Programme Coordinator – Professional Pathways

Ark is an international charity, transforming lives through education. In the UK, we are a network of 38 schools, educating more than 24,000 pupils across Birmingham, Hastings, London and Portsmouth. These schools are all non-selective and in areas where they can make the biggest difference. We exist to give every young person, regardless of their background, a great education and real choices in life about their pathway through to university, apprenticeship or career.

The Professional Pathways Programme provides a high quality experience for students who are pursuing vocational and technical qualifications in our sixth forms. Teachers are trained to embed employer led curriculum projects into the design and delivery of Level 3 Business, Applied Science and IT qualifications, deliver a bespoke work readiness curriculum and engage in meaningful and informed discussions about apprenticeship and higher education options for their students. We are also experimenting with offering a transition year programme for students who have not passed their English and Maths in Year 11 and providing a dedicated coaching programme to students across our sixth forms who are considering applying for Higher and Degree Apprenticeships with top employers.

The Professional Pathways programme started with an initial cohort of 35 students in September 2015 and now works directly with over 400 students across Ark sixth forms. The Programme Coordinator will report in to the Professional Pathways Manager and work closely with the Programme Officer. The role will sit as part of the wider Pathways, Enrichment and Partnerships team at Ark.

About the Programme Coordinator Role

The Programme Coordinator is responsible for coordinating the logistics of student recruitment, termly student conferences and the Higher and Degree Apprenticeship mentoring programme. They will also be responsible for managing the data for our student and teacher databases to ensure that it informs our monitoring, evaluation and ultimately the improvement of the programme.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced coordinator who is keen to bring their passion for processes, systems and events to a rapidly expanding programme. We anticipate this role to become permanent if we can secure funding for further expansion.

Closing date: 12pm on Thursday 25 October
Start Date: As soon as available
Location: Holborn, London
Salary: £22,000-£26,000 depending on experience + 11% employer contribution to pension
Interviews: First round interviews will take place on Wednesday 31 October

For a full job description and to apply with a CV and cover letter, visit our online recruitment portal here.

Ark is committed to safeguarding children and young people; successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.

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Job Description

Student Recruitment

• Collate Ark Year 11 student data to identify target groups for recruitment
• Coordinate logistics for in school recruitment support including diarising assemblies, workshops and parents’ evening slots for Professional Pathways involvement
• Support with the design of recruitment and cultivation resources and events to engage different audiences including Ark students, external Year 11 students and parents
• Ensure that Ark wide recruitment systems include relevant information about Professional Pathways courses
• Support at recruitment events or workshops where appropriate/necessary

Work Readiness and Student Conferences/Events

• Print and courier work readiness resources to schools and students on a termly basis
• Develop an annual calendar of student conferences and events to share with key stakeholders
• Lead on all event administration including organising coaches or train travel for schools outside of London, printing materials, organising catering and liaising with venues to discuss set up requirements
• Coordinate student registration for events including sign up and registration on the day
• Communicate final logistics with students and teachers including developing standardised risk assessments to support in school health and safety and safeguarding processes
• Process and log invoices, expenses and event expenditure
• Act as the first point of contact for all queries from students, teachers and volunteers

Access to Apprenticeships Programme

• Create marketing materials to promote the programme with teachers and students
• Develop processes to manage student applications and registration for specific events
• Coordinate logistics for student and employer insight and mentoring sessions including liaising with venues about catering, set up requirements, risk assessments and communication of final details with all stakeholders
• Collate information about apprenticeship application deadlines and share with schools and teachers to prompt student applications
• Liaise with partners to recruit and (where appropriate) DBS check any volunteers for support programmes
• Act as the first point of contact for all queries from students, teachers and mentors

Programme Monitoring and Evaluation

• Develop systems to store and monitor relevant and up to date data about Professional Pathways students and teachers including downloading relevant data from Ark’s management information systems around:
• Maintain accurate contact and (where appropriate) emergency contact details for students
• Coordinate the collection and presentation of systematic feedback from students, teachers and employers about the quality and impact of the programme
• Ensure that any students who drop out of the programme are supported to provide detailed feedback on their experiences
• Ensure that data is stored securely and in line with Ark’s GDPR regulations – ensure there is a process in place for archiving data effectively at the appropriate times

The successful candidate will have:

• Passion for the ability of technical and vocational education to support social mobility aims
• Experience of developing and managing databases and surveys to support monitoring and evaluation activities
• Experience of supporting with event logistics
• Excellent written communication and interpersonal skills
• Comprehensive IT skills, particularly in working with MS Office and cloud-based storage

Desirable

• Experience of designing recruitment materials
• Experience of delivering workshops for 14-19 year olds
• Experience of working with business or industry volunteers

Personal characteristics

• Positive and motivated, action oriented style
• Ability to work methodically/multi-task, thrives in a fast paced environment
• Ability to manage workload/prioritise time effectively
• Committed to delivering consistently high quality work
• Reflective and emotionally literate
• Professional integrity and resilience
• Highly collaborative and flexible

Other requirements

• Must have right to work in the UK
• This role is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check