Job Summary
Job Title: Early Careers Manager
Location: Hybrid one day a week in our Burntwood head office
Reports To: Head of People Development
Salary: Up to £45, DOE
About the role
We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Early Careers Manager to oversee career pathways within our nurseries, support the development of apprenticeship qualifications, promote the early years careers agenda, support career mobility for our staff, and manage apprenticeship forecasting. The successful candidate will be passionate about early childhood education, possess strong leadership skills, and have a proven track record in career development, training, and apprenticeships.
About Busy Bees and our culture
Established in we are now not only the largest but also the leading provider of childcare in the UK and the fourth largest provider in the world with almost Centre's globally in 10 countries!
Working at Busy Bees offers several benefits, including competitive pay, flexible scheduling, opportunities for professional development and advancement. We also offer a supportive and collaborative work environment where you can learn from experienced colleagues and make meaningful connections here
About the Benefits
1. Sector leading Family Leave.
2. Big Benefits. Dedicated 24/7 employee benefits platform
3. Childcare discounts.
4. 33 days holiday including bank holidays and your birthday off.
5. Health and Wellbeing - Employee Assistance Program and our Peppy and Mental Health Apps
6. Further Training and development.
Key Responsibilities
1. Career Pathways Development:
7. Design and implement clear career progression frameworks within the nurseries and within our National Support Centre.
8. Identify and create opportunities for team members to advance their careers within the organisation.
9. Develop and maintain a comprehensive understanding of the skills and competencies required for various roles.
10. Provide and create supplementary development opportunities to support learners through coaching, mentoring and buddying networks.
2. Apprenticeship Qualifications Support:
11. Collaborate with training providers to develop best in class apprenticeship programmes for nurseries and Busy Bees National Support Centre.
12. Ensure apprenticeship programmes and enrolment criteria meet industry standards, regulatory requirements and fully embody the Early Years curriculum within Busy Bees.
13. Manage training providers in line with agreed SLAs, working to resolve challenges, drive achievement rates and provide the internal supporting infrastructure for apprenticeship programmes to run successfully.
3. Promotion of Early Years Careers Agenda:
14. Advocate for the early years career sector at industry events and forums; championing the career possibilities and responding to central government reviews of the sector on careers and apprenticeships.
15. Identify strategies and approaches that will set the Busy Bees apprenticeship and career development offer apart in the sector.
16. Work in partnership with recruitment teams to support external campaigns as required.
4. Career Mobility Support:
17. Working alongside the Talent Acquisition team, support talent pools to identify opportunities to progress and develop internally.
18. In collaboration with the wider People Development team, develop and implement training programmes that support skill development and career advancement.
19. Provide career guidance tools and resources for team members to help them achieve their professional goals.
5. Apprenticeship Forecasting:
20. Conduct forecasting and planning to anticipate future apprenticeship needs and align apprenticeship standards accordingly.
21. Analyse current pass rate, break in learning and drop out trends and project future requirements to ensure a robust pipeline of qualified early years professionals is in place.
22. Develop and implement strategies to address gaps in qualified early years professionals to ensure the sustainability of the early years’ workforce.
Key skills and experience
23. Experience in career development, HR, or a related field, preferably within the early years sector.
24. Strong knowledge of apprenticeship programmes and career pathway development.
25. Excellent communication and leadership skills.
26. Proven ability to develop and implement effective career development programmes.
27. Passion for early years education and a commitment to professional development.