High Performance Skills Coach - WorldSkills UK

About the job

Why work for WorldSkills UK

At WorldSkills UK, we have big ambitions to help the next generation, our education system and the economy.

We are working to help create a world-class further education system that tackles vocational snobbery head on, so more young people get better opportunities and are not written off because going to University isn’t right for them.

We are working to showcase that the WorldSkills UK way of mainstreaming global best practice is working to drive up standards in training, helping more young people and employers succeed.

We are working to help create a more inclusive skills system that gives more young people from diverse backgrounds a better chance of success in work and life.

We are a unique platform working with leaders in education, business and governments across the UK and our partners across the world.

As an employer ourselves we aim to be truly inclusive, offering a hybrid and collaborative working culture. We pride ourselves on having a flexible approach to our working practices and are happy to discuss flexible working options with suitable candidates. Although operating from a London-based headquarters, we welcome applications from candidates across the UK and will always consider requests to work from other locations on a case-by-case basis subject to business requirements.

Join us, if you are ambitious to shape the future of further education, change lives and help create a world-class skills economy for the UK. Because when young people succeed, we all succeed.

About WorldSkills UK

WorldSkills UK is an independent charity and a partnership between employers, education, and governments. Together, we are using international best practice to raise standards in apprenticeships and technical education so more young people and employers succeed.

We are a proud member of WorldSkills, a global movement of over 80 countries. WorldSkills supports young people across the world via competitions-based training, assessment and benchmarking, with members’ national teams ultimately testing their ability to achieve world-class standards in the biennial ‘skills olympics’. The insights we gain from training as part of this global network help us raise standards across the UK.

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We innovate to help employers: by benchmarking with skills systems from across the world to inform policy and practice, ensuring high-quality skills and boosting the UK economy.

We develop educators: by sharing international best practice, to deliver high quality training and assessment.

We inspire young people: whatever their background, to choose high-quality apprenticeships and technical education as a prestigious career route.

Our vision

Apprenticeships and technical education are prestigious career routes for all young people.

Our mission

To improve the quality of apprenticeships and technical education for the benefit of all young people and employers.

Structure and governance

WorldSkills UK has a dynamic, hardworking staff team of around 40 and is structured into three directorates each directorate is led by a Director, or the Deputy CEO and CEO, who form the Senior Leadership Team. WorldSkills UK is a registered charity with a Board of Trustees strategically overseeing its effective operation in conjunction with the Chief Executive to ensure it meets its charitable objectives. The Board is made up of representatives of further education, skills and industry ensuring that the organisation’s activities are firmly representative of the audiences and target groups it serves in its work.

Equity, diversity and inclusion

At WorldSkills UK we strongly value equity, diversity and inclusion and recognise that it is critical to our success. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all who work with us and strongly welcome applications from diverse backgrounds. WorldSkills UK is an equal opportunities employer that encourages applications from anyone who meets the specific criteria of the post regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender reassignment, marital and civil partnership status, pregnancy, religion or belief or sexual orientation. We particularly encourage applications from those from diverse groups, such as women, members of the BAME and LGBTQ+ communities, to join us as at WorldSkills UK.

We are a member of the Disability Confident Scheme and guarantee interviews to all disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for our vacancies, and

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we are committed to making reasonable adjustments at all stages of the recruitment process for candidates to perform to the best of their ability.

About the role Our Centre of Excellence, delivered in partnership with NCFE, is the first of its kind launched in the UK in 2020, and cited in the Government’s Skills for Jobs white paper as being a high-quality development programme. The programme draws on our unique insights into global skills systems to over 80 countries and nations to mainstream excellence in skills development. Through our partnership with NCFE, we are transferring innovations in teaching and training to educators, influencing standards of practice across technical and vocational education and training (TVET). Central to the programme is our team of High-Performance Skills Coaches, who lead the development and delivery of a transformative workforce development programme drawing from a global network of experts. They train, coach and mentor educators across various institutions to supercharge the quality of teaching, training, and assessment, embedding world-class practices and techniques.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to build on their industry expertise in digital skills, engineering and manufacturing or green technology and their experience in TVET, by having access to a global network of experts and a mandate to bring that learning back into the UK.

The successful candidate will also receive professional development through training, coaching and mentoring to support them in the role of High-Performance Skills Coach.

Disability Confident WorldSkills UK is signed up to the disability confident scheme. As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancies.

