Employment Coach

National Skills Agency Ltd; Aylesbury; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

National Skills Agency Ltd is seeking an Employment Coach in Aylesbury on a fixed-term contract until June 2028. You will support Restart Programme participants who have been out of work for six months, managing a caseload, diagnosing needs, and delivering tailored action plans to move into sustainable employment within 12 months.

You will develop skills, identify transferable capabilities, build confidence, and prepare participants for job opportunities.

Qualifications

• Experience in welfare-to-work or similar target-driven environment.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced setting.
• Excellent communication skills with persuasive and active listening abilities.
• Ability to rapidly build rapport and tailor support.
• Inspire, motivate and challenge participants appropriately.
• Knowledge of local labour market and stakeholders.
• Strong networking and relationship-building skills.
• High digital literacy with MS Office and online tools.
• Excellent organisation and workload management under pressure.
• Commitment to ongoing personal and professional development.
• Understanding of GDPR and contractual compliance.

Responsibilities

• Build positive relationships with participants to identify and overcome barriers to employment.
• Conduct diagnostic assessments to determine job readiness and support needs.
• Develop action plans with participants, targeting career opportunities and barriers.
• Signpost to relevant information, advice and guidance for debts, health, and career development.
• Ensure up-to-date CVs, statements, and cover letters tailored for applications.
• Provide job-search support and help participants optimise online profiles.
• Deliver industry-specific training and development as required.
• Collaborate with Employer Engagement Team and external services to identify opportunities.
• Support interview preparation with mock sessions and assessments.
• Arrange and guide workshops on skills like CV writing, interviews, and wellbeing.

Skills

Welfare-to-work experience

Communication

Rapport building

Motivation

Local labour market knowledge

Networking

Digital literacy (MS Office)

Organisation

Professional development

GDPR awareness

Education

GCSE English & Maths

Job description

Job Title: Employment Coach

Salary: 27,900 per annum

Location: Aylesbury

Contract Type: Fixed-term contract until June 2028

Who are we looking for?

Our client is looking for a passionate and motivated Employment Coach to work with participants on their Restart Programme who have been out of work for at least six months.

The role is focused on supporting participants to overcome barriers to employment and secure sustainable work. The Employment Coach will identify barriers, agree appropriate solutions and deliver work-focused activities to help participants move into employment within 12 months of starting the programme.

The Employment Coach will manage a caseload of participants, ensuring they receive appropriate support and are constructively challenged to progress towards lasting and meaningful employment.

Following a diagnostic assessment, the Employment Coach will work collaboratively with each participant to develop and implement a comprehensive action plan. This will include developing skills, identifying transferable skills and capabilities, building confidence and preparing participants for a successful return to sustainable employment.

What are we looking for?

Qualifications

• GCSE, or equivalent, in English and Maths at Grade C or above is essential.

Skills and Attributes

We are looking for an individual who has:

• Experience of working within welfare-to-work or a similar performance and target-driven environment, such as recruitment, business-to-business sales or an equivalent setting.
• Experience of working in a fast-paced and evolving environment, with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to persuade, influence and actively listen to others.
• The ability to quickly build rapport and adapt communication and support to meet individual participant needs.
• The ability to inspire, motivate and appropriately challenge participants.
• Knowledge of the local labour market, wider provision and relevant stakeholders.
• The ability to network effectively and build strong relationships both internally and externally.
• High-level digital literacy and strong data accuracy skills, including a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office and web-based communication technologies.
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage a busy workload and schedule under pressure.
• A strong commitment to ongoing personal and professional development.
• The ability to follow and comply with contractual requirements, including understanding and adhering to GDPR.
• A value-led approach and the ability to lead by example.

Main Tasks and Responsibilities

As an Employment Coach, you will be responsible for:

• Building effective and positive relationships with participants, working collaboratively with them to identify and overcome barriers preventing them from returning to work.
• Conducting diagnostic assessments with all participants to establish their level of job readiness and determine the appropriate level of support required throughout their journey on the programme.
• Working in partnership with participants to develop comprehensive action plans that identify suitable career opportunities, employment-related barriers and the actions required to progress towards sustainable employment.
• Understanding the internal and external information, advice and guidance available to support participants with issues such as debt, mental health and career development, and providing appropriate signposting where required.
• Ensuring participants have an up-to-date and professional CV, supporting statement and covering letter, tailored appropriately for individual job applications.
• Providing job-search support, helping participants register with appropriate job boards and ensuring their digital profiles are up to date and visible to employers.
• Providing industry-specific training and development based on relevant sector experience.
• Working closely with the internal Employer Engagement Team and relevant external employment support services to identify suitable job opportunities.
• Supporting participants with job interview preparation, including mock interviews and assessment activities.
• Ensuring participants have access to appropriate workshops based on their individual diagnostic assessment and support needs. This may include health and wellbeing, mental health, transferable skills, job searching, CV writing and interview skills.
• Working with pace and urgency by planning and forecasting ahead and reviewing next steps with participants on a weekly and monthly basis.
• Meeting and exceeding monthly performance targets and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), while actively seeking feedback and input to continuously improve services and deliver strong outcomes for participants and commissioners.
• Maintaining accurate and high-quality client records within the database, ensuring records clearly demonstrate each participant's journey throughout the programme.
• Promoting and safeguarding the welfare of all participants for whom you have responsibility or with whom you come into contact.

Additional Information

These responsibilities provide an initial outline of the duties expected of the post holder. The role may evolve over time to reflect changing requirements, operational needs and circumstances.

Due to the dynamic nature of our operational environment, employees are expected to demonstrate flexibility and a willingness to travel to different work locations when required.

An Enhanced DBS check, including the Children's Barred List, is mandatory for this role.

Paul Feldman is the National Skills Agency Data Protection Officer. Your data will be stored until notice is given by you for it to be removed. Our Data Protection Policy will be forwarded to you on request. As we get a high number of applications we may be unable to give feedback to unsuccessful candidates. We will retain your details to keep you informed of other opportunities. National Skills Agency Ltd is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy and is an Equal Opportunities employer we welcome applicants from all backgrounds.