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Head of Skills Recovery (Internal Only)

Employer
West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA)
Location
16 Summer Lane
Salary
circa £70,000
Closing date
25 Oct 2021
Reference
WMCA00470

View more

Sector
Local Councils
Job Type
Economic development
Contract Type
Permanent
Working Pattern
Standard
Hours
Full-Time

Job Details

Please note: we are working hard to create a space for our employees to search and apply for jobs within the Combined Authority. Until this time, we are publishing 'Internal Only' jobs externally. This role is only open to employees of the West Midlands Combined Authority.

Productivity & Skills, the employment, education and skills arm of the West Midlands Combined Authority is committed to ensuring that every resident can reach their potential and that business growth is accelerated through access to a skilled workforce. We focus on improving skill levels, tackling poor connectivity and increasing employment opportunities. We help more people access high quality training and employment opportunities, increase skills levels in priority growth sectors and create a responsive regional skills system that provides people with the skills to sustain good jobs and careers. 

As Head of Skills Recovery you will lead the region-wide delivery of the West Midlands Combined Authority’s ‘Jobs Plan’; linking residents to employment opportunities, building on local initiatives, and influencing the way in which national programmes are run.

What will you be doing?

  • Design short-term approaches and longer term operating models that enable businesses to recruit locally using the skills solutions offered by WMCA and partners, primarily SWAPs, Kickstart and apprenticeships
  • Lead a team that will support skills recovery and job creation
  • Act as a representative of WMCA to a range of external stakeholders, including government, businesses and professional bodies
  • Oversee the WMCA’s relationship with DWP, and its senior officials, to ensure that Kickstart, Restart and other national programmes are effective in linking residents to opportunities
  • Provide skills-related input to broader economic plans, including Plan for Growth, Inward Investment and Regional Skills Plan
  • Support the strategic development of colleges and training providers to become the bedrock of support to employers on skills advice. Developing the strategic case, influencing the approach and building consensus by working closely with senior leaders
  • Lead on the WMCA’s approach for increasing Apprenticeships
  • Work cross-functionally with Marketing to develop campaigns that engage businesses and support engagement and delivery
  • Keep up to date with policy developments specifically around the Plan for Jobs, support the influencing of policy and identify policy issues that have potential for WMCA involvement and opportunity
  • Develop and implement new operational models in relation to the engagement of businesses to securing inclusive jobs
  • Work with Local Authority regeneration directors and the Growth Hubs to secure a region wide approach to securing and tracking inclusive jobs

About you

  • A relevant degree, management qualification or equivalent experience would be essential with demonstration of continuous professional development and post-graduate qualifications, desirable
  • Evidence of developing strategic initiatives that influence change in the employment support and skills sector
  • Operational knowledge and expertise applied in a skills and education sector. For example:
  • Communication and interpersonal skills required to influence at a strategic level, able to confidently persuade and inform key senior stakeholders such as DWP
  • Evidence of developing written proposals for Government, with the ability to lead and facilitate cross-partner responses
  • Demonstrable record of working in matrix teams internally and externally to the organisation
  • Ability to prioritise and meet tight deadlines

Supporting documents
Head of skills recovery.docx

Company

From Monday 11th December 2023 an exciting change happened for us as an organisation - we have implemented a new system which will improve your candidate experience! To access your candidate portal for our new system, head to https://wmca.wm-jobs.co.uk/members/

If you already had an application in progress with us before the new year, don’t worry, this will continue as it normally would and there will be no impact on your application or the process. More information on our new and improved system can be found on the WMJobs help pages

West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) was set up in 2016. We're made up of 18 local councils and 3 local enterprise partnerships (LEPs). Our goal is to make the West Midlands a happy, healthy, place to live. We do this by:

  • making it easier and safer to travel in and around the region
  • using derelict land to build homes
  • protecting our green spaces
  • making sure young people have the education and employment opportunities to make a great start in life
  • working together to support our communities and build a fairer, healthier and more inclusive West Midlands
  • tackling climate change 

Our role in the West Midlands has never been more important and in these extraordinary times we’ve shown we can step forward, speak up for our region and bring people together. Everything we do is focused on making life better for people in the West Midlands – that’s our reason for being here and it drives every move we make. We lead and support others to deliver our shared future vision for the region – a happier, healthier, better connected place to live and work.

We fully believe that we are only as great as the people who work for us and are committed to providing a positive, healthy and inclusive working environment where our people feel valued and respected. We’re ambitious, forward thinking and determined to find better ways of working, always leading the way in what we do. We trust and support each other to get the job done, and encourage creativity, originality and curiosity from those who work with us.

We’re committed to creating an accessible and diverse workplace, one that nurtures an inclusive environment where our people can be themselves. We are a “Leaders in Diversity” accredited organisation, are in the Inclusive Top 50 Employers List and are one of The Times Top 50 Employers for Women. 

If your values align with ours and you’re committed to working towards creating a future we can all be proud of, we want to hear from you.

Company info
Website
Telephone
0121 200 2787
Location
16 Summer Lane
Birmingham
West Midlands
B19 3SD
United Kingdom

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