Careers & Employment Adviser

Job details

College

Buxton & Leek College

Responsible to

Engagement Manager

Location

Buxton & Leek College (Buxton/Leek Campus)

Salary

£30,950 to £34,027 per annum (for exceptional performers, there is scope for further progression up to £39,131 per annum)

Closing date

Monday 25 March 2024

Contract type

Permanent

Post type

Full-time

Adaptive working type

Hybrid
This role will be based on site, primarily in the named location with the opportunity to work remotely available in line with our Adaptive Working Framework .

Reference

0014-24

About the role

Challenging, interesting and constantly changing, the University of Derby is an exceptional place to learn and an incredibly rewarding place to work.

Ours is an extraordinary educational environment and because we specialise in identifying and developing individual potential, you can be confident you’ll receive all the help and encouragement you need to build a rewarding career with lots of opportunities to progress. 

Our combined higher and further education offering is spread over campuses in Derby, Buxton, Leek and Chesterfield and we have some of the best university facilities in the UK, investing more than £200 million in facilities in the last 10 years. 

We achieve outstanding results for our teaching and research and with more than 34,000 people choosing to study with us every year, we depend on the dedication of a team of 2,200 academic and professional services staff. 

Financially strong and seriously ambitious we offer our employees a family-friendly, rewarding career with lots of opportunities to progress.

About the role

Buxton and Leek College was recently graded as a “Good” college by OFSTED and has a team of dedicated staff who take pride in supporting learners towards their study and career goals. Our students have access to industry standard facilities, comprehensive support services and benefit from extensive links with the University of Derby. As a Careers & Employment Adviser you will contribute to the development of a learning community which is inclusive of students, academics and employers to create innovative learning and career development opportunities for students.

You will develop and maintain relationships with students, providing guidance to increase the skills and knowledge of all, with focus on employability skills and careers support, opening more skilled opportunities to Buxton & Leek students. You will advise students on developing high quality applications, performing at interviews for both work experience and employment post college, as well as improving understanding of the local labour market.

Collaborative, professional and self-motivated, you will have excellent specialist expertise and the ability to build relationships, engaging students, academics, and employers by embedding and delivering employability, applied learning and industry experience in curriculum and careers and enterprise services.

For further information and informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact Sarah Thompson – Engagement Manager via [email protected]

For enquiries regarding your application and for sponsorship eligibility, please contact the recruitment team via [email protected]

Principal accountabilities

Develop and maintain positive and impactful relationships with academic departments, Student Support and the Learner Journey Team to deliver employability services and to stimulate a learning community.   

Contribute to the development and implementation of partnership agreements with Buxton & Leek College and the University Learning & Teaching Strategy as it relates to employability. 

Develop a deep understanding of the labour market, appropriate to FE, outcomes data, and the knowledge, attributes, employability and discipline skills required for success in employment, further study and enterprise.

Apply this understanding to enhance practice at all levels and in specific disciplines and to offer guidance and specialist advice.  

Delivering an innovative suite of student careers and employability support in a variety of formats, including 1-2-1 advice and guidance, skill workshops, bite-sized sessions, and more tailored programmes.

Build and develop innovative practice in partnership work with new and continuing employer contacts to raise awareness of student skills and increase employment opportunities within the region. 

Offer specialist advice at Open days and Advice evenings and contribute to employer events throughout the year.

Work collaboratively with academics, students and colleagues to develop best practice and to evaluate the impact of the shared team approach.  

To establish and maintain contact with target groups of students and individuals to raise awareness of opportunities and support students with applications.

Keep accurate, up-to-date records of client interactions; prepare and present reports as required, related to employment and destination data.

Commitment to the student tracking process, ensuring Buxton & Leek College has up to date details and knowledge of where students are on their career-planning journey. 

Contribute to evaluation impact reports, providing information on progress to targets, successes, best practice, Labour Market Information and benchmarking.

Accountable for implementation of plans, achievement of targets and standards and evaluating practice.    

Promote social mobility, equality and diversity for students and staff and sustain an inclusive environment.  

To use IT systems in accordance with CSL and University procedures and training and maintain accurate records, complying with legislation and University data policies, external codes and University governance.

