Engage Academy Project Officer| Fixed Term| Full Time

Lancashire County Council; Lancashire; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Lancashire County Council is seeking an Engage Academy Project Officer to support care-experienced young people across Lancashire. You will deliver careers guidance and employability support, helping participants progress toward education, employment or training outcomes within the Engage Academy 12-week programme.

Join our Virtual School team to build skills, confidence and aspirations, coordinating with carers, social workers and providers to achieve positive transitions for young people.

Qualifications

• Experience with care-experienced young people (care leavers or similar).
• Experience supporting education, employment or training initiatives.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to motivate and inspire young people facing challenges.
• Experience working with professionals and partner organisations.
• Good IT skills; confident with MS Office applications.
• Understanding barriers faced by care-experienced young people and commitment to improving life chances.

Responsibilities

• Deliver CEIAG sessions on a one-to-one basis.
• Support recruitment, coordination, delivery and monitoring of the Engage Academy programme.
• Build positive relationships with care-experienced youth to identify and achieve aspirations.
• Monitor progress, outcomes and transitions to education, employment or training.
• Collaborate with carers, social workers, education providers and employers.
• Support youth through work placements and into sustainable opportunities.

Skills

Care-experienced young people

Education/employment initiatives

Excellent communication

Motivate/inspire youth

Collaborative with professionals

IT literacy; MS Office

Understanding barriers faced by care‑h

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Description

Salary £28142 - £32061 Per annum | Fixed Term 31.03.2029| Full Time - 37 hours per week

Job Description

Salary £28142 - £32061 Per annum | Fixed Term 31.03.2029| Full Time - 37 hours per week

International Sponsorship – this role is not open to international sponsorship

Help Care-Experienced Young People Achieve Their Potential

Are you passionate about helping young people overcome barriers and achieve success in education, employment and training?

We're looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Engage Academy Project Officer to join our Virtual School team and play a key role in supporting care-experienced young people across Lancashire to develop the skills, confidence and aspirations needed to move into employment, apprenticeships, further education and training.

The Engage Academy is a 12-week employability programme delivered in partnership with post-16 providers, designed to support children in care and care leavers to achieve positive outcomes and successful transitions into adulthood. As Project Officer, you will work directly with young people, delivering careers guidance and employability support while helping them progress towards their goals.

You will:

• Deliver high-quality Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) sessions on a one-to-one basis.
• Support the recruitment, coordination, delivery and monitoring of the Engage Academy programme.
• Build positive relationships with children in care, care leavers and care-experienced young people, helping them identify and achieve their aspirations.
• Monitor progress, outcomes and transitions into education, employment and training.
• Work collaboratively with carers, social workers, education providers and employers to coordinate support for young people.
• Support young people throughout work placements and into sustainable education, employment or training opportunities.

We are looking for someone who has:

• Experience of working with children in care, care leavers or care-experienced young people.
• Experience supporting education, employment or training initiatives and programmes.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• The ability to motivate and inspire young people facing complex challenges.
• Experience working collaboratively with a range of professionals and partner organisations.
• Good IT skills and confidence using Microsoft Office applications.
• An understanding of the barriers faced by care-experienced young people and a commitment to improving life chances.

This is an incredibly rewarding opportunity to make a genuine difference to the lives of vulnerable young people and help shape brighter futures across Lancashire. Join us and help create opportunities, raise aspirations and transform futures.

Proposed Interview date 15 October 2026

The post you are applying for is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). If successful you will be required to apply to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for a 'disclosure'. Further information can be found on the 'Our Recruitment Process' tab.

In return Lancashire County Council offers a range of benefits, which can be found on LCC Vacancies website.

We reserve the right to close down a vacancy early, before the closing date, if we receive sufficient applications.

Job Description/Person Specification

Local Government Reorganisation

The Government has confirmed that local government across Lancashire will be reorganised, with the current 15 councils being replaced by four new unitary councils covering North, South, East and West Lancashire from April 2028.

If you are successful in your application, you will initially join Lancashire County Council. However, as part of the planned transition, your employment will transfer to one of the new unitary councils from April 2028, subject to the implementation of the reorganisation and relevant employment legislation.

Throughout this period, our focus remains on delivering excellent services to our communities. By joining us now, you'll play an important role in shaping the future of local government and helping to build a strong new organisation that will serve residents for years to come.