Main Duties

The Employability Advisor will be responsible to Regional Co-Ordinator and will work as a member of OPFS Lanarkshire Employability Service, to provide employability support for single parents and young parents facing additional barriers to engaging with services, entering suitable employment, education, and training opportunities through one-to-one meetings and group work sessions.

Specific Duties

• Case Management: Work with single parents facing additional barriers, to access employability support by using case management methods, to provide a continuum of consistent support through each client’s journey of the Making Employability Works for Single Parents Employability Pathway and progress into suitable and sustainable employment.
• Barriers: Support clients to identify their presenting barriers to enter suitable employment, education and training opportunities and work with single parents to address those barriers.
• Initial Support: Enable single parents to identify their future goals, assess motivation, develop personal action plans, and support client’s access to suitable employability activities.
• Liaison: Build links with agencies, projects, organisations, and groups across the local authority area, to identify eligible young parents who would benefit from participating in a scheduled programme of employability support, that will enable them to access suitable employment, education, and training opportunities.
• Outreach & Engagement: Undertake activities to actively reach out to, and engage with, eligible single parents; supporting clients to build their confidence and develop their knowledge and awareness of the support and services available to them through OPFS’s Making Employability Work for Single Parents Employability Service.
• Work/Vocational Activities & Training: Co-ordinate and deliver a range of employability activities to single parents in 1-2-1 and group settings to enable parents facing additional barriers to employment to develop their knowledge, awareness and understanding of early work preparation, C.V development and core skills, helping to increase participants access to available employment, training, and education opportunities.
• Job Matching: Provide employability support to help single parents to become job ready through the provision of activities that focus on; active job searching, completing application forms, attending interviews and make informed decisions to secure and sustain suitable employment.
• In Work Support: Provide single parents facing additional barriers to sustain their employment role with continued support on entering employment and help single parents to progress within their working role.
• Signposting and Referral: Ensure that young parents gain access to the services and resources that will help to address their needs and support their progression along OPFS Making Employability Work for Single Parents Employability Service.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Ensure effective recording, monitoring and evaluation procedures are collated and produced on a regular monthly basis.
• Reporting, targets, and outcomes: Ensure project outcomes and targets are met in-line with funding application and submit comprehensive reports to the Services Manager on all areas of the work you are responsible for.
• Other relevant duties: Carrying out any other relevant duties related to the above.

The job description is a broad picture of the post at the time of preparation. It is not an exhaustive list of all duties, and it is recognised that jobs change and evolve over time.

Personal Specifications

Essential

1. Qualification: A relevant professional qualification or a good standard of education equivalent to HNC/HND, SVQ3 /4 or equivalent experience related to this area of work.
2. Experience of working in the employability support field.
3. Experience of group work: candidates should preferably have had experience of running groups and understand potential group work issues.
4. Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
5. Excellent IT skills.
6. Commitment to professional development.
7. Flexibility to meet the needs of the services.
8. Driving license and use of a vehicle.

Desirable:

1. Experience of working with single parents: Prior experience of work with families headed by a single parent in a voluntary sector or statutory context.

Terms & Conditions

1. Period of appointment: The post is funded until 31st March 2025. Confirmation of appointment will be dependent on completion of a satisfactory three-month probation period, satisfactory reference, and Disclosure checks.
2. Salary: OPFS salary scale points 13-17: £23,915 to £29,230 per annum (Appointments will be made at a point reflective of previous experience).
3. Hours of work: up to 35 hours weekly with flexibility to meet the needs of clients. Part time hours also considered
4. Holidays: Annual leave entitlement is 25 days and 12 Public holidays, pro rata for part time hours
5. Pension: You will be auto enrolled from your start date. OPFS pays 7% of your salary and you pay a minimum of 3%.
6. Training, support, and supervision: OPFS is committed to the development of its staff through internal training and access to external training. We also have an annual staff appraisal system in place and all staff receive regular monthly support and supervision from their manager.
7. Equal Opportunities and Family Friendly Employment: OPFS aims to be an equal opportunity and family friendly employer. We have Investors in People status and Living Wage accreditation.

If you are interested in working with One Parent Families Scotland, please download an application from our website opfs.org.uk and email your completed application form to jobs@opfs.org.uk

Please contact info@opfs.org.uk 0131 556 3899 if you require a paper application form.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Linda Pople, Services Manager on 07789 995214 or email Linda.pople@opfs.org.uk

Applications for this vacancy will close on Thursday 18th April at 12 noon.