JOB DESCRIPTION/PERSON SPECIFICATION
Employment Opportunities Coordinator
Reporting to: TAP Project Manager
Main Purpose: To coordinate the Employment Opportunities pilot project based at
GSTT. The main aim of project is to support work placements both within the hospital
and within businesses in the local area and to build skills to assist the students in
finding paid employment. There will also be up to two supported Apprenticeship
placements within this project.
Line Management responsibility: None
Working with: Project Manager
Tutor
Job Coach
Learning Support Assistant
Projects Director - CareTrade
Host Employers Managers and Mentors
Place of work: You will be based at CareTrade Offices with regular travel to St.
Thomas’ Hospital, London and Guy’s Hospital, London and to businesses in the local
area (with some travel to other London sites as needed).
Background:
CareTrade is a young London based charity with a mission to transform the life
chances of school leavers and young adults with autism by creating innovative and
inspirational work experience and apprenticeships to increase employment
opportunities and developing live/work solutions and services that meet the needs of
individuals and employers.
CareTrade was founded by Katharine Dore OBE and Karen Edwards in 2009, who
were founders and trustees of Ambitious About Autism (1997-2007) creating a
leading specialist school (TreeHouse Trust) for over 80 London children with autism
and developing the foundations for the trust’s national work. Katherine and Karen are
now Vice Presidents of Ambitious.
CareTrade’s first two projects have benefited forty young people and their families
and shown the many individuals who have worked alongside them or been served by
them just how able they are, slowly changing society’s perceptions and helping to
make it more accepting of difference.
In partnership with Best Italian a community café in Borough Market and with support
from Awards for All, CareTrade set up a working classroom in 2010 to give twelve
school children aged 16-18 from Spa School (Southwark’s specialist secondary
school for children with autism) the opportunity to experience a real work
environment one day a week over two school terms. They gained skills that will help
them to be work ready in the future but more importantly their self-confidence and
belief that they will be able to get a job grew. For young people with autism this is a
very important first step.
In 2010, CareTrade won a bid from the Office of Disability Issues and formed a
partnership with Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT), Southwark
College, Remploy and the National Autistic Society and established a Project
SEARCH site; our second employability programme and one of 14 National
Evaluation sites. In 2010, 8 young Londoners (all with autism and additional Learning
Disabilities) graduated and 2 are now in full-time employment at the Hospital. A
further 9 students graduate in July 2012. Our pilot came to an end in July 2012.
The Autism Project@GSTT started in September 2012. We supported 11 students in
2012/13 who have just graduated. This academic year we were in partnership with
Orchard Hill College and GSTT.
Participants gain real hands on work experience within a wide variety of departments
at GSTT to develop their employability skills and to help them into work or further
training. All participants experience up to three placements and each one is focused
on developing different skills. Alongside this experience they work towards an OCR
Employability Skills qualification and build knowledge in areas such as interview
skills, letter writing, communication skills and CV development. In the 2013/14
academic year we hope to have up to twelve students on the project.
The Employment Opportunities pilot project will run from September/October? 2013.
It will aim to provide support for up to 10 previous TAP@GSTT students who have
not found permanent paid employment. This support will consist of:
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A six week intensive job preparation and job search course (this will be done
in a group and will be class based for three days a week).
Individual profiling and person-centered planning – working on a 1:1 basis to
establish each young person’s ambitions and to develop individual plans for
them to help them move towards their goals.
Individual support with job search, interview preparation and applying for jobs;
following the six week course all young people must spend at least one day a
week at CareTrade offices to do this. They will be supported as required on a
1:1 basis. In addition they will be able to book a slot at our offices to do a job
search Monday to Friday between 10am to 3pm.
Work experience placements for between 2 and 4 days a week (for up to 26
weeks) – these are optional but students will be encouraged to take these up
to help them gain new skills, demonstrate their commitment to potential
employers, prevent them from de-skilling and gain references. Placements
may be within GSTT or with another local employer.
Interview support will be available for those that would like a CareTrade
member of staff to attend interviews with them.
