Careers Education and Guidance Adviser

Barnstaple Campus

Part-time and permanent

Information for Candidates

Petroc is one of the South West's leading colleges, committed to raising the aspirations, knowledge and skills of individuals, communities and businesses in Devon and beyond. Operating from three campuses, two in North Devon (Barnstaple) and one in Mid Devon (Tiverton), Petroc reaches out to a large rural community across the whole county.

We provide an exceptional range of further and higher education programmes which, in line with our vision, will equip our communities for the future, economically, socially and culturally.

We have many things to be proud of at Petroc. Our students consistently produce record-breaking results and progress onto the country's leading universities, further training or employment. We have enviable learner success rates placing us in the top 9% of colleges in the country for A Levels and BTECs. Our learners are at the heart of everything we do and we are proud of their successes.

Our whole community is committed to driving forward educational success in further and higher education and we all strive to raise the aspirations, knowledge and skills of individuals, communities and businesses in Devon and beyond.

We believe in bringing out the very best in people through being open and responsive, stimulating fresh thinking and building both confidence and ambition; and our personality is summarised in our vision ‘Raising Aspirations, Realising Potential, Supporting Success’.

Petroc is central to the economic, social and cultural needs of our surrounding communities. Over 16,000 student enrolments take place each year with ages ranging from 14 to 80+ years. With a staff headcount of approximately 900, the college is one of the largest employers in the area. We pride ourselves on our forward thinking, enthusiastic and diverse staff who make Petroc a vibrant and friendly place that is both flexible and supportive for all.

Petroc delivers significant provision across all Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and Education Funding Agency (EFA) programme areas (except agriculture) in a wide range of academic, vocational, work based, recreational and Higher Educational (in collaboration with the University of Plymouth) subjects.

Our students come from Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset and, through distance learning, areas far beyond South West England. Strong links are maintained with all schools and community colleges, as well as other institutions, to ensure comprehensive provision for all young people, adults and employers in the area.

We are developing inspiring state-of-the-art facilities, having recently opened a Future Technologies Centre at our Mid Devon Campus, an Engineering Centre of Excellence at our North Devon Campus; and we have a Lifestyle and Tourism Centre, also at our North Devon Campus which opened in the Summer 2016.

With the nearest University 50 miles away, Petroc’s Brannams Campus in Barnstaple has seen a very large increase in Higher Education and further expansion is planned through the Mid Devon Campus. In total, some 450 people currently study Higher Education at the college, with the majority on Foundation Degree programmes.

Now would be an exciting time to join the College as we continue to push the boundaries of educational excellence and maximise our potential to serve our communities.

In November 2015 The Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) recognised the achievements of Petroc by grading the college as ‘good’.

TERMS & CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Type

The advertised post is part time & permanent.

Hours of Work

You will be expected to work such hours as are reasonably necessary for the proper performance of your duties and responsibilities. Staff will normally work a 37 hour week. The hours for this post is 29.6 hours per week x 52 weeks per year

Holiday

The postholder will be entitled to 25 days paid leave per annum, plus Bank Holidays. Also the college traditionally closes between Christmas and the New Year and these three days are additional to the postholder’s leave entitlement.

Pay

The salary for this post will be £14,390 per annum (£17,988 FTE)

Probationary Period

As with all Petroc appointments, there will be a 6 month probationary period. This is to provide the opportunity for the line manager to ensure that the employee is on the right track and is progressing in the role as expected. The notice period will be one week during this probationary period.

PensionScheme

You will automatically join the Local Government Pension Scheme, which is an index linked final salary scheme. The contribution that you would make would be 6.5% of your gross salary, with Petroc making a contribution of 14.9% on your behalf.

Appraisal

All Petroc employees are required to take part in the college’s Appraisal Scheme. You will be appraised on an annual basis. The appraisal is aimed at establishing work targets and to identifying to each employee’s training and development needs. It is not, however, linked to salary, promotional issues or any performance-related pay element.

Induction

All new staff are required to participate in a Staff Induction Programme, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Training, Health & Safety and Safeguarding Training as part of their Contract of Employment.

