JD_TraineeCareersAdviser

							                              Careers Wales Gwent

                                  JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title:            Trainee Careers Adviser

Job Purpose:          To train to support individual career progression and effective
                      decision making, via the provision of careers information,
                      advice, guidance and personal support.

Context

Careers Wales Gwent provides a universal careers guidance service for people of all
ages, plus additional targeted support for those young people who may need extra
help to make a successful transition to work or further learning post-16. Careers
Advisers work within one of four teams who service different client groups:

Education Team

Provides careers information, advice and guidance to full-time students in :

-   Key Stages 3 and 4 and sixth form of secondary schools
-   Further Education/Tertiary colleges.

Adult Guidance Team

Provides careers information, advice and guidance to adults 19+, with priority given
to those who are:

-   economically inactive
-   under threat of redundancy
-   returners to the work force
-   new learners
-   low-skilled employed.

Additional Support Team

Provides careers information, advice and guidance and additional support to:

-   young people who have left full-time education and are seeking, or are not
    currently participating in, employment or work-based training
-   young people in pre-16 full-time education, who need extra help to make a
    successful transition to work, training or further learning post-16.

Special Needs Team

Provides careers information, advice and guidance to young people with special
educational needs in secondary and further education. Also provides additional
support to these clients to enable them to make an effective transition to work,
training or further learning post-16.




Dated 02/11/07
Line management

    Divisional Operations Managers          Business Manager          Business Manager –
             North & South                  – Adult Guidance          Social Inclusion



Youth Team          Youth Team               Adult Guidance             Special Needs Team
Managers -          Managers –               Team Leaders               Leader
Education           Additional Support
Team Leader
Education          Additional Support        Adult Guidance              Special Needs
Team Advisers      Advisers                  Advisers                    Advisers



Core Responsibilities/Duties:

All trainee advisers will learn to undertake the core duties described below but the
exact balance of activities, and related skills, varies dependant upon the nature of
services and the client group of the team to which you are assigned.

-   Identify and assess client needs.

-   Provide clients with information on occupations, education, training and
    employment opportunities and related information.

-   Plan and deliver group work sessions to develop clients’ career planning skills

-   Undertake one-to-one guidance interviews to help clients make informed
    decisions and plan a course of action

-   Produce written action plans to support client career planning and progression.

-   Help clients put career plans into action via on-going support

-   Refer clients to colleagues, other agencies and professionals and advocate on
    their behalf where required.

-   Work with partner organisations, other professionals, parents and carers to
    enable clients to overcome barriers and achieve career goals.

-   Monitor and review client progress.

-   Manage a personal case load.

-   Undertake associated administrative duties including the updating of client
    records and recording of statistical data.

-   Provide coaching and mentoring support to work colleagues.

-   Participate in company evaluation of service delivery.


Dated 02/11/07
-   Update own knowledge and skills to meet professional requirements.

-   You will undertake any other duties reasonably falling within the purview of the
    post.

Person Specification

Experience

Experience in a related professional field such as education, youth and community
work, social work, training, human resources, employment advice or counselling is an
advantage.


Qualifications

-   Educated to degree standard or equivalent

-   GCSE English/English Language at Grade C or above

-   Welsh Language skills desirable.

-   Clean driving licence and access to own transport

-   Possession of the Qualification in Careers Guidance (QCG) or other related
    vocational qualification is an advantage

On-Going Training Requirement

All trainee advisers will work towards the NVQ Level 4 in Advice and Guidance.

Skills and Competencies

Potential to:

-   Empathise and relate to people from a wide range of diverse backgrounds

-   Create and build relationships of trust and respect

-   Listen to people, explore their issues and needs, present and weigh up potential
    options, summarise and clarify next steps

-   Coach, mentor and motivate people to take action

-   Research, understand and interpret a wide range of information using different
    sources

-   Communicate effectively with clients and others, in both one-to-one and group
    situations including the ability to write in plain, clear, straightforward, correct
    English or Welsh.

-   Be flexible and innovative in problem solving, show initiative and be proactive

-   Work collaboratively with colleagues and other professionals

Dated 02/11/07
-   Network effectively with partner agencies

-   Plan, organise and manage own work load, prioritise time and meet deadlines

-   Perform basic IT tasks – word processing, use of client database, software and
    Internet.




Dated 02/11/07