Summary of Position

• Job Location: Birmingham
• Working hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
• Employment type: Full time
• Employment status: Permanent
• Salary: £22,000-£25,000 per annum depending on experience

About Free2Learn

Free2Learn (F2L) is a rapidly expanding and vibrant company that provides free funded training courses for jobseekers giving them the opportunity to enhance their knowledge, develop their skills and gain qualifications in a wide variety of industries. Additionally, we focus on nurturing and harnessing the knowledge and competence of those already in work by delivering high quality apprenticeships and providing a high quality end-to-end job service.

Role Purpose

You will be joining a growing team and responsible for recruiting learners onto a range of training and pre-employment programmes which aim to up-skill and meet the needs of learners and employers. You will build a rapport with customers and establish productive working relationships with Job Centre Plus staff, community services, referral partners, and local employers. You will liaise with JCP and other referral agencies to identify prospective learners to increase learner recruitment across the provision and fill the courses. You will assess and enrol learners, deploying a full range of IAG instruments (e.g. Training Needs Analysis, Skill Check, employability assessments, motivational techniques, SMART action planning), confirming the most appropriate courses that will support them into employment or further education to help them progress towards employment and/or to meet their career goals.

Job Entails

Recruitment and Learner Support:

●        To build a rapport and establish a productive working relationship with Job Centre Plus staff, community services, plus other agencies, and local employers

●        To facilitate prospective learners on to programmes of study with the F2L and signpost onto appropriate job opportunities

●        To liaise with JCP and other agencies to identify prospective learners to study with F2L and then progress into appropriate employment

●        To deploy a full range of Initial Advice Guidance instruments (e.g. Training Needs Analysis, Skill Check, employability assessments, motivational techniques, SMART action planning) to assess and enrol unemployed adults, determine intervention and progress onto a training programme and then into employment

●        To liaise and work with other members of the Learner Recruitment and Employability Team to promote the role and develop joint working

●        To increase learner recruitment across all provision

●        To develop strong links with local employers and where possible create Sector Based Work Academies Programmes to provide our learners a progression route into employment.

●        Source and select candidates from our database and external sites such as LinkedIn

●        Provide employability support for the learners to get them job ready

●        Advertise jobs to potential candidates

●        Screen resumes and create short lists

●        Provide feedback to learners

●        Conduct telephone interviews

●        Match candidate skills with the vacancies

●        Have regular meetings with learners to track progress

●        Arrange interviews for learners

●        Business Development

Main Duties and Responsibilities

●        To meet monthly recruitment targets; assessing enrolling and signposting learners onto appropriate courses of study which will enable learners to find suitable employment

●        This will involve working on delivery sites

●        To attend JCP offices developing a rota to ensure all offices are regularly visited to promote F2L offer

●        To develop a positive working relationship with Job Centre Plus staff and other agencies to secure referrals and source employers for job opportunities for learners

●        Conduct marketing activities to promote the programme which will include presentations to Job Centre Plus and other agencies to promote and give details of F2L offer and other services F2L provides

●        To support, give advice and guidance learners on appropriate courses of study leading to employment

●        To work imaginatively and flexibly with learners and use a ‘can do’ attitude to create a proactive and productive environment in which learners can develop the motivation and behaviours to take up the offer of study and to move back into employment

●        Continuous development of employer engagement opportunities and attach employer vacancies to each course helping learners progress into sustainable employment.

●        Assist Business Development Managers with researching potential clients, cold calling and attending client meetings 

●        Using social media to advertise positions, attract candidates and build relationships with candidates and employers

●        Preparing CVs and correspondence to forward to clients regarding of suitable applicants

●        To manage and plan effective caseload management, ensuring each learner receives a personalised, relevant and positive experience

●        To monitor, track and review on a weekly basis learner recruitment. Review data to ensure that there are sufficient referrals from individual Job Centre offices and act where necessary to maintain referral numbers

●        To present timely and relevant, advice data and information to the Centre Manager.

●        To develop, establish and co-ordinate appropriate tracking systems and documentation to meet audit compliance requirements

●        To track, monitor and meet set recruitment targets

Administration

●        Liaise with F2Ls to obtain information regarding paperwork requirements and ensure information is correctly registered

●        Assist with preparation of paperwork for audits

●        Collate leaders paperwork including course material, certificates and results

●        Ensure that the database is updated and maintained

●        Coordination of training including booking of venues, organizing trainers and booking learners in for courses

Person Specification

Qualifications: 

• Level 2 qualification in Information Advice or Guidance – Desirable

Knowledge / Experience

●        Experience of recruiting adults in Further Education with the use of IAG - Essential

●        Proven track of success in delivering the above; taking responsibility for developing excellent working relationships with partners and experience of working to a pattern of contractual targets - Essential

●        Undertaking skills assessments and action planning with learners - Essential

●        Working with JCP to ensure advisors make appropriate referrals – Essential

●        Knowledge of the Government’s agenda on unemployment support availabletothose who find themselves unemployed - Essential

Skills / Abilities

·       Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing with referral agencies, employers and colleagues – Essential

·       Interpersonal skills entailing motivational ability in relating to clients and partners – Essential

·       Good IT skills including proficient use of Excel, Database and Word – Essential

·       Rapport building and effective outcome-based relationships; overcoming challenges in attitude and behaviour which form barriers to work – Essential

·       Other factors Understanding of commitment to the Equal Opportunities and community education policies of F2L - Essential

An understanding of and commitment to safeguarding young people and vulnerable adults:

·       motivation to work with children/young people, vulnerable adults

·       ability to form and maintain appropriate relationships and personal boundaries with children and young people/vulnerable adults.

·       emotional resilience in working with challenging behaviours attitudes to sue of authority and maintaining discipline

Disclosure and Barring Service Clearance (DBS check)

Free2Learn is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions 

• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020). 

A criminal record will only be taken into account where the conviction is relevant to the position being applied for, and will not necessarily block candidates from employment. Any decision will depend on the precise nature of the work and the circumstances and background to the offence.

Equal Opportunities

Free2Learn is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to diversity and inclusion. We have a working environment where we value and respect every individual's unique contribution, enabling all of our employees to thrive and achieve their full potential. Free2Learn has a diverse workforce that is representative at all job levels.

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS : Friday, 10th May 2024