaboratively across the College
• Partner with Heads of Learning, curriculum teams, Progress Coaches, Student Support Services and the Careers Team to provide a consistent, high-quality service for learners and employers.
• Ensure safe, compliant and accurate delivery
• Make sure appropriate safeguarding, DBS, health and safety, employer liability and placement checks are completed. Maintain accurate records on Grofar, the College CRM and other internal systems, including data required for funding returns.
• Promote employability and celebrate success
• Deliver information sessions, workshops and training for students, staff, parents and employers. Support learners with CVs, applications, job searching and interview preparation, while sharing placement success stories to raise the profile of the programme., Our strategy is to create a Career Focused, Digital Learning environment, ensuring that the learner experience and our relationship within our community, local and regional employers, are at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to be selected as finalists for the AoC Beacon awards for effective use of digital Technology in FE. Providing a high achieving, focused learning environment allowing our students to achieve the grades they need for higher educations, or the skills and aptitude required to secure a suitable role in their chosen career. Our college is set in the leafy suburbs of Essex, with easy access to surrounding areas and amenities, we are based in a well-connected location both by road and rail.

You'll have experience of leading or supervising a team, alongside a strong understanding of work experience, industry placements, employability or employer engagement. You'll be confident communicating with a wide range of people and able to build positive relationships quickly.

You'll also be highly organised, comfortable managing competing priorities and committed to delivering an excellent service for learners, employers and colleagues. A sound understanding of safeguarding, health and safety and data recording in a further education setting would be an advantage.

The Right Candidate Will Have:

Essential:

• A good all round standard of education, particularly in English and Communications
• Willingness to undertake IOSH & HSS8 qualifications as required
• Sound knowledge and understanding of issues relating to work experience placements, work trails and employment recruitment practices in a FE college.
• A sound knowledge of Health & Safety within the workplace
• Knowledge and understanding of local labour market opportunities and of local/national trends in relation to USP College

Desirable:

• ILM Management Qualification or equivalent
• IOSH Management of Health & Safety Qualification
• HSS8 (formerly Unit 'D') Qualification

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