Trade Unions

You will be entitled to join a union at the college and, indeed you are encouraged to do so by college management. This is because college management consults with staff through a Joint Consultative Committee framework upon which recognised trade unions and/or professional organisations are represented. Recognised unions are UNISON for support staff, UCU and ATL for academic staff and ACM for college managers. If you are appointed to the post you are applying for and wish for more information, the Human Resources Office will put you in touch with the appropriate branch representative.

Criminal Background Disclosure

Applicants / Employees are required to declare any pending criminal prosecutions they may have as well as any spent criminal convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings as defined under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. The only exception to this requirement is that Applicants / Employees do not need to disclose any ‘protected’ cautions or convictions as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2013.

(Failure to disclose this information at any stage of the selection process could lead to dismissal upon appointment in a role)

NBDBS Disclosures will be taken up on successful candidates only.

More information is attached to our application form.

Sick Pay

Petroc offers its employees the benefit of a sickness allowance when absent due to illness. This ranges from one month’s full pay and two months’ half pay, after four months’ service to six months’ full pay and six months’ half pay after five years’ service. More details are contained in all Petroc Contracts of Employment and Sickness Procedures.

ID Badges

Photo ID badges are issued to all staff on appointment and can be used for photocopying and library borrowing as well as for identification purposes. It is a requirement that all staff wear their badges whilst on any college premises.


Careers Education and Guidance Adviser
Based at North Devon Campus
0.8 FTE
Name:
Contract terms: Part-Time Permanent
Scale :Scale 4 point 14
Salary: £17,988 per annum (pro-rata £14,390)
Hours of Work: 29.6 hours per week x 52 weeks per year
Responsible To:Advice & Guidance Centre Manager
Date of Job Description:November 2017
This job description is a current statement of the duties and tasks required of the post-holder concerned. The nature of the job description will change from time to time and its terms are always governed and over-ridden by the post-holder’s Contract of Employment. The duties outlined in this document do not constitute a comprehensive or exclusive list and duties may be varied from time to time which do not change the general character of the job or level or responsibility entailed.
The College has an active Equal Opportunities, Diversity and Inclusion Policy, commitment to which is expected from all staff. Applicants are, therefore, invited from all suitably qualified people irrespective of disability, gender or race. In particular, applicants with a disability, if they wish to do so, may indicate on the application form details of their disability.
MAIN FUNCTION OF THE JOB
  • The CareersEducation and Guidance Adviser will be central to the core work of the College Careers, Education, Information, Advice and Guidance Centre team (CEIAG). The post holder will be required to facilitate, support and deliver high quality, impartial IAG service as part of the College commitment to Careers Education and Guidance (CEG). The post holder will need the ability to work autonomously and must be willing to participate in relevant College-based and external training as appropriate. The job will include the provision of information to students, assist in providing training and support for teaching staff, updating records/databases, organising careers and progression events and monitoring/facilitating student use of the Advice and Guidance Centre.
  • The post holder will drive the ‘Get My First Job/Job-shop’ concept forward; managing all areas of its development and maintenance to reach its goal of providing careers information and job opportunities in North and Mid Devon to Petroc learners. The Get My First/Job-shop is conceived as a ‘one stop shop’ for Petroc Learners and alumni who are seeking employment as well as businesses seeking employees.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
  • To ensure the provision of a high class, impartial careers service to all college customers and to give students the information to make informed decisions regarding their next step and future aspirations
  • Maintain and develop a careers resource base and a vacancy information service (Get My First Job), including developing links with local employers, researching and promoting job and voluntary vacancies to students, facilitating the Jobshop for both FE and HE
  • To maintain and update careers resources such as student noticeboards and online Moodle
  • To deal with all day-to-day CEIAG enquiries , assessments, administration and recording, this will include course information and general enquiries
  • To conduct 1:1 Careers and Guidance Interviews with prospective and existing students
  • To promote and disseminate information, advice and guidance regarding the support available for all students via notice boards, inductions, drop-in sessions, leaflets, intranet and email, ensuring information is accurate, accessible and up to date at all times
  • Liaise with support, teaching and administrative teams across the College and with external agencies in relation to careers guidance and employability enrichment activities
  • Work with individual departments to assist them with careers information relevant to their learners needs
  • Promote and champion the Job-shop/Get My First Job to ensure that targets set, are met and where possible exceeded to raise the profile of these services across the college
  • Create and monitor systems to ensure that the service is continuously researched, measured and evaluated
  • To collate key statistical reports in relevant formats relating to Higher Education, end destinations and progression of learners
  • Manage the development of Get My First Job and Job-shop’s web presence, including establishing it as an effective source of online information for Petroc’s students
  • Act as the ‘face’ of Job-shop, including maintaining a physical presence at Petroc’s two main campuses
  • To liaise with tutors and other key staff to ensure effective development and delivery of CEIAG and employability to support the successful embedding of employability into the curriculum including deliver presentations to Tutorials and NCS as and when required
  • Work closely with the wider CEIAG team to deliver a holistic provision to all service users
  • Work with the South West Careers service and other appropriate agencies to enhance students’ employment prospects and to identify potential gaps and opportunities that will lead to increased usage of the Job-shop/Get My First Job service
  • Develop relationships with key colleagues, partners, employers, students, the community and schools to examine and achieve the best employment outcomes for learners.
  • Work with Petroc’s Marketing and Communications Team to establish the Get My First Job/Job-shop’s reputation as an outstanding “service of choice” and communicate employability to the learners.
  • Monitor and utilise the college CRM system with reference to employers to ensure where appropriate that a single central record is maintained.
  • Research work experience placements for learners on study programmes and ensure that the appropriate paper work is completed.
  • Liaise with the Advice and Guidance Centre Manager if there are concerns regarding the ability to meet agreed deadlines.
  • Carry out such other duties as may reasonably be required.

