Student Progression Mentor

Ashford College; Canterbury; On-site; GBP 11,000 - 14,000; Full time

Job summary

Join Ashford College as a Student Progression Mentor and empower students to thrive. In this vital role, you'll support academic and personal growth, work with disaffected youth, and provide crucial guidance and care. This position offers access to training, competitive salary, and the chance to make a real impact in education.

Benefits

Competitive salary and holiday entitlement

Access to 100's of online discounts

Cycle to work and car leasing schemes

Generous pension scheme - 18% employer contribution

Community involvement and volunteer initiatives

Qualifications

• Proactive and solution-focused individual passionate about student welfare.
• Strong communicator, empathetic and trustworthy.
• Ability to overcome challenges, including mental health support.

Responsibilities

• Support students in personal and academic growth.
• Build relationships and provide guidance for students.
• Work with parents and agencies for student support.

Skills

Communication

Empathy

Flexibility

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Job description

About The Role

Make a Real Difference – Empower Students to Thrive

Join us as a Student Progression Mentor and become a vital part of our student support network, helping young people develop the confidence, skills, and independence they need to succeed in both education and life.

In this rewarding role, you will:

• Support students in their personal and academic growth, encouraging them to become resilient, independent learners

• Work with disaffected and disengaged young people, helping them re-engage with education and maximise their learning opportunities

• Build strong relationships with students, offering consistent guidance, motivation, and pastoral care

As part of the EKC Group, you’ll also have access to a range of training and development opportunities, including:

• Mental Health First Aid

• Autism Awareness

• Counselling Concepts

• Safeguarding

• DUST (Drug Use Screening Tool) Referrals

If you’re passionate about student welfare and want to make a lasting impact, this could be the perfect next step in your career.

Hours per week: 22.5

Weeks per year: 38

Salary per year: £11,925

Holiday pay per year: £1,609

Alongside our priority of excellent student experience, we also focus on our employees. Here are just some of ourbenefitswhen working for the East Kent Colleges Group:

• Competitive salary and holiday entitlement
• Access to 100's of online discounts via our Rewards Scheme (Inc. Restaurant, Grocery, Retail, Gym, Holidays)
• Access to cycle to work, car leasing and tech purchasing schemes
• Generous pension scheme - 18% employer contribution
• Being part of a company with a Eco-Sustainability focus of being Net-Zero
• Time off for your child's first day at school, moving home and for interviews
• My 10 Days initiative - bid for up-to 10 days off work to pursue voluntary work
• Being part of Community Days and Annual Staff Celebration Day

About You

We’re looking for a proactive, solution-focused individual to join our team as a Student Progression Mentor. If you're someone who enjoys helping others succeed, thrives on variety, and wants to make a real difference in young people’s lives — this could be the role for you.

In this role, you’ll:

• Build meaningful connections with students, providing guidance, structure, and support to help them stay on track and reach their goals

• Work closely with parents, staff, and external agencies to make sure students get the right support at the right time

• Help students overcome challenges, including mental health difficulties, disengagement, or personal struggles

• Stay organised by keeping accurate records and using tools like Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

You’ll need to be:

• A strong communicator who’s comfortable talking to students, staff, and professionals

• Empathetic, non-judgmental, and calm under pressure – someone students can trust and turn to

• Flexible in your approach – every day is different, and your adaptability will make the difference

• Confident using tech for documentation and communication

What makes this role rewarding?

• You’ll have a direct impact on students’ personal and academic journeys

• Gain valuable experience and access to training in areas like Mental Health First Aid, Autism Awareness, Safeguarding, and more

• Join a supportive team where your input matters

Ready to get started?

No need to update your CV – just click apply and fill in our short online form (you can save your progress as you go).

Got questions or want a quick chat before applying? Drop us a line at [e-mail]– we’d love to hear 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 CollegesGroup 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 thePositive About Disability Awardand are aDisability 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 toCare Leavers (Care Covenant Pledge)and to current or previousArmed 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.