24175 - North Midlands - Learning & Skills Development Manager

£40,690 - £48,831
1
12 Months
East Midlands, West Midlands
Oakham
HM Prison Stocken, LE15 7RD
SEO
Band 8
Permanent
Full Time
Education and Training

Overview of the job

This is a functional management job in an establishment.

Summary

The job holder provides a strategic focus on education, learning, skills and qualifications in all areas of activity within the establishment, with an emphasis on employability, maximising offenders’ opportunities to access employment, education and training whilst in custody and on release.

This is a non-operational job.

Responsibilities,Activities and Duties

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

  • Accountable for educational outcomes.
  • Accountable for planning, implementation, quality assurance and development of all learning, skills and employability provision within the establishment.
  • Accountable for the contract management of all providers of services for Learning, Skills & Employment activities, ensuring that quality assurance meet the standards of Ofsted and are agreed with the SFA, Education provider and Advice and Guidance Agency.
  • Accountable for the integration and sequencing of all education, learning, skills and employment provision across establishment and that it is aligned within Offender Management arrangements.
  • Responsible for ensuring all offenders receive comprehensive advice and guidance. This will form the basis of the learning plan to inform sentence planning and sequencing activity (services can be procured).
  • Work in partnership with prison industries, gym and local private enterprise to make the prison places of meaningful work and learning and ensure workshops provide prisoners with the learning and skills required to compete for and achieve employment within the local labour market.
  • Responsible for the delivery of industries vocational training ensuring the screening assessment and referral processes that determine suitability of prisoners to access learning material and tutor to deliver required skills to achieve target qualification.
  • Work with other resettlement services, the risk management unit and other functions, to encourage offenders to continue their learning on release – ensuring that appropriate Offenders Pathways are arranged / notified prior to release.
  • Responsible for monitoring the Service Level Agreements (SLA) for education, library services and training providers operating within the establishment, to ensure that quality standards are achieved.
  • Accountable for ensuring that commercial activities (procurement of services) are underpinned by effective financial business rationale.  
  • Accountable for establishing a culture which encourages continuous quality improvement, flexibility and entrepreneurship to embrace change improvement and exploit new opportunities for interventions and work e.g. Learning and Skills Council.
  • Accountable for drawing in resources at establishment level including voluntary projects and funds to provide a range of appropriate activities to complement educational delivery for the benefit of learners to maximise employment activity for offenders.
  • Responsible for leading on the curriculum planning and development for all learning and skills activities and learning outcomes, taking into account Local Management Information and local labour market trends within the release pattern of the prison as well as the personal and social needs of the of the population to maximise employability and integrate with the rehabilitation model.
  • Establish and maintain networks and relationships with Public, Private and third sector organisations to build strategic partnerships that support delivery and resettlement opportunities. E.g. Jobcentres, Careers Service, colleges & universities.
  • Liaise with awarding bodies (i.e. QCA etc.) on development and implementation of appropriate qualifications.
  • Responsible for the delivery of a meeting structure that drives and agenda of continuous improvement, including chairing the Quality Improvement Group and Partnership/Stakeholder meetings.
  • Responsible for oversight at distance learning, further education and external providers.
  • Improve literacy levels across the establishment.
  • Develop and implement systems which recognise and cater to individual’s learning disabilities and difficulties.
  • Lead on Purposeful Activity, including the preparation of material for internal and OFSTED/HMIP requirements and act as OFSTED nominee for the establishment.
  • Contribute to prisoner reports including Assessment, Care in Custody & Teamwork (ACCT) reports and parole reports.

Undertake other management tasks including :

  • Promotes Prison Service policy in all activities and behaviours e.g. promotes diversity, decency, safety and reducing re-offending agendas.
  • Manage devolved budgets in accordance with the financial procedures outlined in the budget delegation.
  • Ensure that the function produces and analyses audit and establishment performance management information identifying variances and areas requiring improvements.
  • Accountable for all local and national policies relating to function, and ensure procedures implemented are compliant, including development of new policies.
  • Contribute to the development and delivery of the medium-to-long term strategic and business plan for the establishment, with overall responsibility for implementation within their function.
  • Attend relevant boards/meetings and actively contribute either as chair or team member.
  • Work collaboratively and provide constructive challenge to colleagues to ensure that their own and other functions are joined up and together contribute towards the overall delivery of the establishments performance.
  • Carries out investigations and administration in relation to incidents of potential discrimination and reports on findings.
  • Contribute to the establishment’s overall achievement of (SDIs) and standards and be accountable for the performance and delivery of targets relating to the Function.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.

Competencies  

All of the competencies in the HMPPS Competency and Qualities Framework are relevant to this group profile. For the purpose of selection the following competencies will be measured:

  • 2. Changing and Improving
  • 3. Making Effective Decisions
  • 4. Leading and Communicating
  • 5. Collaborating and Partnering
  • 7. Achieving Commercial Outcomes
  • 9. Managing a Quality Service
  • 14. Persuading and Influencing

Essential Skills/Qualifications/Accreditation/Registration

Qualifications: Level 2 English and Maths.

