West Ham United Foundation (WHUF) is seeking an Employment Coach to support on the delivery of the Training Ground (TG) and The Training Ground + (TTG+) projects, helping to create meaningful opportunities and outcomes for young people aged 16 – 25 years.
Company Description
At the heart and soul of London since 1895 West Ham United is a dynamic, fan-focused football Club constantly moving forward but always with an eye on the past.
Our home at the London Stadium has a capacity of 62,500 making it one of the biggest club Stadia in the country however our tickets are the lowest priced for London based clubs in the Premier League, echoing objectives to create Affordable Family Football.
In 2018, our Women's team gained a professional status for the very first time, jumping 2 divisions and competed in the Women's Super League (WSL), the premier division of women's football in England. After finishing a respectable 7th, the team enjoyed particular success in the FA Cup reaching the final of the competition, eventually being beaten by 2017 winners Manchester City.
In April 2019, we opened our brand-new Academy facility based at Chadwell Heath which will help to bring through some of the very best talents in the area, the recent emergence of First Team Players Declan Rice and Ben Johnson are a testament to the work already being done at the Academy.
On the business side, we are continuing to create a Stadium our supporters can call home, with the renaming of the Billy Bonds Stand and Claret and Blue pitch surrounding amongst the latest developments. Additionally, the Club has achieved the Disability Confident Leader status.
The Club employees a constantly growing workforce of approximately 300 core staff and 500 Foundation and events staff, and is a truly unique place to work. We welcome talented individuals who will thrive in our ambitious organisation.
In October 2023, West Ham United was awarded the Advanced level of the Premier League Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Standard, recognising the Club’s ongoing dedication and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). It is the second time West Ham United has received the award, which is the top accolade that can be achieved by Premier League clubs, having first been presented with the Advanced level in 2020.
Position
Employment Coach
Contract: Full-time, fixed until 31st March 2025 (with opportunity for further funding)
Location: WHU Foundation and outreach across East London (Newham, Barking & Dagenham, Havering)
Job Purpose
West Ham United Foundation (WHUF) is seeking an Employment Coach to support on the delivery of the Training Ground (TG) and The Training Ground + (TTG+) projects, helping to create meaningful opportunities and outcomes for young people aged 16 – 25 years.
The postholder will identify and recruit a caseload of targeted young people to support into education, employment and training. The candidate will have experience in building relationships with individuals from a range of backgrounds, alongside an ability to build and maintain relationships with employers. They will have a proven commitment to supporting young people to achieve employment related outcomes within a community setting, an understanding of the jobs sector, and ability to leverage employer support to help young people.
The successful candidate will have a passion for supporting young people into meaningful outcomes and be committed to supporting WHUF’s vision and mission.
Key Responsibilities
Reporting to the Employability Coordinator, the Employment Coach will:
· Deliver group interventions, one to one support, and support regular events.
· Create personal development plans for all participants on programme.
· Carry out monitoring and evaluation processes and contribute to progress and evaluation reports.
· Recruit participants to the Training Ground programme, working against contractual KPIs, and proactively engaging with referral partners.
· Develop and build employer and other stakeholder relationships that support opportunities for young people, creating meaningful opportunities.
· Support signposting and case load management across Employability pathway, ensuring a joined up and effective offer for all our participants.
· Contribute to the wider development of the WHU Foundation.
Other Responsibilities:
· Work with young people to understand their strengths and develop person centred, targeted plans to help them achieve positive outcomes.
· Work closely with community groups and agencies to identify and recruit young people that would benefit most from the Training Ground programme.
· To develop relationships with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders to ensure that a suitably diverse life skills and employability offer that meets young people’s needs and abilities.
· As required contribute to multi-agency planning and assessments of young people.
· To identify meaningful work placement opportunities for young people internally and externally through partnerships with local businesses, and to manage and support work placements through work placement visits.
· Monitor and record young people’s engagement using the designated CRM system/s.
· Maintain a record of distance travelled which demonstrates how far the participant has travelled since joining the project, for example, in terms of personal development, increased confidence, and greater levels of motivation.
· Engage positively with vulnerable and at-risk young people within our local community.
