Job Title: Employer engagement officer

Responsible To: Careers Lead

Main Purpose:

The Employment Engagement Officer is a key member of the Supported Employment Team, supporting autistic students to gain access to a variety of employment opportunities including work experience and work placements. The post holder will be involved in identifying employers offering work placements and employment opportunities, which match the skills, experience and aspirations of autistic students, whilst also coordinating those placements. The post holder will also spend time job coaching students.

The Employer Engagement Officer will ensure that they continually identify and build relationships with employers providing support to both young people and professionals. The role will also include offering advice about employment for young adults with autism and ensuring that all activities are matched appropriately to their individual needs.

The post holder will also add additional value to the supported employment team helping to develop ways to support the student's personal development and transition to further education and employment.

Responsibilities:

Leadership:

To establish, develop and maintain an in-depth knowledge of local labor markets, issues affecting autistic people and to share with others within the team.
To actively participate in the careers program by raising employment awareness among the students and staff at Phoenix College.
To use initiative to follow up on employment leadsManagement:

To effectively seek out employers who are willing to provide work experience opportunities, which match student skills, experience and aspirations.
Support the student transition, where appropriate, from work placement to employment.
To effectively seek out employers who are willing to provide work experience opportunities, which match student skills, experience and aspirations.
To follow up on connections made with employers by the rest of the Supported Employment team at Phoenix College
To provide feedback to and from employers, local employment teams, managers and partner organisations supported by examples and identifies what needs to change.
Create accessible resources and reasonable adjustments for students at Phoenix CollegeNetworking:

Securing work placements for students at a large SEN College
To develop professional, long lasting and mutually beneficial relationships with employers.
To confidently, and professionally, promote the Phoenix College employability services, by representing the organisation at appropriate events and presenting aims and objectives to potential employersCoordination:

To follow up with the Careers Team's admin tasks
To ensure all employers complete a 'health check list' before students start work placements and, where necessary, chase the employers for documents needed on the 'health check list'Equal Opportunities:

To take responsibility, appropriate to the post for tackling unlawful discrimination amongst all groups in line with the Equality's Act 2010.
To Implement the college's Equal Opportunities Policy and actively working to overcome discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, disability, sexuality or statusWhen working with computerised systems to be completely aware of responsibilities at all times under the Data protection Act 1998 for the security, accuracy, and significance of personal data held on such systems.

Person Specification:

Experience:

Experience of working with autistic students
Experience of mentoring
Experience of building successful relationships with employers
Experience of using a network of stakeholders to create opportunities
Experience of working within supported employment
Experience of working in a variety of industrial/commercial environmentsSkills:

Exceptional networking skills
Excellent persuasion and negotiation skills
Excellent communication skills – both written and oral
Excellent organisational and self-motivation skills
Ability to problem solve and respond appropriately to a variety of situations
Ability to form positive relationships with a wide range of people
Ability to develop coaching / training plans and implement them
Ability to learn a variety of different jobs and tasks
Training in Systematic Instruction
Proficient at using Microsoft Office 365Attitude:

A positive attitude towards disability and an interest in changing peoples' personal circumstances for the better
Positive and passionate about working alongside people with a learning disability and the barriers they face to employment
Positive and passionate about the aims and objectives of this lovely College
Willingness to undertake all relevant training
Flexible approach to working practice to fit with employer led demandsKnowledge:

Knowledge of different types of reasonable adjustments
Knowledge of how to apply for Access to Work funding