Progression Coach

Job description

About

Are you passionate about making a difference and helping others?

Would you like to work in a role that puts the customer at the heart of everything we do, making a genuine positive impact?

Then consider the role of a Progression Coach at Reed in Partnership!

This role is office based, but will involve travel across Norfolk & Suffolk.

Who we are:

Reed's Employability Division aims to positively transform lives by helping individuals who are unemployed, economically inactive, or facing challenges such as health conditions, disabilities, or caring responsibilities to find sustainable employment. Through a wide range of tailored support services including one-to-one careers guidance, CV writing, interview preparation, and skills training, we have supported over 250,000 people on their journey into work.

The new Confident Futures programme, funded by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), is designed to support Universal Credit claimants with long-term health conditions. It is a voluntary programme focused on helping participants move closer to work by improving confident, wellbeing, skills, stability and readiness for work.

What is the role about?

A Progression Coach is responsible for the attraction, registration and progression of Participants to achieve placements. A Progression Coach will use a variety of techniques including effective diagnosis, individual coaching and training, action planning and Health & Wellbeing Support to provide intensive personal support to a caseload of up to 25 Participants. Progression Coaches will deliver our services both in fixed Reed in Partnership locations, co-location sites and where appropriate within community venues, to ensure our services are accessible to all.

Just some of your day-to-day responsibilities will include:

Attraction & Enlisting

Pitches and sells Reed in Partnership as the partner of choice in Welfare to Work.

Develops own knowledge of Reed in Partnership and the relevant programme in order to enlist Participants.

Builds and maintains relationships with the Job Centre Plus and other relevant Partners through regular telephone contact, visits and newsletters as appropriate to ensure Participants are aware of our services and to allay any concerns they may have with accessing or utilising our services.

Engagement and Diagnosis

Provides a good customer service to Participants including meeting and greeting Participants in a professional way.

Explains our service offering (details of the programme) including ensuring the Participant understands their rights and responsibilities (e.g. complaints & feedback process), whilst registering the Participant in accordance to contractual obligations and eligibility criteria.

Ensure Initial Assessments focus on getting to know the participant, understanding their motivation for joining the programme (if voluntary participation) and exploration of their aspirations and needs.

Identifies and utilises various approaches where appropriate such as visionary goal setting, and applicable financial incentives to sell the benefits of the programme and to adequately diagnose first level barriers.

Participant Progression

Develops and manages Participants job goals using creative techniques and deep level questioning as necessary for the Participants needs, to assist with diagnosis and progression.

Motivates, encourages and empowers Participants, identifying barriers, realistic job goals and social training needs, referring as appropriate to relevant support functions

Collaborate with local and specialist partners to provide wraparound/holistic support that addresses multiple/complex barriers (e.g. finance, housing, caring responsibilities).

Engage with local employers to source suitable work experience/volunteering opportunities and support inclusive recruitment/job-carving.

Training Delivery

Engage and empower Learners whilst delivering training sessions, with the aim of progressing them to achieve sustainable employment.

Awareness of and ability to adapt to a diverse range of learners and their learning needs and styles.

Follow lesson plans and activity guidance provided.

In Work Support

Conducts into work meeting to ensure appropriate support is in place to support Participant to commence and sustain in work e.g. childcare. Agree preferred in-work support contact e.g. frequency and method, and in-work action plan.

Mentors the Participant through new employment, including providing support with general work issues finances and tax credits.

To be successful in this role, we are looking for someone with:

Experience of working in a customer facing environment, e.g. Customer Services Assistant, Retail Assistant

Practical experience of working directly with similar client groups. E.g. those with moderate to severe disabilities, mental health issues, severe barriers to work

Experience of working in a performance target driven environment. Examples of such experience may include working on a similar contract, being a Recruitment Consultant or experience of Business Development roles, sales targets in a retail business or call centre etc.

A minimum of 2 A-Levels or an equivalent Level 3 Diploma

GCSE English Language at a minimum of a Grade B (or equivalent Level 2 qualification). OR achievement of a Level 2 in Literacy Assessment at interview stage

Personal circumstances include willingness to travel locally (e.g. to meet Participants/Employers)

Willingness to work flexibly and ability to travel across a large region