News and Views

Introduction

Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership (CLEP) has developed ‘Restart, Reboot, Rethink – A Plan for Cumbria’s Economic Recovery’, an ambitious strategy to ensure that Cumbria recovers from the economic impacts of COVID-19.

However, Restart, Reboot, Rethink is about more than just recovering it is about creating a stronger, more resilient economy, which provides opportunity for all. People are therefore at the heart of this, particularly our young people, who are critically important to our economic future. We want all of our young people to have the best career opportunities and to be equipped to secure these – that’s where our Career Hub comes in.

The Cumbria Careers Hub plays a central role in helping us to deliver on this ambition, bringing together an innovative partnership of schools, Colleges and employers to develop world class careers education for young people across Cumbria.

The Hub is supported by the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC), which provides a wide range of support and expertise to enable the Careers Hub to drive innovation across the partnership. This partnership approach across the Hub has resulted in significant innovation and strong performance, with the Cumbria Careers Hub being regarded as one of the best performing in the country. However, we remain ambitious and now is the time for the Careers Hub to go even further in supporting our young people to make the right choice in the most challenging of times.

Purpose

The post holder will provide visible leadership to the Cumbria Careers Hub making sure that it remains high performing and continues to develop, providing a strong link between education and business. The Careers Hub Manager will be responsible for:

• Leading and developing the Cumbria Careers Hub and Enterprise Advisor Network
• Developing and implementing a delivery plan for the Careers Hub Community of Practice to deliver improvements against the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks
• Creating a sustainable and replicable approach to the implementation of the Gatsby Benchmarks, which can be applied at scale
• Establishing and maintaining effective relationships with Headteachers, Principals and senior leaders across the Cumbria skills system
• Actively engaging employers and wider education business link organisations to support young people (in hub schools, colleges and beyond) to explore career opportunities
• Effectively performance managing the Careers Hub to drive continuous improvement and learn from best practice
• Building capacity within and between the Hub, schools and colleges to deliver consistent, comprehensive and high-quality career guidance for all students, supporting and challenging hub schools and colleges to meet the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Careers guidance.

Specifically, the Careers Hub Manager will:

• Work with the CLEP Head of Skills to embed Hub plans and activity within CLEP People, Employment and Skills Strategy Group priorities and work programme.
• Establish and manage a Careers Hub Strategy Group to deliver agreed targets and partnership priorities
• Secure the growth and successful development of the Careers Hub in accordance with The Careers & Enterprise Company’s Implementation Plan, following the principles of ‘engage, inform and develop good practice’.
• Establish a collective network of Careers Leaders in each Hub school and college, building an effective community of practice with foundations in collaboration and professional development to build capacity in the provision of careers guidance
• Establish an effective working partnership with the Careers and Enterprise Company, including the Regional Lead
• Support schools and colleges in the Hub to meet the requirements of the Department for Education’s statutory guidance and colleges guidance
• Direct the work of Enterprise Coordinators working in the Careers Hub to ensure that they are providing an effective link between business and education
• Provide continued learning and development for the Enterprise Coordinators and Enterprise Advisers
• Establish an effective reporting structure for the Hub. Analyse progress data, identify trends and patterns and share this intelligence across CLEP Governance structures and the Hub
• Develop plans for the use of Central Hub and Sustainability Fund and maintain accurate records
• Ensure that every Hub school and college is matched to an Enterprise Adviser, who is empowered to support the school/college to develop meaningful employer encounters
• Establish and deliver an effective programme of events and communication highlighting Hub priorities and successes
• Attend Careers Hub national and local training events and meetings
• Keep up to date with relevant national reports, policy and legislation relating to economic development, skills and careers guidance.

Person Specification

• Qualified to degree level or equivalent in a relevant subject
• An understanding of the role and activity of the Local Enterprise Partnership and an ability to work effectively within that context.
• An up to date knowledge of the careers education and economic landscapes, locally and nationally.
• Highly effective relationship manager, capable of building strong and effective relationships with senior leaders from both education and business.
• A demonstrable understanding of school culture and the challenges faced by schools in delivering careers and enterprise.
• Demonstrable experience of leading the delivery of programmes or projects with multiple stakeholders to time and budget and managing and mitigating risks.
• An effective and experienced people manager committed to team and personal development
• Strong programme management skills, well versed in producing performance reports targeted to a range of audiences and formats.
• Experience of managing volunteers, preferred.

Equality Statement

CLEP is committed to representing the communities that we serve and creating a diverse and inclusive workforce, which allows people to succeed on merit. CLEP aims to go beyond compliance with equality legislation. It aspires to be a champion of best practice in all aspects of equality, diversity and inclusion, and seeks to create an inclusive working where all are equally valued. We therefore welcome all candidates regardless of their sex or gender reassignment; marital status (including civil partnership); sexual orientation; race, language, ethnic or national origins and nationality (including citizenship); religious belief; disability and / or medical conditions; age; and whether they have dependents.

Terms and Conditions

Salary circa £50k. 25 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays. Contributory pension with up to 10% employer contribution.

Applications with CV and covering letter to be sent to info@thecumbrialep.co.uk by Friday 15 January 2021.