The Orpheus Centre is a charity and college which supports young disabled adults aged 18-25 to learn essential life skills, gain formal qualifications and prepare for future employment.
There are currently 66 students with 21 living on site in Godstone, Surrey. Students come from across the UK and all have a love of the arts.
The overall aim is to equip the students with the skills they need to live as independently as possible and to pursue their chosen careers.
We are currently seeking a SEND Work Experience Coach to adopt a person-centred approach in order to support and mentor learners to progress towards their own personal employment and community inclusion goals. This will include motivating learners to achieve targets and providing continued in-work support throughout their programme into employment/training/education. There will be significant emphasis on supporting the learner’s journey in line with their aspirations.
You will be responsible for a small caseload of learners, implementing an individualised work experience programme with skills matching and development, problem solving and on the job training. You will utilise systematic instruction techniques to promote independence and mastery of specific work-related tasks.
You will be responsible for securing meaningful work experience with external employers as well as working closely with internal and external stakeholders to create and nurture opportunities for learners and support Orpheus with the arts centre.
You will engage and establish a trusting, collaborative relationship with employers, gaining insight about the needs of their organisation and providing support to develop bespoke job carved positions that are consistent with learners’ aspirations and vocational goals.
35 hours per week / 44 weeks per year
The post demands a high level of flexibility and ability to adapt to changes due to service needs
Salary: £25,000 per annum
Please note that this is a term time only contract for 44 weeks a year, 38 of which are term weeks, plus 6 weeks of training, planning, admin and alumni support to be worked as required by the organisation.
Excellent benefits including enhanced employer pension contributions, Employment Assistant Program (EAP), paid days off for dependants, bereavement leave, death in service, free staff lunches and training and development opportunities.
Essential qualifications, knowledge and experience:
* Level 2 English and math qualification
* Level 3 Certificate for Supported Employment Practitioners (or willingness to obtain within 2 years)
* Experience of working with disabled people and an understanding of equal opportunities and safeguarding practice
* A minimum of one years’ proven experience of working in an educational/care setting with adults
* Experience of record keeping and incident reporting
* Experience of managing own caseload
* An understanding of the potential challenges faced by disabled people when trying to gain external work experience and/or paid employment
* Ability to understand and work within relevant legislation, particularly around disability and employment
* Excellent written and spoken communication skills
* Ability to work well in a team and foster good relationships within a multi-disciplinary environment
* Excellent interpersonal skills that can be used to engage with a wide range of audiences
* Flexibility to cope with the varying demands of the role, managing time effectively to achieve the desired results
* Ablility to quickly identify problems and be proactive with solutions to resolve issues
* Good administration, IT and organisation skills
* Self-motivation, decision making skills
* Proactive self-starter with the ability to develop and maintain relationships with employers and other external stakeholders.
* A full driving licence is required
Experience working in further education with young adults with learning and/or physical disabilities is desirable.
Orpheus is committed to safeguarding and promotes the welfare of all service users. As part of our safer recruitment process and in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024, online searches will form part of this process. We are committed to the promotion of equal opportunities.
This post is classed as having a high degree of contact with vulnerable adults and is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. It is therefore subject to an Enhanced disclosure through the Disclosure Barring Service.
In order to be considered you must be eligible to work in the UK.
Click below for a full job description.
The Orpheus Centre is proud to be a disability confident employer.
We have made a positive commitment to employing disabled people. Reasonable adjustments will be made to the recruitment procedure as required in consultation with the applicant to ensure no-one is disadvantaged because of their disability. If a disabled person is selected for a position, reasonable adjustments will be made to the workplace, including premises and equipment, work duties and practices or policies, as appropriate. All disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role as set out in the role profile and person specification will be considered for interview.
As a Disability Confident Employer, we are:
* Challenging attitudes towards disability
* Increasing understanding of disability
* Removing barriers to disabled people and those with long-term health conditions
* Ensuring that disabled people have the opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspiration
Applications will be reviewed as we receive them and if a suitable candidate is identified, we reserve the right to close our advert sooner.
No agencies please.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident .