Student Support Officer

Job Purpose

To undertake a key role in supporting students including assisting in the planning, securing and monitoring of placements, assessment and recording of student progress and pastoral care.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Work Placements and Competitions

·     Engage with employers to secure placements, virtual and non-virtual. Match learners with placements and develop industrial links through the establishment of partnerships/further placements.

·       Assess the compliance of the work placement with Health and Safety, Insurance cover and other relevant criteria and ensure all relevant documentation, PPA, insurance etc is completed and securely retained.

·       Ensure that students are familiar with their responsibilities on work placement, including health and safety and child protection / the protection of Vulnerable adults and complete all induction requirements.

·       Responsible for the creation and completion of E-ILP/EPTP and co-ordinate with the course team.

·       Visit students on a regular basis and complete appropriate reports and reviews to ensure that they are meeting the requirements of their course and completing relevant documentation.

·       Report on student progress at Case Conferences.

·       Provide mentoring support to students in preparation for competitions and assist in the organisation and administration of competitions.

·       Develop industrial links through the establishment of partnerships/further placements.

Pastoral Care

·       Monitor the attendance of students in work placement and follow up where necessary providing support and addressing any issues or problems arising.

·       Follow up by telephone/ letter any students who have not been attending placement and action referrals as appropriate to Inspire, MACs learning support and other support agencies.

·       Supporting all students in their learning experience to maintain regular and consistent attendance including addressing issues relating to physical or mental well-being, domestic or college related concerns and financial difficulties.

·       Implementing College initiatives to improve student attendance, retention and performance levels.

·       Providing assistance and support to lecturers to increase the level of student progression.

·       Facilitating meetings with relevant stakeholders including parents, DfE careers, social workers etc.

·       Administration associated with student absences, student sickness, and the submission of internal and external returns including processing of student withdrawals.

Assessment

·     Carry out assessment for students as appropriate in accordance with awarding organisation body guidelines and SERC Quality policies and processes.

·     Provide regular oral and written feedback to Curriculum teams, Heads/Deputy Heads of School, on assessment progress.

·     Undertake continuous professional development as required to meet awarding body work-based assessment requirements.

General

·       Provide support for recruitment and marketing initiatives including open days, parents’ evenings enrolment rota and interviews as required.

·     Participate and support induction programme including assisting with collection and processing of exam certificates/results, issuing and recording of protective clothing and equipment issued to students.

·     Utilise capability of College management information systems and ensure completion of all administrative requirements in line with College and DfE requirements.

·     Participate in the sharing of good practice.

·     Liaise closely with the curriculum managers, course tutors and other relevant staff and attend regular course team meetings.

·     Assist the course team in the student disciplinary procedure.

·     Ensure that all documentation and authorisation procedures are adhered to.

·     Act as an ambassador for the College and promote SERC’s range of industry training programmes to internal and external stakeholders.

·       Negotiate with employers on trainee transition from non-employed to employed status and process all relevant documentation in order to maximise funding.

Conditions

·     Promote the College positively at all times.

·     Abide by all College procedures and ensure these are implemented in area of responsibility.

·     Within the context of the post, ensure full compliance with College health and safety requirements.

·     Within the context of the post, ensure full compliance with College equality requirements.

·     Any other duties deemed necessary to ensure the effective operation of the areas of responsibility.

NOTES

1. This is a description of the job as it is at present constituted. The duties and responsibilities are intended to give a broad indication of the variety of tasks the post holder may be asked to undertake. It should be noted that a job description is not an exhaustive list of activities and staff may be asked to carry out duties commensurate with the grade of the post. The job description may also be amended to take account of changed circumstances, and staff will be consulted when this is necessary. It is the College’s aim to reach agreement to reasonable changes, but if agreement is not possible, the College reserves the right to insist on changes to a job description after consultation with the post holder.

2. In carrying out the duties and responsibilities of the post it is expected that the post holder will do so in accordance with the College Ethos Equal Opportunities Policy and that in doing so the post holder will contribute to the discharge of Section 75 statutory duties and implementation of the College Equality Scheme

3. This is a post which is governed by The Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults

(Northern Ireland) Order 2003. Before appointing anyone to this post, it is policy to

ask for the relevant check to be carried out by Access NI.

4. The College operates a no smoking policy and all staff are expected to adhere to this.

5. In order to deliver its objectives, the College has developed to the following set of values and all staff expected to work within these;

• Solution focused
• Excellence driven
• Responsive
• Collaborative

6.     All staff at Deputy Head of School Level and above (including staff on NJC Terms & Conditions, band 6 and above) are required to participate in day, evening and holiday cover rotas as required.

7.     All Staff are required to contribute to a healthy and safe working environment and to adhere to all health and safety regulations and College policies.

8.     All staff have a responsibility for ensuring that risks are managed at College, team and individual level. This process will include the assessment and effective control of all acceptable risk situations.

9.     All Budget holders will be responsible for ensuring the delivery of a balanced budget across their area of responsibility, including the delivery of any agreed cost improvement programmes.

10.  Staff will be expected to participate in staff training and development activities to update and enhance their own knowledge, skills and professional competence needed to fulfil the role effectively.

11.  Please note that a waiting list may be created from this post from which further appointments may be made should the same or a similar post arise within six months of the interview date. Please note such posts may be based at any College Campus.

Selection Criteria

Student Support Officer x 2

Essential Selection Criteria

1.                         Hold a Level 4 qualification or equivalent.

2.                         Hold GCSE English and Maths at grade C or above or equivalent.

3.                         A current driving licence and access to a car or have access to a form of transport that will enable the post-holder to fulfil the role in full.

4.                         Experience of using the Microsoft Office suite, in particular Outlook, Word, Excel and Teams.

5.                         An ability to communicate confidently and effectively with a range of stakeholders through various methods.

6.                         Demonstrate ability to create and develop links and effective working relationships with stakeholders.

7.                         Demonstrate excellent oral and written communication skills.

Desirable Selection Criteria

1.                       Hold a recognised Assessor Award (A1, D32, D33) or be willing to work towards

2.                       Experience of organising work placements and liaising with employers.

3.                       Experience of assessing students/trainees.

4.                       Experience of working with and supporting apprentices/ trainees/students and/or experience of working on training and employment programmes.

5.                       Experience of using a Management Information System to collate, update and extract data.

The above are minimum criteria. These may be enhanced at the discretion of the Selection Panel.