Head of Department for Employment

Caretech; Scotland; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading provider of Specialist Education and Care services is seeking an enthusiastic individual to lead the Employment and Careers programme at Lufton College. You will coach education staff and develop high-quality careers programs that prepare young people for adulthood. The role requires strong leadership and collaboration skills, offering a supportive work environment focused on student development. Experience in a relevant field is essential.

Benefits

Career development opportunities

Supportive team environment

Qualifications

• Experience in leading educational or vocational programs.
• Strong understanding of employability goals.
• Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary team.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Employment and Careers programme.
• Coach staff to embed employability themes.
• Develop staff training on job coaching practices.

Skills

Leadership

Coaching

Communication

Collaboration

Education

Relevant educational background

Job description

Overview

The Cambian Group, part of the CareTech Family of Companies, we are one of the largest providers of Specialist Education and Care services for children and young people in the UK, delivering across Special Education Schools and Colleges, Residential Care Homes and a Therapeutic Fostering Service.

Our teams are fully committed to Cambian's goals. They understand the challenges and rewards of working with our young people and know that everyday they will achieve things that really matter.

Lufton College is a 52-week residential specialist college providing quality care and education for young people between the ages of 16 and 25 with a diagnosis of autism, of whose difficulties place them on the autistic continuum. Our students often have complex needs, associated learning difficulties and behaviours of concern. Our curriculum has been devised to prepare our students for adulthood and to equip them with the skills and knowledge to achieve their personal best in adult life. This is delivered in a variety of settings, including within students' homes, vocational placements both internally and externally. As well as learning within the classrooms, our young people take part in various outdoor activities such as animal therapy and various activities based around nature throughout the college sites.

Lufton College is within a rural setting on the outskirts of Yeovil spread across 3 sites with over 40 acres, with forest area, small farm areas and ample outdoor spaces. The college is continuing on their journey of improving our provision and the past academic year has been focused on improving the quality of education, our environment and developing the collaboration between care, education and our clinical team input and support.

We are looking for an ambitious and enthusiastic individual to join our Education Team.

Main Responsibilities

• To provide leadership of the Employment and Careers programme, including regular review of curriculum plans, resources and assessment.
• To support and coach education staff to embed employability goals and themes across the curriculum and to contribute to the quality assurance of planning and delivery.
• To devise and deliver relevant staff training on job coaching and pathways to employment with support from the employment and enrichment coordinator.
• To create and follow high quality and ambitious careers programmes or curriculum plans, vocational profiles and careers and employment procedures and processes incorporating external careers advisor views, student and stakeholder views and ensuring the process uses Gatsby benchmarks to ensure a college wide commitment to employment and careers pathways for all students.
• To create high quality job descriptions for internal work placement, volunteering work placements and ensure work placement opportunities are sources and risk assessment in a personalised manner for all students on roll with the support of the enrichment and employment coordinator
• To act as a job coach and provide regular review of the success and progress of students within all internal, external, voluntary and other work experience providing guidance to support staff and enrichment and employment coordinator to ensure increasing independence is a key outcome in all tasks expected of students as part of work experience.
• To use feedback and assessment to inform next steps for students, identify goals and learning gaps and share this feedback and data with the wider education team to inform planning for the careers programme and curriculum.
• Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team, collaborating with all college colleagues in care, clinical and education, aiming to expand the horizons and improve the skills of young people.
• To work with the employment and enrichment coordinator to develop key links with local employers, providers and schools and use networks to expand opportunities for students both during and post Lufton.

General Responsibilities

• Communicate courteously, clearly, accurately and regularly with parents, Local Authorities, the local community and other outside agencies and ensure that all communications are completed in a timely manner and recorded.
• To complete mandatory training in all areas of compliance and take part in regular training and development opportunities selected in line with the college staff development plan.
• To attend work reliably and punctually and role model to colleagues and students our college FRESH values and student and staff charter.

Joining Lufton College, you will find committed, career focused and positive teams delivering rich and innovative experiences, playing to each young person's strengths, to prepare them for their lives ahead. Close community ties and inclusion underpin these opportunities in and around the local area helping our young people to use their life skills and to support the development of positive relationships.

We pride ourselves on being an Equal Opportunities Employer and we are committed to safeguarding and protecting the young people and service users within our care. All candidates will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check and reference checks.

If you want to learn from and work with a highly specialist, incredibly proud and integrated team that unlocks the potential of young people, then please talk to us.

Cambian will conduct online searches of shortlisted candidates. This check will be part of a safeguarding check, and the search will purely be based on whether an individual is suitable to work with children. As care must be taken to avoid unconscious bias and any risk of discrimination a person who will not be on the appointment panel will conduct the search and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern.