Employment Support Specialist

Connect2Luton are excited to recruit a Employment Support Specialist on behalf of Luton Borough Council.

Main purpose of position:

Working with people who have complex barriers to employment, you will:

Engage with participants in person to design, implement and maintain effective vocational profiles and pathways. To have knowledge of or a willingness to be skilled up in IPS and SEQF delivery aligned to supported employment. The individual will be able to demonstrate knowledge of supporting and empowering individuals and their families with complex needs. Identify, assess and action appropriate training strategies, based on skills gap analysis. Offer advice, support, and guidance through assessments and the implementation of tailored support plans that are specific to individual needs. The individual will have knowledge or be willing to learn the principles and skills required to work in asset-based community development. Coach and support their employment journey by conducting employability sessions, providing interview skills advice, job search methods, rebuilding participant confidence after periods of unemployment, and identifying appropriate interventions to remove barriers and help them secure employment. Maximise the service's income by delivering and performing based on contractual KPIs and terms of performance by results contracts. Advocate for, promote and support employment for all to significantly increase the choice and chance of paid employment for people with barriers and life versus work challenges. Proactively identify and engage with employers to understand their requirements, encourage them to interview your client and build a diverse range of employment opportunities that will be accessible for people with complex barriers. The individual will work across the local authority footprint and at neighbourhood level to support case finding and integration of Connect to Work into broader wellbeing and skills offers. Contribute directly to all engagement, marketing and evaluation activities. This will include design and delivery of relevant campaigns and working with external evaluation partners as required.

You will be responsible to:

• Responsible for helping individuals employment find, stay and succeed in employment and offer tailored support and guidance to those seeking to gain or stay in work.
• Responsible for creating tailored and bespoke action plans. This will include assessing other life factors that can impact on employment, including benefits, housing, childcare, health, medication and travel.
• Coach participants to use digital job search methods i.e. job search websites, email, uploading documents, social media.
• Support participants with job search activities including occupational decision making, CV writing, interview preparation, job finding skills and job keeping skills.
• Manage assigned caseload to achieve challenging performance measures and KPI's whilst providing consistency and continuity of service.
• Responsible for identifying and collaborating with local employers to identify job vacancies and build partnerships to create employment opportunities.
• To proactively develop in-depth knowledge of the local labour market and provision.
• To support and advocate for disability confidence with employers and effectively promote and maximise the rights and opportunities of participants.
• To maintain a quality consultative role to promote and advise on reasonable adjustments to working practices, workspaces and interpret occupational health and Access to Work recommendations.

Skills and Experience:

• Demonstrable experience of working in the employment and skills sector and delivering to specified targets, quality standards and compliance measures
• Demonstrable administrative, organisational and IT experience including use of CRM and MS Office software
• Demonstrable ability to work with strict targets, deliver results and meet deadlines when faced with challenging objectives
• Demonstrable ability to use own initiative to plan and prioritise own workload and that of others to meet/take responsibility of targets and deadlines
• Able to work independently from various locations
• Demonstrable ability to collate and analyse raw data to produce statistical and written reports
• Able to maintain high levels of emotional resilience personal and professional integrity
• Understanding of equality and cultural issues affecting young people and adults and the safeguarding of all learners
• Able to work from various premises in Luton within different teams to interview participants, employers and sub-contractors
• Due to extensive travel requirements, you will need to be a car owner/ driver

About Us

Luton Borough Council have partnered with Kent County Council to create Connect2Luton, a recruitment managed service for all contingent temporary agency, contract, and interim roles at the Council.

Our heritage and being local government owned which means we have a wealth of knowledge and expertise within the public sector, with many of our employees having previously worked for the Council or have supplied previously into the Council, for several years.

We are an equal opportunities employment agency and business that positively encourages applications from all suitably qualified and eligible candidates.

Connect2Luton is a trading style of Luton & Kent Commercial Services LLP - A joint venture between Luton Borough Council & Commercial Services Kent Ltd. Connect2Luton is an equal opportunities Employment Agency & Business. It positively encourages applications from all suitably qualified and eligible candidates.