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Job description

Role: High Performance Skills Coach

Grade: B

Directorate: Skills Development and Impact

Team: Skills Development and International Competitions

Manager: Senior Skills Development Manager

Direct reports: N/A

Role purpose

The role covers four key areas of responsibility:

1) Workforce development: contributing towards and delivering the WorldSkills UK’s Centre of Excellence skills development plan for teachers, trainers, and learners, mainstreaming global best practice and excellence in the quality and delivery of TVET.

2) Transferring global best practice: facilitating and instigating the transfer of industry and global best practice from over 80 countries to increase the standard of teaching, training and assessment ensuring educators are equipped to facilitate high-quality skills development to learners, meeting employer needs.

3) Raising standards: playing a key role in influencing policy, standards, and qualification design to align to world-class standards of excellence.

4) General management responsibilities: contributing to the successful delivery of WorldSkills UK’s strategic priorities, annual business objectives and growth of Centre of Excellence programme.

Key tasks and responsibilities

1. Workforce development:

• Contributing towards and delivering the WorldSkills UK’s Centre of Excellence skills development plan for teachers, trainers, and learners, mainstreaming global best practice and excellence in the quality and delivery of TVET.

• Planning and implementing training programmes and solutions which form part of the Centre of Excellence to supercharge teaching and training practices in colleges, independent training providers and employer providers through CPD, masterclasses and digital learning.

• Designing and producing a range of tools and resources for educators to support learners develop higher quality skills.

• Delivering training, coaching and mentoring groups of educators across colleges, independent training providers and employer providers.

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• Taking responsibility for the collation of data, outputs, and insights of your cohorts to contribute towards the overall effectiveness of evaluation and impact of the annual cycle of training activity.

• Contributing towards the Centre of Excellence community of practice network events to include planning, presenting and mobilising speakers (physical and virtual).

• Managing relationships with educators and education providers to secure commitment and engagement to WorldSkills UK’s Centre of Excellence that brings maximum benefit to achieve expected targets for the reach and impact of the pilot programme.

2. Transferring global best practice:

• Facilitating and instigating the transfer of industry and global best practice from over 80 countries to increase the standard of teaching, training and assessment ensuring educators are equipped to facilitate high-quality skills development to learners, meeting employer needs.

• Researching and investigating insights and best practice from industry and global best practice to inform the development of the Centre of Excellence skills development plan and workforce development offer. • Working in collaboration with teams to plan a series of high value best practice exchanges in future skills needed for skills led economic recovery, drawing from UK education, WorldSkills international and industry networks.

• Identifying opportunities and industry partners to collaborate with and facilitate skills exchanges amongst cohorts of educators.

• Analysing and interpreting policies and reforms in higher technical education to maximise the impact of our insights to benefit WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence pilot programme, government, education, and business.

• Contributing towards the development of assets through reports, case studies, blogs, teaching and learning resources to broaden breath and scale of WorldSkills UK programmes of work.

• Working closely with internal teams to advise, support and facilitate opportunities to maximise impact of programmes of work across the organisation.

3. Raising standards:

• Playing a key role in influencing policy, standards, and qualification design to align to world-class standards of excellence.

• Contributing towards policy discussions across education sector with the likes of the Department for Education (DfE), the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) to contribute to qualifications and development of standards from competence to world-class standards of practice to meet employer needs.

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• Consulting and contributing towards the development of NCFE qualifications, assessment, standards, and resources.

• Supporting NCFE apply the insights and intelligence it receives from its involvement with the Centre of Excellence to inform and enhance product and service offerings.

• Analysing, evaluating and reporting of current policy in technical and vocational education and training to influence policy and standards generated through the programme.

4. General management responsibilities:

• Contributing to the successful delivery of WorldSkills UK’s strategic priorities, annual business objectives and growth of Centre of Excellence programme.

• Taking ownership of projects and activities across the Centre of Excellence ensuring all deviations from targets (time, money, people, etc.) are identified and addressed at the earliest possible stage.

• Effectively co-ordinating resources (including agencies, suppliers, contractors) so that all project elements are delivered to acceptable standards on time, to budget and meet the required specification(s)/objective(s).

• Managing activities/tasks in accordance with the agreed project plan to ensure delivery on time and to budget.

• Managing time and commitments to fulfil the full requirements of the post.

Other:

• All employees are expected to promote and comply with WorldSkills UK’s Employee Handbook and the policies contained therein with particular reference to those related to Health and Safety and on equality, diversity and inclusion.