When a young person has secured paid employment CareTrade will seek to
work with the employer to ensure that any reasonable adjustments required
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are put in place and to help the young person with any forms or other
information they must supply to take up the job.
As part of the offer we are looking to pioneer two ‘supported apprenticeships’
within GSTT – these will be paid positions in-line with the National
Apprenticeship Scheme and will require additional study one day a week.
Employment Opportunities Coordinator core responsibilities:
1. To oversee the day to day running of the project and support students.
2. To work in close collaboration with the Project Manager and other staff at all
times to ensure that students are progressing towards their individual targets
both in their work placements and with job searching and for those on an
apprenticeship with their qualification and to ensure that these are
complementary.
3. To undertake and manage any necessary risk assessments needed by the
project.
4. Assess each student’s individual skills and gather baseline data. To facilitate
job matches to best meet the needs and desires of the students with the
requirements of GSTT host departments and other host employers.
5. To learn the work place duties of each work placement and make any
modifications (label cabinets, simplifies written instructions, etc.) necessary to
the successful completion of the job by the student who will interview for that
placement.
6. To teach the essential tasks/duties/core skills of the job to the student in
partnership with other staff as needed.
7. To reinforce employability skills learnt in class with the students. To support
students to understand protocols and interpret work culture. Ensure students
understand the health & safety in the work environment and adopt
appropriate workplace behaviour.
8. Meet with host managers and mentors regularly to discuss student progress,
to determine new skills for students to learn, and to solve any problems that
may have arisen.
9. To support the students to develop independence to enable students to carry
out each work placement to their own and the manager’s satisfaction.
Encourage the students to develop their own coping strategies thus reducing
the need for external support.
10. To monitor and record the students’ progress in their work placements with
department managers and mentors and give feedback to students.
11. To complete all necessary evaluations, reports and documentation as
required. Be responsible for the accurate and timely completion of contractual
paperwork including progress reports.
12. To teach and advise on employment skills, effective presentation skills,
interview skills and process (of host employer and other as appropriate) in
order for students to gain experience and knowledge to assist them in the
workplace.
13. To assist individuals to secure paid employment with the host or other
employers and to accompany candidates to interview where appropriate. To
undertake job finding for all students on the project both with them in their 1:1
sessions and on your own when in the office.
14. To help individuals access information they may need to make informed
choices regarding their futures and to liaise with Disability Employment
Advisors at Jobcentre Plus, Disability Services teams, Social Workers,
families and other organisations in order to maintain an effective support
network for the young person before, during and after the project has been
completed.
15. To provide an ongoing monitoring service for those individuals employed with
the host employer and encourage the continuing development of the young
person in the workplace and in terms of their long-term career goals.
16. To work with the Project Manager and Projects Director to identify potential
new host employers within the locality and to assist with making
presentations to them
17. To work with the Project Manager and Projects Director at CareTrade to give
presentations and provide occasional training to employers or agencies as
requested.
GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. To complete all staff induction and training programmes as requested. These
may include host employer and work-related training and induction
programmes, autism awareness and health & safety training.
2. To work in close collaboration with the TAP@GSTT team and with other host
employer staff and project partners as required.
3. To attend all staff meetings and participate in staff development as required.
4. To report to Line Manager and inform colleagues when late or absent.
5. Promote a positive image of autism, the project, project partners and
organisations and CareTrade.
6. Co-operate with all CareTrade staff in maintaining good relationships with
outside agencies and the general public in order to promote the charity and
win increased support for its work.
7. Co-operate with all CareTrade and project staff in maintaining harmonious
inter-personal relationships. Ensure that your conduct within and outside of
your work place does not conflict with professional expectations.
8. Ensure an awareness and observation of fire and health & safety regulations
at the workplace.
9. Ensure the respect, dignity and rights to privacy of both students and staff as
far as possible.
10. Carry out any duties as are within the scope, spirit and purpose of the job
and the title of the post, as required by your Line Manager or his/her next
higher level of authority.
The job description reflects the present requirements of the post .You will be
expected to carry out other activities that are within the scope of the role. As
duties and responsibilities change and develop the job description will be
reviewed and be subject to amendment in consultation with the post holder.
