Job overview

Telford & Wrekin Council is a great place to work, where colleagues are valued and ambition is embraced.

We absolutely know our colleagues are the council’s greatest and most valuable asset, so we do our best to invest in the workforce, promoting and nurturing development whenever we can.

This means having the right people, with the right skills, in the right roles so we can get on with delivering the excellent services that residents and businesses in the borough expect from us.

And because we have a culture of innovation, every employee is encouraged and empowered to bring fresh ideas to the table.

It’s because our employees are at the heart of the council that we work hard to attract, train and retain the very best people. We do this by providing clear career pathways, with support and development to make sure we encourage, grow and make best use of the talent and skills that we have.

Role

We are looking to recruit Employment Specialists to start as soon as possible. These roles will work within the Job Box team to provide supported employment as part of the Connect to Work program.

This is an exciting time to join the Job Box team at the beginning of a new project, and this is an opportunity to be part of building and developing new provision that will really make a difference for local people.

What is Connect to Work?

Connect to Work is a new government initiative designed to support adults that have disabilities, health conditions, or complex needs, to move into sustained employment. Supported employment is a key feature of this new service, which involves a customer working with an Employment Specialist (ES) who will help them to understand their current, knowledge, skills and experience alongside understanding their aims and ambitions. The ES would then work with the customers to find suitable job roles through a range of strategies including engaging directly with employers. Once suitable work is found the ES may be responsible for coaching the customer in how to undertake the duties and tasks involved, and provide other ongoing support, both to the customer and the employer.
For further information about Connect to Work click this link: https://www.gov.uk/

Responsibilities

This role is about working with people who need additional support to engage with and access the world of work. This role is a customer facing (face to face, not remote or home working) role managing a caseload of up to 25 customers who will be at varying stages of their journey into paid work. You will use the place and train model of supported employment and its associated approaches to identify need and progress people into work.

Training will be provided, so we don’t need you to have prior experience of using the place and train model, however any experience in a similar role or area of work would be an advantage. What is absolutely essential is a commitment to equality of opportunity for everyone, and a belief that the right job can be found for each person.

The person

This role will suit a person who is enthusiastic, resilient, patient, supportive and outcome focussed. You will spend a lot of your day working directly with your caseload of customers and talking directly to employers to find suitable work placement opportunities.

Engaging with employers to generate employment outcomes is a key aspect of the role. You will need to be adaptable and able to communicate at a variety of levels to promote the program and individuals to employers, tapping into hidden vacancies, supporting employers with reasonable adjustments and job carving. You may be required to challenge discrimination and advocate on behalf of the customer.