Learning and Employment Manager (Alternative Provision)

Learning and Employment Manager (Alternative Provision)

This role is initially offered on a 3 to 6-month fixed-term contract, with a permanent role likely as the service grows.

LinkAble | Woking, Surrey
£35,000 FTE | £21,000 to £28,000 actual salary depending on hours
Part-time: 21 to 28 hours per week | 3 to 4 days

Make a real difference to young people with additional needs and be part of their development.

Are you passionate about helping children and young people with SEND to thrive and to successfully transition back in to full time eduation?

Do you have experience in education, SEND, employability, social care or a related field, along with the confidence to lead a team and develop personalised programmes of support?

LinkAble is looking for a Learning & Employment Manager to lead and develop our brand new Alternative Provision services in Woking. This is an exciting opportunity to shape services that help children, young people and young adults build confidence, develop skills and progress back into education and/or go on to independent living, volunteering and employment.

About LinkAble

LinkAble is a Woking-based charity supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people to create the life they want to live. Each year, we support more than 300 children, young people and adults through activities that build skills, confidence and lasting friendships.

About the role

You’ll take responsibility for two important areas of our work:

EOTAS (Education Other Than at School)
Providing personalised, short-term 1-to-1 support for children and young people aged 5 to 16 who are unable to access school-based education, helping them prepare for a successful transition back to school.

Livability Plus
Supporting young people aged 16+ to develop social confidence, lifeskills and employability skills, while creating pathways into volunteering, further education and employment.

This is a varied management role combining service leadership, programme development, people management, partnership working and quality assurance. You’ll also be part of LinkAble’s Management Team, giving you the opportunity to contribute to the wider development of the charity.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll:

• Lead the day-to-day delivery and development of our EOTAS and Livability Plus services
• Assess individual needs and create personalised, outcome-focused support plans
• Develop engaging learning, employability and progression programmes
• Support young people towards education, training, volunteering, community participation and employment
• Respond to referrals and work closely with local authorities, schools, families and other professionals
• Recruit, supervise and develop staff and sessional workers
• Monitor outcomes, attendance, quality and service performance
• Manage individual support packages, budgets and commissioned services
• Build relationships with employers to create work experience and employment opportunities
• Ensure high standards of safeguarding, risk management and health and safety
• Identify opportunities to grow and improve our Alternative Provision services.

About you

We’re looking for someone who has:

• Experience supporting children, young people or young adults with SEND, learning disabilities and/or autism
• Experience within education, health, employability, social care or a related field
• Experience of assessing needs and developing personalised support plans
• Experience managing or supervising staff, volunteers or teams
• Confidence working with families, professionals and external agencies
• Experience planning creative, engaging and outcome-focused activities or learning programmes
• A good understanding of safeguarding, risk assessment and person-centred practice
• Strong leadership, organisational and communication skills
• The confidence to build relationships with employers and identify opportunities for young people
• A creative, practical and solution-focused approach
• A genuine commitment to inclusion and empowering young people to achieve their potential.

A relevant teaching/TA, SEND or health or social care qualification would be advantageous. Experience of EOTAS, employment support, commissioned services or autism-specific approaches such as Makaton, Attention Autism, Intensive Interaction, PDA-informed practice or Positive Behaviour Support would also be welcomed.

What we offer

This is a fantastic opportunity to shape and develop an innovative Alternative Provision service within a respected local charity.

You’ll benefit from:

• £35,000 FTE salary, with an actual salary of £21,000 to £28,000 depending on contracted hours
• Part-time hours, 21 to 28 hours per week over 3 to 4 days
• Flexible working arrangements
• Significant scope for professional development and career progression
• Investment in specialist training, which may include Makaton, Attention Autism, Intensive Interaction, PDA-informed practice and other specialist support
• The opportunity to play an active role in LinkAble’s Management Team
• Most importantly, the chance to make a genuine difference to the lives of children and young people with additional needs.

Hours and location

The Link, 2 Board School Road, Woking, Surrey, GU21 5HE

21 to 28 hours per week, 3 to 4 days

Working hours are usually weekdays, 9.30am to 3.30pm, with some flexibility required to meet the needs of the service.

Interested?

If you’re looking for a role where you can combine your experience of SEND, education or employability with leadership and service development, we’d love to hear from you.

Apply today and help us create opportunities for children and young people to build skills, confidence, independence and brighter futures.

LinkAble is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. Frontline staff will be supported to obtain an enhanced DBS check and are expected to comply with organisational safeguarding policies and procedures.

Pay: £35,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company events
• Company pension
• Employee discount
• Free parking
• On-site parking
• Sick pay
• Store discount

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Woking GU21 5HE: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Application question(s):

• This is initially a 3 to 6-month fixed-term contract, with the potential to become permanent as the service develops. Are you comfortable applying on this basis?
• Please briefly describe your experience of working with young people with SEND or additional needs.
• How many years of experience do you have working within education, SEND, health, social care, employability or a related service?
• Do you have experience assessing individual needs and developing personalised support, learning or progression plans?

Work Location: In person