• Any other duty as may be reasonably assigned that is consistent with the nature of the job and its level of responsibility. Any significant changes will be made in consultation with the post holder acknowledging experience, education and ability.

Person specification

Key: [E] Essential / [D] Desirable.

Qualifications and experience:

• Applied, high-level industry expertise in a particular occupational field, digital skills, engineering and manufacturing or green technology [E].

• Qualifications and/or experience in teaching, training, and assessment [D].

• Experience working with, building, and maintaining relationships with global communities, teachers, trainers and senior stakeholders across education, training, and industry [D].

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• Experience developing workforce development training to promote the mastery of job-related knowledge and skills [D].

• Involvement in developing standards, qualifications, and assessment practices across technical and vocational qualifications e.g., apprenticeships, T-Levels [D].

• Experience in training diverse groups of teaching and training practitioners using a range of teaching, coaching and mentoring methods and techniques [D].

Knowledge and skills:

• Knowledge and understanding of current policies and reforms in higher technical education, apprenticeships, and T Levels [E].

• Knowledge and skill in translating policy into practice [D].

• Knowledge, experience and a good command of teaching and assessment skills [D].

• Ability to absorb and evaluate complex information quickly and use this to construct and manage robust plans which deliver the required objectives [E].

• Able to develop and manage highly effective partnerships and co-ordinate a range of partners and stakeholders internationally and nationally to successfully deliver objectives [E].

• Ability to implement change initiatives, focusing effort and commitment on making change work [E].

Personal qualities and attributes:

• Very reliable and with a high level of probity [E].

• Able to work to own initiative with broad direction [E].

• Able to think creatively and solve problems [E].

• Possess a strong work ethic and desire to achieve results [E].

• Flexible in working methods and ideas [E].

• Excellent team player and collaborative approach to work [E].

• Enthusiastic and able to motivate others [E].

• Excellent interpersonal qualities required to work with diverse individuals and settings [E].

• Ability to quickly develop successful working and trusting relationships with people [E].

• Respect for diversity and inclusion with practical ideas for their implementation within the scope of the post [E].

Special circumstances:

• Prepared occasionally to work outside normal hours [E].

• Prepared to travel within the United Kingdom [E].

• Able to spend time away from home [E].

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Summary of terms and conditions

• Fixed term until July 2023.

• The salary for this role is £40,000-£50,000 pro rata per annum.

• Professional development.

• Home based.

• Minimum of 35 hours per week, normal working hours are 09:00 to 17:00 Monday to Friday although we pride ourselves on having a flexible approach to our working practices and service delivery and are happy to discuss flexible working options with suitable candidates. Occasional weekend work may be required by mutual agreement for which reasonable time off in lieu will be given.

• 25 days’ annual leave (pro rata) which will increase by one additional day for each completed year of service up to a maximum of 30 days plus public and bank holidays.

• The post is subject to six months’ probationary period with one months’ notice.

• The offer of appointment will be subject to satisfactory references.

• Salaries are paid monthly by direct transfer on or about 21st of the month.

How to apply

WorldSkills UK is committed to making appointments on merit by fair and open processes and use a blind recruitment approach. Please ensure that you submit your application in Word to help us in this process.

Applications should be submitted no later than midday on 3 February 2022 by email to Nils Kendall, Head of Corporate Services at jobs@worldskillsuk.org and must include:

• a curriculum vitae detailing your full career history with identifying information removed

• a supporting statement with evidence of your suitability for the role, taking into account the points listed in the role description and person specification (throughout the recruitment process we will be looking for examples and evidence of your experience, knowledge and skills)

• a separate document containing your contact details.

Equity, diversity and inclusion monitoring

Applicants are also asked to complete an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Monitoring Questionnaire at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/WQS7WS9.

As an organisation that is continually striving to ensure it is both diverse and inclusive in all areas of its recruitment and employment processes, we would like to collect some additional details from you. This information is classed as

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sensitive data and you are not obliged to give it to us. You will not be disadvantaged in any way should you choose not to. The information you supply is not used to process your application, nor does anyone directly responsible for the recruitment process ever have access to it. The data is pseudonymised and used by our HR team to understand how best to meet our equity, diversity and inclusivity targets.

Process and timelines

It is intended that first-round interviews will be held virtually week commencing 7 February 2022. Short-listed candidates will be advised of the process. Second round interviews will be held virtually week commencing 14 February 2022

Reasonable adjustments will be offered to all candidates and every stage of the recruitment process for further information please contact Graziano Castronovo, Human Resources Officer at jobs@worldskillsuk.org