3 CONFIDENTIALITY:
Maintain confidentiality for all areas of the CareTrade Charitable Trust, GSTT or any
other partner’s organisations, its staff and its work. The nature of the work entrusts
people with confidential information about clients/service users, their families and
staff within CareTrade and partner organisations. No personal information (including
photographs) about services users and their families or carers should be discussed
at any time on social network sites unless discussed with a senior member of staff
and consent being sought from the individual in question. Any breach of this
confidentiality will constitute gross misconduct.
EMPLOYEE SPECIFICATION
Employment Opportunities Coordinator
An E or D indicates the essential and desirable characteristics of the post holder
Qualifications
Teaching or training qualification
E.g. City and Guilds 730
Or
7307 Adult Further Education
Qualified to degree level
Knowledge
Autism and Asperger Syndrome
Learning Disabilities/Disability issues
Assessments procedures in respect of
Skills and needs of people with disabilities
Employment issues for people with disabilities
Equalities Act
Recruitment and selection
E
E
D
E
D
E
D
D
Skills
Excellent planning and organising skills
Ability to empathise and advocate for the
needs of people with learning difficulties
Negotiating
Ability to enable/empower others to
meet their maximum potential
Ability to motivate others
Counselling
Leadership skills including: Enthusiasm, ability to teach others - in a
systematic way and using different
teaching methods / approaches
Ability to work independently and using
own initiative
Work Experience
Managing own workload
Team working
Experience of working with
people with disabilities
Experience of teaching or training
e.g. facilitating life, social and
E
E
E
E
E
D
E
E
E
E
E
communication skills
Working with people with autism
(paid or unpaid)
Challenging behaviour
Supported Employment/Work/College
placements for people with learning disabilities
Working as part of multi-disciplinary team
Liaising with organisations
Personal Qualities
Self-motivation
Tactful and diplomatic
Possess considerable patience
Assertive
Flexible approach to needs of client
and job
Effective communicator
Creative in responding to needs of
Clients
Good interpersonal skills
Loyalty and commitment
Committed to Equal Opportunities
Committed to ongoing personal training
and development
Committed to NVQ (through IIP)
Health and Attendance
Ongoing good health and attendance
E
D
D
D
D
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
D/E
EMPLOYEE SPECIFICATION
Employment Opportunities Coordinator
Working conditions of this post are indicated below:
TRAVEL:
The post is mostly based at CareTrade offices in Lambeth North and Guy’s & St.
Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. Travel to other sites within London may be required
to facilitate travel training and to visit and liaise with potential employers from time to
time.
HOURS:
This post is 37.5 hours a week - 8.30am to 5:00pm M-F (allowing one hour for lunch).
Candidates must be willing to be a little flexible to facilitate student parent meetings
and occasional presentations in the early evening. Time may be taken in lieu for
unsocial hours worked.
HOLIDAYS:
5 weeks holiday a year plus Bank Holidays. All holiday must be taken in consultation
with the TAP Project Manager. No more than one member of the team should be on
leave during term time. No leave to be taken during ‘peak’ times and up to two of the
five weeks to be taken during closures. Leave can be carried over to following year at
the discretion of the Projects Director.
REMUNERATION:
The salary is £27,000 Including Inner London Weighting plus 4.5% pension
contribution payable after the successful completion of a 6 month probationary
period
WORKING ENVIRONMENT:
Office, classroom and in various departments at Guy’s & St. Thomas’ Hospital NHS
Foundation Trust and within local businesses.
PRESSURES INHERENT IN JOB:
Matching students to suitable placements. Meeting targets for work experience
placements and paid employment. Dealing with young people with autism and
Asperger Syndrome; many of whom display complex behaviours including
communication and social difficulties.
OTHER SIGNIFICANT FACTORS:
A professional and flexible approach is required in order to maintain and enhance the
reputation of the project and of all the partner organisations of the Project.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
All staff will be subject to DBS check (formerly CRB check) and any other recruitment
requirements determined by GSTT within their recruitment, training and development
policies (available on request).