Educated to minimum level 5 or equivalent.

Significant experience at management level in educational setting.

When transferring to a Young Persons establishment the job holder will be required to successfully undertake an assessment to demonstrate suitability to work with Young People.

An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales) Welsh.

Hours of Work and Allowances

37 hour working week

The job holder must be able to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English or (when specified in Wales) Welsh.

Working Arrangements & Further Information

Some of MoJ’s, including HMPPS, terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

Standard working hours for this post are 37 hours per week excluding breaks which are unpaid.

If you are a current NPS employee, this vacancy may be available on a Loan basis for up to 2 years. Applications are invited from suitable qualified staff.

The Loan/Secondment is subject to the approval of the selected candidate's Business Unit, which should be obtained before confirmation of appointment.

Benefits

Annual Leave

-The holiday year runs from 1 March. If you work a non standard work pattern your leave entitlement may be expressed in either hours or days as appropriate. Leave entitlement is calculated on a pro-rata basis and you will be advised of your actual entitlement on appointment. If you were appointed internally and your leave was previously calculated in days, this will continue to be the case.

Bank, Public and Privilege Holidays

-You are entitled to 9 days (66 hours 36 minutes) in recognition of bank, public and privilege holidays. These hours are added to your annual leave allowance. There is a requirement to work some public and bank holidays subject to your shift pattern and the operational needs of the establishment

Pension

-The Civil Service offers a choice of two pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Work Life Balance

-HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) is keen to encourage alternative working arrangements. Work life balance provides greater opportunities for staff to work more flexibly wherever managers and establishments can accommodate requests to do so. HMPPS offers flexible working subject to completion of a satisfactory probationary period and NVQ

Season Ticket Advance

-After two months’ service, you’ll be eligible to apply for a season ticket advance to purchase a quarterly or longer-period season ticket for travel between home and your place of work

Childcare Vouchers

-HMPPS offers a childcare vouchers scheme. The scheme enables staff to take part of their salary in the form of Childcare Vouchers. This is known as a Salary Sacrifice. The vouchers can then be used to help meet the costs of any form of registered or approved childcare for children aged 0-16. The vouchers are exempt from tax and National Insurance contributions

Training

-HMPPS is committed to staff development and offers a range of training and development opportunities, including areas such as Equality and Diversity, Dealing with Challenging Behaviour, Suicide Prevention and Anti Bullying Programmes

-There are opportunities to access promotion programmes and HMPPS provide a variety of training appropriate to individual posts

-All staff receive security and diversity training and an individual induction programme into their new roles

Eligibility

-All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up post

-All external candidates are subject to 6 months probation. Internal candidates are subject to probation if they have not already served a probationary period within HMPPS

-All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of a group or organisation which HMPPS considers to be racist

 

 

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity.

There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Expected End Feb/early March 19

20/02/2019, 23:55 hours.


Closing Date: 20th February 2019 at 23:55 hours


If you require any assistance please call 0845 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@sscl.gse.gov.uk. Please quote job reference.

Candidate Information

You may be required to provide statements describing your skills and experience relevant to each of the selection criteria. We recommend that you structure any examples as Situation, Task, Action and Result. For more information about the recruitment process and answers to general queries, please click the below link which will direct you to our Candidate Information Page.

Link: https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

In the event of a large number of applications, we reserve the right to undertake the following processes:


  • An automated online test where a benchmark must be passed to progress;
  • A sift on the lead selection criteria. If this happens, the lead criteria will be the first one listed in the advert.

During the selection process, you may be asked to undertake an additional assessment (such as written test). If this is applicable you will be notified of this when you are invited to interview.



if you feel that your application has not been treated in line with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance
Changing and Improving
Making Effective Decisions
Leading and Communicating
Collaborating and Partnering
Achieving Commercial Outcomes
Managing a Quality Service
Persuading and Influencing

Effectiveness in this area means listening to each other, using reason and cooperation to reach agreement. We must all seeks to understand others’ perspectives whilst following through on agreements. Those who work in establishments must take time to understand the prisoners’ point of view and encourage prisoners to understand own / establishment’s perspective. At a senior level it is about promoting a culture of open interaction and effective consultation across all levels of the organisation. It is about influencing and involving the right people necessary to get things done.

Qualifications: Level 2 English and Maths.
Educated to minimum level 5 or equivalent.
Significant experience at management level in educational setting.

We have provided detail of the assessment stages and areas being assessed to help you prepare for completing your application form, and to advise of what will be assessed following this, if you successfully pass the application stage.


Application form stage assessments

Interview stage assessments

There is 1 interview stage for this vacancy.

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit : https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ are committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ are able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidate's will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

· UK nationals

· nationals of the Republic of Ireland

· nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK

· nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families

· nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

· individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020

· Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

This Vacancy is closed to applications.