Employability Advisor
Reporting To Employability Manager
Salary £26,520 per annum + benefits
Job Type Permanent
Location Field based with extensive travel within England & Wales
Hours Full Time, Monday to Friday, 37.5 hours per week
Company information:
The Poppy Factory Ltd is an independent charity which was founded in 1922 with the object of providing paid employment opportunities for disabled ex-Servicemen and women. A factory was established in Richmond to make poppies and other commemorative items to achieve this purpose. The products are sold under special arrangements to The Royal British Legion (TRBL). Whilst the charity continues to provide paid employment through its Factory for disabled ex-Servicemen and women, it also facilitates paid and meaningful employment opportunities for wounded, injured and sick (WIS) ex-Servicemen and women throughout England and Wales, via its employability service. We can also provide assistance in Northern Ireland.
Purpose of the role:
To provide an initial vocational profiling function for newly registered clients of the Getting You Back to Work (GYBTW) service, and where appropriate similar intervention for returning clients who may be seeking further employability support.
To identify and prioritise any immediate employability needs and/or additional internal or external support required for the client, in order to help them to become employment ready.
To ensure appropriate, needs based and effective two-way referral pathways with a variety of agencies and organisations that provide appropriate services or have contact with our specific client group.
To cultivate and nurture the relationship with relevant referral routes and other organisations able to assist our clients, ensuring a good, up to date understanding of each other’s services and how we can complement each other to best assist clients.
Identify new opportunities to reach prospective clients and develop plans to achieve this, working with other colleagues, including Marketing, as needed.
Act as a central knowledge ‘hub’ for the wider team, making a significant contribution to the development of our knowledge base, providing timely updates on new or changing external services and researching areas in which we need to increase our knowledge and understanding.
Principal responsibilities:
· Prepare for and deliver in-depth, evaluative telephone interviews with clients, to build an initial Vocational Profile, including gathering key information about:
(i) Health and disability in relation to its impact on employment
(ii) Employment preferences and goals (considering both ‘wants’ and ‘needs’)
(iii) Previous and transferable skills and experience
(iv) Other factors positively or negatively affecting employability/work readiness
· Make initial recommendations to the client and Employability Consultant on the priority next steps, through written, concise and clear handover summaries, also supported by a verbal brief if needed.
· If necessary, work on the client’s CV and provide basic information, advice and guidance, to achieve early progress.
· Make recommendations as to whether, when and how a Volunteer Mentor might be utilised to assist with a case.
· Proactively identify the need for and seek agreement to refer the client to other organisations for additional, specific forms of intervention, or if it’s their preference, equip individuals with the necessary information to further explore additional forms of support.
· Use The Poppy Factory internal data and external research to identify and build additional relationships with appropriate referral route organisations in England and Wales.
· Attend external support agency events, recruitment fairs, and other client contact or networking opportunities to promote the service and encourage appropriate client referrals.
· Maintain Customer Relationship Management system(s), case notes and other electronic files and contact records to a required, high standard to ensure the customer journey and other relationships are documented in accordance with quality standards and procedures.
· Research, circulate and maintain relevant information about external services/support agencies both within and outside the Armed Forces sector to support the quality delivery of the Getting You Back to Work Service.
· Develop meaningful reporting mechanisms to evidence activity and trends in relation to the Employability Advisor role, and consider how such management information can be used to support continuous improvement.
· Ensure all relevant administration and processes are completed in line with current service and organisational policies and processes.
· Work closely with the GYBTW and Business Development Teams to identify trends and improvements that may influence service delivery or employer engagement.
· Highlight to the fundraising team any clients that could potentially work with The Poppy Factory for funding bids and stories.
Essential skills & qualities:
· Previous Supported Employment or Vocational Rehabilitation experience gained in a private, public sector, or not-for-profit environment.
· Experience of employment support for people with disabilities (physical or mental health).
· Confident, articulate communicator both spoken and written with very strong interpersonal skills and capacity for empathy.
· Well organised, structured and self-disciplined, with excellent prioritisation skills, the ability to work with limited supervision and on one’s own initiative.
· Strong team working, networking and relationship management skills.
· Positive attitude with a commitment to delivering a quality service.
· High level of personal resilience, adaptable, flexible and solution focused.
· Ability to both work from home and to travel to a variety of locations, flexibly.
· At least reasonable IT skills.
Desirable skills & qualities:
· Experience of previous home and field-based working and an understanding of how to manage this effectively.
· Knowledge and experience of employment Law as it relates to this type of service and role (e.g. Data Protection & Equality Acts).
· Career Guidance and Development Level 6 Diploma qualification (Information Advice and Guidance) achieved, or the commitment to work towards this.
· Knowledge of the military charity sector.
Application details:
Please email both your CV and a covering letter outlining your suitability for the role to:
Elisabeth Skeet, Employability Manager
If you would like to have an informal discussion about the role, please call:
Elisabeth Skeet, Employability Manager
07785 667871
Closing date for applications: Midnight, Sunday 8th February, 2015
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