All staff should be aware of the importance of their own and the University’s joint responsibility to safeguard and promote the wellbeing of children and vulnerable adults.

Person specification
Essential Criteria
Qualifications

• Level 6 CEIAG or level 3/4 IAG with a willingness to work towards Level 6 CEIAG

Experience

• Experience in careers education & guidance work, or career preparation work with 16+ for FE
• Experience of delivering to a wide diversity of students/clients assessing needs and developing interventions
• Experience of working to achieve targets and measure impact 
• Experience of delivering advice in a one-to-one and group setting, including workshop and/or training delivery 

Skills, knowledge & abilities

• Excellent communication and presentation skills 
• Strong understanding of employability attributes and skills, personal development and recruitment processes and the labour market 
• Adaptable, flexible and ability to work in a team 
• Organisations skills and ability to prioritise 
• Self-motivated and innovative approach 
• Has a positive ‘can do’ approach
• IT skills including MS office, databases, record keeping, analysis and reporting and extracting content for communications 
• Motivated and committed to a high-quality service provision and consistent excellence for all service users.
• Understands service user needs, responds and evaluates practice; sharing outcomes to deliver continuous improvement
• Excellent relationship and stakeholder management including students, staff, employers and community organisations
• Commitment to providing outstanding customer service and continuous quality improvement

Business requirements

• Willingness and flexibility to travel and work between external sites in a cost effective and timely manner
• Completed DBS check with child barred list.

Benefits

As well as competitive pay scales, we offer generous holiday entitlement. We also offer opportunities for further salary progression based on performance, and the opportunity to join a contributory pension scheme.

Find out more about pay and benefitsFind out more about pay and benefits

How to apply

You can apply by submitting an online application. Once you have signed in or registered with us you will be able to begin your application. If you are creating an account for the first time, please ensure you provide an email address that you access regularly as this will be our main means of contacting you regarding your application.

• Apply online Apply online
• Continue application Continue application
• Advice on completing your applicationAdvice on completing your application

If you require any assistance, including the provision of any documentation in an alternative format, please contact the Recruitment team at [email protected] .

Please note all applications must be submitted online by Midnight GMT on the closing date of the vacancy.

Important information

Please note that unfortunately, this role will not attract sufficient points to obtain a sponsored Skilled Worker visa under the UK Visas & Immigration points based immigration system; however, applications are welcome from candidates who do not currently have the right to work in the UK, but who would be eligible to obtain a valid visa via another route..

Please consult the Home office website for further information.

DBS check

Buxton and Leek College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. This post is subject is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. An enhanced DBS check will be required, depending on the nature of the role. Any information you provide will be treated in confidence and only used when considering your suitability for the post.

To enable us to process your DBS check please ensure you are able to supply the documentation listed on the DBS website at interview stage.

What is Adaptive Working?

Adaptive working is about enabling a high-performing, flexible, and responsive work culture where the place, time, and manner of working are tailored to the specific work activity. This approach ensures that the working environment, including both physical and social surroundings, supports employees to perform at their best and meet the university’s evolving needs.

In addition, adaptive working involves intentionally designing workspaces to support a range of activities and disciplines, providing the right environment for meaningful in-person connections and effective collaboration. This includes ensuring that employees have access to the necessary equipment and resources from their first day at the university.

Adaptive working encompasses different modes of working such as site-based, remote or hybrid working. It is a broad framework within which all staff can operate effectively according to their role.

Equity, diversity and inclusion

The University of Derby is committed to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion. However you identify, we actively celebrate the knowledge, experience and talents each person brings. Our students come from a wide range of backgrounds; therefore we are particularly interested to hear from applicants who will help our leaders and teams be more reflective of our student population.

A university that celebrates youA university that celebrates you

Further details

Download job descriptionDownload job description

Why join Derby?

Challenging, interesting and constantly changing, the University of Derby is an extraordinary place to learn and an incredibly rewarding place to work.

Find out more about working at the UniversityFind out more about working at the University

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expect everyone who works for us to also share this commitment and to treat people with courtesy and respect.