· Attend training events, supervision meetings and other team, formal and informal meetings as required to contribute to professional, service and self-development.
· To co-create an individual into work plans, informed by the individual diagnostic, to include range of employability, training, and specialist support and activities/programmes.
· To deliver a range of employability/training modules or interventions to maximise participant engagement, retention and progression.
· To adopt a holistic approach to supporting participants identifying barriers that may impact on participants’ progression towards work.
· Make managed referrals to partner organisations support.
· To proactively motivate and support participants and work collaboratively with employment engagement team and partners.
· To complete all Risk Assessment procedures and protocols in line with Foundation policies.
· To fully comply with health and safety, equal opportunities and diversity, quality assurance, safeguarding and data protection.
· Understand and adhere to safeguarding policies and procedures.
· Commitment to supporting others, and the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion.
· To support the marketing and promotion of the programme in-line with relevant guidelines and policies.
· To undertake professional development by participating in staff development (CPD) and training activities.
· Any other duties as reasonably requested by the line manager / organisation.
Requirements
The ideal candidate will have skills and experience in the following areas: -
Personal Specification
Education/Qualifications/Experience:
* Background (demonstrable achievement) /qualifications in youth work and or mentoring or employability work.
* Experience of providing support to young people with complex needs in both one-to-one and group settings.
* Experience of mentoring, using coaching tools, conducting assessments and providing group/individual support.
* Good IT skills, particularly Microsoft Excel, and Outlook.
* Knowledge and understanding of and commitment to anti discriminatory practice.
* Understanding of the issues and barriers impacting on employment
* Experience of supporting others into job outcomes.
* Experience of working within diverse communities.
· Experience of working with employers.
* Experience of working with local authorities and other referral agencies.
* Safeguarding/Child Protection Training and First Aid (will be provided in post if not already done)
Skills & Abilities
· Good verbal and written communication skills which are culturally competent.
· Ability to engage, build trust and maintain effective rapport with a caseload of young people aged 16 - 25.
· Proven time management skills and a willingness to take ownership of work.
· Ability to multi-task several different workflows at any one time and ability to prioritise within deadlines.
· Able to work against and achieve KPIs.
· Good interpersonal skills with the ability to effectively communicate with all levels of the organisation.
· Motivated and enthusiastic about our work.
Values & Behaviours:
* Integrity – being transparent, responsible, and trustworthy. Behaving in an honest and ethical manner, serving the community to the best of our ability.
* Inclusive - recognising and respecting everyone’s value. Providing an accessible and welcoming environment
* Continuously improve - striving for excellence driving development through learning. Maximising opportunities to fulfil potential and be prepared to take risks.
* Collaboration - working together internally and externally. Recognising the benefits of a multi-organisational approach to our community and workforce
* Inspiring - creating a culture where people prosper. Providing a safe and enjoyable environment supporting goals and aspirations
Other information
EDI Statement
Our club's history is rooted in a solid commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, and we openly strive to be leaders in promoting EDI values. West Ham United is tactical in its approach to addressing inequity and prioritising the undertaking of meaningful and lasting change for all.
We prioritise removing barriers to attracting and engaging the best talent from all communities. We are proactive in creating equal access to opportunities and benefits for everyone and a discrimination-free environment where everyone experiences being treated with dignity and respect regardless of their background, circumstances, or protected characteristics.
Safeguarding
At our Club and Foundation, we advocate a proactive approach to ensure every child and adult has the right to experience safety and be treated with care, respect, and dignity. Therefore, we prioritise protection from harm and promote safeguarding good practice and compliance as an integral part of all our operations and engagement. This includes conducting robust, safer recruitment checks to identify any potential risks associated with individuals who may pose a threat to children or adults who are at risk of harm.
Staff must follow the Club’s Safeguarding reporting procedures to report without delay allegations of abuse, poor practice, or anything else that is or may impact the welfare of a child, young person, or adult at risk. After contacting and taking guidance from the Safeguarding Team, staff must use the Club’s Child Protection Online Management System (CPOMS) to record the concern within 24 hours unless directed otherwise.
#J-18808-Ljbffr