Employability Practitioner

Holistic Assessments & Diagnostics

How to use a wide range of holistic assessments and diagnostics that take into consideration the whole person, not just employability related factors. For example, physical health, mental well-being and external factors such as housing, financial situations, family etc.

Holistic Action Plans & Reviews

How to develop and use SMART, holistic and in-depth work-focused action plans that are user-led and agreed with representatives from other agencies and which considers the specific needs of different groups (e.g. those with physical disabilities and those with mental, learning, emotional and behavioural challenges, including autism and dyslexia). How to conduct regular reviews.

Job Search & Other Interventions

How to deliver a wide range of interventions (either face-to-face or remotely) that are tailored to consider the specific needs of individual service users and different groups (e.g. those with physical disabilities and those with mental, learning, emotional and behavioural challenges, including autism and dyslexia). Not just employability related interventions but those that impact on health and well-being etc. Different methods of evaluating interventions for continuous improvement.

Integrated Services

Multi-agency (e.g. mental health services, probation services, police, social care services, health care services, local authorities etc.) approaches to service delivery where local third-party provision is integrated with other services and knowledge of outreach, mobile and flexible working practices. Facilitate “service user focused” meetings with external multi-agency caseworkers, utilising all available sources of support to help assist service users move into work, ensuring synergy and non-duplication of other agency work.

Customer Service

How to deal with complaints, Different methods of gathering service user feedback, approaches to evaluate it, critically analyse it and use it for service delivery improvements.

Coaching & Mentoring

A wide range of coaching and mentoring techniques for use with service users and colleagues. The differences between coaching and mentoring and knowing when to coach and when to mentor. Methods of reviewing and improving coaching and mentoring practice.

Supported Employment

In work support, supported employment models, individual placement and support models. Other models that support those with complex needs to stay in work. How to manage the employer relationship to provide supported employment.

Challenging & Complex Caseloads

How to manage caseloads effectively. Knowledge of caseload management techniques and time management techniques. Obstacles and factors that affect caseload management and how to deal with complex and challenging cases.

Non-Clinical Behavioural Change

Different types of non-clinical behavioural change techniques.

Challenging Situations

A wide range of managing challenging behaviour techniques, change management techniques, when to use them and company referral/escalation processes.

Employability Industry

Funding systems, welfare benefits and professional boundaries.The different types of public services, community offerings and funding streams available and an understanding of how these fit together so that they can put in place a bespoke plan of support that takes a holistic approach to the whole service user.

Practice Development

Participate in practice development sessions, caseload reviews and observations to support the development of themselves and others.

IT Systems & Record Keeping

How to use IT Systems for management of information to inform service delivery and how to conduct routine compliance checks of records.

Safeguarding

The context for legal and policy frameworks, family and environmental context and how to deal with safeguarding and PREVENT concerns and knowing when to escalate. Knows and understands the government’s Prevent strategy.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

The importance of effective management of own and others’ CPD.

Careers, Employability & Labour Market Information

Career choice theories and concepts, how to use these to provide advice and guidance, an understanding of employers and how to work with them, advocating on the behalf of individual service users to broker suitable employment based on their individual circumstances and considering any reasonable adjustments that might need to be made, how to analyse and interpret labour market information for service delivery improvement. This may include the impact of a move to net carbon zero emission economy by 2050 on the local labour market.

Legislation & Company Vision, Mission, Values

Industry relevant legislation and company’s own vision, mission and values, how to adhere to these and how they inform service delivery.

Minimum Service Levels & Contractual Requirements

Current contractual requirements and minimum service levels, how to meet them, how to highlight and address issues with service level requirements.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Equality, diversity and inclusion, what they are, how to embed them within daily practice.

Holistic Assessments & Diagnostics

Use holistic assessment and diagnostic skills to identify servicer user employability, career goals and aspirations and health and well-being barriers. Assess service users’ strengths and obstacles to building healthier lives through returning to work.

Interviewing & Effective Questioning

Apply effective interviewing and questioning techniques to identify servicer user employability, career goals and aspirations and potential barriers to these

Attention to detail & Record Keeping

Conduct routine compliance checks of service user records for own caseload and others, identifying areas for improvement and making recommendations.

