IAG & Work Experience Officer

National Skills Agency; Strood; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

National Skills Agency is seeking an IAG & Work Experience Officer in Strood to plan, source, and deliver high-quality work experience placements for learners aged 16-19 and 16-25 with high needs. You will liaise with employers, centres and learners to ensure placements are compliant, well managed and achieve positive outcomes, while guiding learners with IAG throughout their learning journey.

The role requires excellent employer engagement, strong organisational and administrative abilities,

Qualifications

• Experience of sourcing and securing employers to provide work experience or work-related learning opportunities.
• Ability to plan and coordinate work experience with curriculum teams and ensure suitability of opportunities.
• Proven skills in delivering engaging presentations and workshops.

Responsibilities

• Plan and coordinate work experience with curriculum teams for meaningful opportunities.
• Source and maintain employer partnerships for work experience.
• Match learners to placements considering interests and goals.
• Ensure placements meet health & safety, safeguarding and insurance requirements.
• Deliver IAG sessions and prepare learners for the workplace.

Skills

Employer engagement

Organisational skills

Communication

Driving licence

Education

Level 3 IAG qualification

Level 2 English & Maths

Job description

Job Title: IAG & Work Experience Officer

Location: Strood

Salary: £32k

About Our Client

Our client is looking for a passionate and motivated individual who is committed to supporting learners and keen to develop a career within education. This is an excellent opportunity to work with some of the hardest-to-reach young people, helping them overcome barriers, develop their skills and progress towards positive employment, education and training opportunities.

The Role

As an IAG & Work Experience Officer, you will be responsible for the end-to-end planning, coordination and delivery of high-quality work experience placements for a defined caseload of learners aged 16-19 on study programmes, as well as learners with high needs aged 16-25. The IAG & Work Experience Officer will act as a key link between employers, centres and learners, ensuring that placements are appropriately sourced, compliant, well managed and provide positive outcomes for all stakeholders. You will also be part of a team providing learners with high-quality Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) throughout their learning journey. Working closely with centre teams, you will support learners to identify and achieve their future education, employment and training goals. This is a business-facing role that requires excellent employer engagement skills, strong organisational and administrative abilities, and a clear focus on achieving agreed performance targets and KPIs. The role will involve travel across different locations to support centres, learners and employer meetings. Applicants must have access to their own vehicle for business use.

Qualifications and Experience

The successful candidate will have:

• A Level 3 qualification in Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) or above.
• A minimum Level 2 qualification in English and Maths.
• Good knowledge and understanding of Study Programme requirements, particularly in relation to work experience.
• Knowledge and understanding of the Gatsby Benchmarks.
• Experience of sourcing and securing employers to provide work experience or work-related learning opportunities.
• Experience of organising and delivering engaging presentations and workshops.
• Experience of delivering effective individual and group sessions.
• Experience of developing and maintaining positive relationships and effective partnerships with a range of stakeholders.
• Experience of representing an organisation or brand in an outward-facing role.
• Experience of developing promotional and information materials.
• The ability to work effectively under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• A proactive, positive and enthusiastic approach to work.
• A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle for work-related travel.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Work Experience

• Plan and coordinate work experience requirements with curriculum teams to ensure suitable and meaningful opportunities are secured for learners.
• Source, develop and maintain a range of suitable employer partnerships and work experience opportunities.
• Match learners to appropriate placements, taking into consideration their interests, skills, career aspirations and individual support needs.
• Ensure all placements have been appropriately checked and meet required Health & Safety, Safeguarding and Employer's Liability Insurance requirements.
• Work closely with centre teams and PSD tutors to plan and deliver sessions that prepare learners for the workplace and ensure they understand the expectations of a work placement.
• Support learners throughout the work experience process, from initial preparation and placement matching through to completion and review.
• Liaise with the SEND and Compliance teams to ensure learners receive appropriate support and guidance, including Additional Learning Support (ALS), welfare and financial support, where required.
• Arrange individual risk assessments where learners have identified needs or circumstances requiring additional consideration.
• Work with centres to ensure learner attendance and progress during placements are appropriately monitored and recorded.
• Collect and record feedback from employers and learners to monitor the quality and effectiveness of placements.

Information, Advice and Guidance

• Provide high-quality one-to-one and group IAG to learners throughout their learning journey.
• Conduct initial learner interviews and identify individual needs, aspirations, skills and progression goals.
• Support learners to explore suitable education, employment, apprenticeships, training and other progression opportunities.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date IAG records for all learners within the allocated caseload.
• Deliver engaging employability, work experience and career development workshops and presentations.
• Support learners to develop the skills, confidence and knowledge required to successfully transition into further education, employment or training.
• Complete DBS applications where required.

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.