Progression Manager/Coach – ThinkForward

Salary: £30-35,000

Start date: immediate

Location: school based, within Nottingham North constituency

Reporting to: Employment Manager

ThinkForward runs a breakthrough programme which intervenes early to ensure that young people make a successful transition from school to work. ThinkForward targets schools and young people with large numbers of young people at risk of not making a successful transition from school. We provide youngpeoplewithinformation,support andhighquality one-to-one coaching,groupinterventionsandvaluedpost-16careeropportunities and ultimatelyasaferandmoresuccessfulpathway intoemploymentandadulthood. Young people are supported for5years,from 13-18 yearsold

ThinkForward has recently become an independent charity, after being founded and incubated by Impetus-Private Equity Foundation.

ThinkForward is partnering with Rebalancing the Outer Estates Foundation and with funding support from the Careers and Enterprise Company to launch in four Nottingham schools in 2016.

Overview and purpose of the role

To select and support those who are at risk in their transition from school to work, providing them with 1-1 and group sessions, connecting them with beneficial local services and linking them with the world of work

You must have direct experience of working with vulnerable and challenging young people, ideally in school. You must have plenty of ideas for resolving the types of barriers and problems they face, and just as importantly you must have effective project management skills to progress these action plans.

Key responsibilities

Withyoungpeople

  1. Engage young people in the ThinkForward programme
  2. Assesstheneedsoftheyoungpeopleanddesignasustainableandtailoredactionplan
  3. Holdregular1:1andgroupsessionswithyoungpeople
  4. Ensure young people engage with opportunities provided by third parties including employers and partner charities
  5. Ensurethatyoungpeoplemeettherequiredoutcomesofimproved behaviour, improved attendance, level2andlevel3attainment,andasustainedtransitiontofurthereducation,employmentorvocational training
  6. Adhere to all relevant policies (safeguarding, health and safety, etc) when delivering activities with young people
  7. Documentandevidenceallwork and use data in order to provide the most effective support with youngpeople
  8. Liaisewithandsupportparents,carers,guardiansetcoftheyoungpeople

Inschool

  1. Liaise with senior school staff to establish and manage the relationship between the school and ThinkForward
  2. Work with staff to identify at risk young people based on ThinkForward’s scoring mechanism
  3. Build an extensive knowledge of the provisions available to the cohort of young people
  4. Work with school Data Manager for regular access required data

Withcolleagues

  1. Share knowledge and experience with colleagues to improve effectiveness of the programme
  2. Report risks to relevant member of staff

Person specification

ThinkForward operates a staff competency framework to inform our recruitment and performance management of staff. The following behaviours define the expectations for this position.

Communication / Ability to communicate with staff of different levels from a variety of different stakeholders
Approachable, open and transparent with young people, stakeholders and colleagues
Ability to communicate information appropriately to different audiences in an interesting and stimulating style
Planning and Organising / Self motivated, able to work independently and proactively
Very strong organisational and project management skills, including use of appropriate tools and systems
Excellent computer literacy
Teamwork / Working in a team ideally in a fast pace environment, working collaboratively to achieve goals
Building lasting relationships with different stakeholders for example schools, colleges, other charities, alternative education providers and employers
Impact and quality focused / Working to targeted outcomes for young people
Experience of supporting young people to become more job ready
Driven by excellent standards and high quality
Ability to keep young people at the heart ofwhat you do whilst also working towards targeted outcomes
Use of data to inform delivery and imrpove provision
Professional expertise / Extensive and direct experience of working with vulnerable young people, ideally in school, including an understanding of services available for them
Supporting young people in both 1:1 and running group settings
Being solution-focused in addressing the complex barriers vulnerable young people face in and outside school that impact their learning and progression
Understanding of CEIAG and the importance of tailored progression planning for vulnerable young people
Persistence, patience and empathy in challenging difficult individuals

Values

ThinkForward staff operate to the following values:

  • Trusted – ThinkForward trusts its staff, offering an where people can work autonomously and opportunities for development and stretch of skills and experience
  • Preventative – ThinkForward’s approach is preventative, prioritising the safety and wellbeing of its staff and young people
  • Collaborative – ThinkForward employees collaborate to achieve the objectives in our business plan
  • Impact Focused – ThinkForward is impact-focused, constantly reviewing and improving its approach to make sure we provide the best services for young people and working environment for its staff

AtThinkForward wearecommittedtosafeguarding andprotectingthechildren,youngpeopleand vulnerableadultsweworkwith.StaffarerequiredtoundertakeanenhancedDBSDisclosureand wehave arangeofpolicies andprocedures inplacetohelpusprotect thesegroupsofpeople.Throughour recruitmentandvettingprocesseswewillensurethatweonlyemploythemostsuitablepeople.

To apply

Toapplyplease send a CV and covering letter to

Thedeadline forapplications is12:00 on 19th April.