Student Services Adviser

South Thames Colleges Group; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 37,000; Full time

Job summary

Kingston College, part of the South Thames Colleges Group, seeks a Student Support Adviser to help learners overcome barriers, tailor personalised support, and safeguard wellbeing. You will manage a caseload of learners at risk, provide one-to-one support and signpost to external organisations as needed.

You will also deliver workshops, conduct reviews and risk assessments, and contribute to wider college community activities to build confidence and independence for life beyond college.

Qualifications

• Experience working with vulnerable young people.
• Ability to deliver information, advice and signposting.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of learners at risk and develop safety and support plans.
• Provide information, advice and signposting through Student Services Centre drop-in service.
• Deliver workshops or tutorials and conduct reviews and risk assessments.
• Build and maintain relationships with learners, colleagues and external agencies.
• Support wider college community activities to boost learner engagement.

Skills

Safeguarding experience

One-to-one support

Interpersonal skills

IT skills

Tools

ProMonitor

EBS

Job description

Kingston College has an exciting opportunity for a Student Support Adviser to join the team and play a key role in helping learners overcome barriers, achieve their potential and successfully progress into further education, training or employment. Working closely with students, colleagues and external organisations, you'll provide high-quality information, advice, guidance and personalised support. You'll take a holistic approach, tailoring your support to each learner's individual circumstances while helping to safeguard their wellbeing and encourage them to engage fully in college life.
You'll proactively manage a caseload of learners who may be considered 'at risk', providing one-to-one support and developing robust safety and support plans to help remove barriers to learning. You'll also provide information, advice and appropriate signposting through the Student Services Centre drop-in service, supporting learners with a range of issues including benefits, homelessness, childcare, sexual health, substance misuse and bursary enquiries, referring to external organisations where appropriate. Alongside this, you'll support and deliver activities that encourage learners to become involved in the wider college community, helping them develop the confidence, skills and independence they need to prepare for life beyond college., The benefits package includes generous annual leave of 27 days plus up to 8 additional days over Christmas/New Year as well as an additional 5 days Wellbeing leave to enhance employees' physical and mental health. There is an excellent pension scheme that receives a significant financial contribution from the employer (Teachers Pensions or Local Government Pension Scheme), subsidised sports facilities and professional development and training plus a salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme.
As part of our due diligence checks on prospective employees, successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced DBS check, satisfactory references, an online search and proof of eligibility to work in the UK.
As outlined in the Public Sector Equality Duty of the Equality Act 2010, we are committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.
The South Thames Colleges Group is made up of Carshalton College, Kingston College, Merton College and South Thames College, which merged on 1 August 2017. South Thames Colleges Group is one of London's largest providers of post-16 education and training and is an ongoing and significant contributor to its local communities. We aim to put students' success at the heart of everything we do.
We are looking for hard-working and collaborative people who can join our team and help challenge our students to achieve and progress.
As our Student Support Adviser, you'll have proven experience of working with vulnerable young people, with a strong track record of supporting learners who may be disengaged or disaffected. You'll understand how to build positive relationships and use effective strategies to re-engage young people with education or training and help prevent them from dropping out. You'll have experience of working in a safeguarding capacity with young people, alongside a good understanding of safeguarding legislation and practice within an educational setting. You'll also understand Post-16 education and the challenges young people may face when transitioning from pre to post-16 provision or returning to formal education after a period away.
Confident working with a diverse range of students, you'll have experience of delivering workshops or tutorials, conducting interviews and reviews, and producing risk assessments and support plans. You'll have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build rapport with young people, colleagues, customers and external agencies. You'll be highly organised and able to work both independently and as part of a team, effectively prioritising your workload, meeting deadlines and remaining calm in a busy environment.
Strong IT skills are also essential, with confidence using systems and applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, intranet and website platforms, social media and student record systems such as ProMonitor/EBS. You'll also be willing to undertake further training to develop your knowledge of College systems and software.
£32,157 - £36,991 per annum, plus up to 40 days + Bank Holidays