Student Progression Mentor

East Kent College; Canterbury; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 22,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Development days

Discounts & perks

Flexible leave

Wellbeing support

Pension scheme

Net-zero commitment

Job summary

East Kent Colleges Group in Canterbury is seeking a proactive Student Progression Mentor to support learners in their personal and academic development, helping them become independent and confident. You will work with students to enhance progression opportunities.

The role includes supporting disaffected students, safeguarding responsibilities, and access to training in Mental Health First Aid, Autism Awareness, Counselling Concepts, and DBS processes.

Qualifications

• Excellent communication skills and commitment to supporting students.
• Ability to engage with young people, parents and external agencies.
• Strong record-keeping and computer literacy including Word, PowerPoint & Excel.

Responsibilities

• Support students in their personal and academic development to become independent learners.
• Help disaffected and disengaged young people to optimise their learning opportunities.
• Contribute to safeguarding and wellbeing practices and maintain accurate records.

Skills

Communication skills

Empathy and mentoring

Safeguarding awareness

Tools

Microsoft Word

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

About The Role

Support Students, Unlock Potential, Empower Success – Join us as Student Progression Mentor

As a Student Progression Mentor you will play a key role supporting students in their personal and academic development, helping them to reach their full potential as independent learners.

Your responsibilities will also include support for disaffected and disengaged young people, helping them to optimise their learning opportunities.

Mentoring at EKC is a rewarding role offering the successful applicant opportunities to gain qualifications in Mental Health First Aid, Autism Awareness, Counselling Concepts, Safeguarding & DUST Referrals.

Benefits

• Learning and Development Opportunities: 3-4 annual paid group development days, bespoke programmes e.g. Next Steps Mentoring Programme and strong internal progression-1 in 3 roles are filled internally
• Exclusive Discounts & Perks – Inc. restaurant, grocery, retail and holidays discounts as well as car leasing and tech purchasing schemes, on-site nursery
• Flexible Personal Leave – Time off for your child's first day at nursery or school, moving homes and for interviews
• Wellbeing and Health Support – Generous sick pay, counselling services, discounted gym membership at Canterbury College
• Culture and Recognition – Being part of Community Days, an annual Staff Celebration Day, and an eco-friendly organisation dedicated to reaching net-zero by 2030
• Competitive Pension Scheme – 18% employer contribution
• Please note this role requires the successful candidate to work 37 hours, 37 weeks per year during term time with a pro rata salary of £20,167 per annum.

A holiday payment for 4.9 weeks of £2,721 will be paid equally over 12 months in addition to the salary above**

About You

We are seeking to appoint a proactive and motivated Student Progression Mentor to become part of our team.

The ideal candidate will have excellent communication skills and be committed to ensuring our students are supported to achieve and progress throughout their time at College. You must have the ability to deal effectively with students, relevant professions (including external agencies), parents and colleagues. You will also be responsible for ensuring that all documentation and details of contact are recorded & reported to the relevant staff & departments.

The role can be challenging and requires the post holder to be empathetic, supportive and non-judgmental. Experience of supporting young people with mental health difficulties would be a distinct advantage.

Excellent record keeping skills are essential as is competency in computer programs including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint & Excel. You will need to have a flexible approach to your work as the tasks demanded can change from day to day.

If you feel this role suits your skills, experience and aspirations to support our students then we look forward to hearing from you.

About Us

Outstanding Ofsted Provider

East Kent Colleges Group is an Ofsted Outstanding rated provider. It is proud to be the first General Further Education college organisation in the country to have received the Outstanding grade against each of the strands under the new Ofsted inspection framework. An inclusive provider, our colleagues place our students and the communities we serve at the heart of everything they do across EKC Group and this is illustrated in our ‘Strong’ skills grading by Ofsted.

Commitment to Safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and we ensure that all staff are aware of their responsibilities for upholding these principles.

As a designated establishment, we are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore have an obligation to carry out checks to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children and vulnerable adults. These checks include conviction/caution self‑declaration, Enhanced DBS check and obtaining sufficient referencing.

It is a criminal offence to apply for a post which involves engaging in regulated activity relevant to children if you are barred from doing so.

If you are successful in being shortlisted to interview, your suitability to work with children and vulnerable adults will be explored as part of the interview process.

Commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

East Kent Colleges Group is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all members of our communities. We are particularly keen to increase the diversity of our staff body and encourage applications from candidates where there is underrepresentation in our workforce.

We are proud to hold the Positive About Disability Award and are a Disability Confident Employer. This confirms our commitment to interviewing all applicants who declare that they have a disability and who meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification. With any successful candidate, we will explore any reasonable adjustments to a role due to a health needs or disability.

Similarly, we have a commitment to Care Leavers (Care Covenant Pledge) and to current or previous Armed Forces personnel (Armed Forces Covenant Pledge) with a commitment to interview applicants who meet the positions essential criteria and who have declared this on their application.

We welcome applications from anyone wishing to work flexibly and those considering a return to work from a career break.

We do not engage with agencies for permanent staff and have an in‑house recruitment team.

For more information or to discuss the role in an informal chat, please email us at [e-mail]