Design & Deliver Interventions

Utilise evidence-based solutions to design and deliver employability, health and wellbeing related programmes, services and interventions to service users which considers the specific needs of different groups (e.g. those with physical disabilities and those with mental, learning, emotional and behavioural challenges, including autism and dyslexia). These can be either on a one-to-one basis (face-to-face or remotely) or in groups at a central office or out in the community.

Flexible Working

Where required, work flexibly across different locations by undertaking outreach work to make services accessible for service users or even co-locating with other community services. Where required, work flexibly outside of normal office working hours as there may be times when they have to work evenings and weekends if any of their service users are employed and need to be contacted and provided with support outside of these times

Communication

Communicate to a high standard, both verbally and written, using a wide variety of different methods and adapting for different audiences, evaluating the effectiveness for continuous improvement.

Coaching & Mentoring

Coach and mentor service users and colleagues and actively improve coaching and mentoring skills for themselves and others.

Problem Solving & Risk/Crisis Management

Uses advanced problem solving, and negotiation skills to establish win-win situations with service users where possible. Identifying when they might potentially fall out of work and rapidly respond to minimise the risk. Address safeguarding and PREVENT concerns maturely, dealing with service users when they present in crisis, minimising risks/crises in the future through pastoral support and effective risk assessment.

Managing Complex Caseloads

Application of specialist knowledge to deal with particular complex and challenging cases.

Behaviour Management

Anticipate and de-escalate challenging behaviour in service users, managing challenging behaviour as it presents itself using relevant non-clinical behaviour change tools and techniques.

Change Management

Manage change effectively with the on-boarding/off-boarding of contracts and services

Business Development

Identify, seek out and establish business development and commercial opportunities for the organisation including new referral streams. This may include the impact of a move to net carbon zero emission economy by 2050 on the local labour market.

Networking

Network with internal and external customers and key stakeholders to build relationships and identify business opportunities.

Stakeholder Management & Engagement

Build and maintain strong working relationships with key stakeholders to support service delivery by taking a multi-agency and integrated services approach.

Giving Feedback

Give constructive and timely feedback to service users and colleagues.

Evaluation & Critical Analysis

Evaluates and analyses programmes, services and interventions, using data to make recommendations for improvements and to inform service delivery.

Research Skills

Gather labour market, employability and careers information, analyse it, spot trends and patterns, draw conclusions to inform information, advice and guidance given to service users and employers. Research skills are used to further specialism knowledge and experience, as well as to support service design and delivery. This may include the impact of a move to net carbon zero emission economy by 2050 on the local labour market.

Deliver Information, Advice & Guidance

Apply employability, careers and labour market knowledge to deliver high quality information, advice and guidance that is tailored to the needs of the service users and key stakeholders.

Service Delivery

Adheres to company vision, mission and values, embedding them in all service delivery.

Performance Management

Independently manage own performance to meet and exceed minimum service levels, contractual requirements and service level agreements.

ICT & Digital Skills

ICT skills are used for record keeping and digital skills are used to support service users with finding employment through social media and the internet.

Assertiveness

Assertively directs and challenges service users to reach their potential. Will also be used when dealing with key stakeholders.

Manage CPD

Manage your own and support the professional development of others. Promote best practice through learning opportunities as they arise.

Pro-Active & Efficient

Gets own job done and where relevant gets tasks done through others, always achieving high standard results, taking a pro-active approach to all work areas.

Positive

Has a 'can do' attitude, is enthusiastic and can inspire service users and colleagues.

Professional

Demonstrates a genuine commitment to the personal, health & well-being and occupational success of individual service users by meeting industry standards.

Target Driven

Ambitious and determined to succeed, finding better ways of achieving business objectives even in the light of sustained pressure.

Flexible & Adaptable

Adapting to changing circumstances and implementing change effectively.

Resilient

Has the capacity to respond to and recover from difficulties.

Emotional Intelligence

Recognises, understands and manages own emotions and recognises, understands and be proactive in influencing the emotions of others. Can handle interpersonal relationships establishing trust and rapport effectively.

Supportive

Provide encouragement and emotional help and support appropriately and where needed to service users and colleagues.

Analytical

Seeks and interprets information from a variety of sources, comparing and contrasting to identify key issues and make sound decisions.

Innovative & Creative

Quickly appreciates diverse and complex information, using it to challenge current methods and generate innovative ideas and solutions to improve business performance and act upon potential business opportunities.

Commercially Aware

Understands the business, its strategy, goals and priorities as well as the business environment.