APPLICATIONS
All positions are subject to the completion of an Enhanced DBS Disclosure
Completed applications should be returned to or to the Human Resources Office, Petroc, Old Sticklepath Hill, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 2BQ
by no later than 4pmon Tuesday 16th January 2018
Applications received after this deadline will not be accepted.
If you have not been called for interview within two weeks of the closing date for this post, you should assume that you have not been successful
Criteria / Essential / Method of Assessment / Desirable
Qualifications /
  • Qualified to Level 3 and have relevant professional experience
/ Application /
  • Qualified to Level 4 or above and have relevant professional experience
  • Evidence of continuing professional development e.g. Careers Development Institute
  • Diploma in Careers Guidance Parts 1 and 2 or Post Graduate Diploma in Careers Guidance with Qualification in Careers Guidance or NVQ Level 4 (or above) in Advice and Guidance.
  • Driving Licence

Experience /
  • Experience of working in a similar role.
  • An understanding of activity required to maximise recruitment to a service and the ability to implement these successfully.
/ Interview
Application /
  • Careers information withina further/higher education setting
  • Be able to communicate with a range and variety of learners
  • Excellent customers service skills
  • Knowledge of EqualOpportunities,DiversityandInclusion legislation and policies
  • Knowledge of current trends within careers and job opportunities in North and Mid Devon
  • A comprehensive understanding of CV/Job search techniques and employability principles
  • An understanding of the online UCAS application process
  • A proven track record of building lasting working relationships with a variety of stakeholders.

Skills /
  • Ability to analyse, interpret and present complex data.
/ Interview
Application /
  • Flexibility and a capacity to work under pressure and to meet deadlines
  • Excellent time management skills
  • Excellentoralandwrittencommunicationskills
  • Teambuilding skills
  • Effective ICLT skills
  • Excellent organisationalandadministrativeskills
  • The ability to establish effective working relationships at all levels across the College and with outside agencies
  • Ability to take responsibility, make decisions and work on own initiative
  • Experience of working with young people in a supporting or advisory role

Attributes /
  • Meticulous record keeping using electronic systems where appropriate.
/ Interview /
  • Ability to relate to and inspire young people of all levels and from all vocational areas.
  • An understanding of the needs of young learners
  • AcommitmenttoEqual Opportunities,DiversityandInclusion
  • A commitment to helping all learners reach their full potential
  • A commitment to self-improvement.
  • Enthusiastic, inspirational and innovative
  • Meticulous record keeping using electronic systems where appropriate.