Ministry of Justice

Qualified Teacher Status desirable

The job holder will be the strategic senior lead for learning, skills and employment in all areas of activity within their cluster with a strong emphasis on employability, maximising prisoners’ opportunities to access employment, education and training on release.

This is a job with line management responsibility for other new post holders within the cluster HoLSE model.  These are envisaged as: (i) cluster business administrator and possibly (ii) project co-ordinator roles for new initiatives such as social enterprise

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

• Accountable for providing strategic planning and development of all learning, skills and employability/employment services within the cluster and, through agreement with other cluster HoLSE(s), region. This includes the coordination of Offenders Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) 4 activity, whole prison curriculum development. social enterprise and employer engagement and liaison with community based learning providers
• Accountable for the Management of the OLASS contract on behalf of the Deputy  Director Custody (DDC) ensuring that the Prime Provider and any Sub Contractor(s) is/are delivering an innovative service that meets the needs of prisoners and prepares them for employment or further training in the areas where they will resettle
• Accountable for the joint management of the OLASS Budget across the unit of procurement deploying funds to ensure an effective use of resources, directing investment to where it will have the greatest impact on reducing re-offending 
• Support the promotion of effective integration of OLASS into the Offender Management Model in each establishment
• Provide updates to the Regional Senior Management Team (SMT) and Governors on the delivery of all OLASS and non-OLASS learning and skills provision within public sector prisons in the Region
• Attend the Offender Skills and Employment (OSE) Board as required
• Support the OSE Board through: Chairing the Performance and Planning Sub Group (on a rota basis with other cluster HoLSEs) and Cluster Local Offender Partnership group, or equivalents (note: terminology varies across regions)
• Advise Senior Managers on all delivery developments across their region
• Accountable for ensuring there is a strategy in place for sharing good practice within the cluster and region
• Share good practice nationally and input into the development of national good practice when appropriate
• Ensure effective communication channels are in place at establishment level. These are anticipated as: Governor/SMT, Head of Reducing Re-offending, Learning and Skills Manager, Activities Hub manager
• Facilitate and support strong cluster partnership working among the National Careers Service (NCS), HMPPS CFO, Work Programme and other providers
• Promote a Whole Organisational Approach to Functional Skills (English and Mathematics) at each establishment
• Champion Continuous Personal Development (CPD) activities for establishment based managers and those involved in front line delivery, for example inspection training at appropriate intervals
• Pro-actively lead and or encourage the OLASS provider to seek out and obtain mainstream and other funding opportunities to enhance the delivery of Learning and Skills opportunities for prisoners
• Accountable for ensuring that there is multi-agency approach to ensure that effective use is made of the virtual campus to support the development of skills and as a route to employment and further training/learning
• Accountable for the Facilitation of Regional partnership working with Skills Funding Agency (SFA), Jobcentre Plus, LEP’s, mainstream SFA providers and other key stakeholders, through close working relationship with other cluster leads
• Accountable for cluster oversight of the planning implementation, quality assurance/improvement and development of all learning, skills and employability provision (OLASS, and all non OLASS provision) and ensuring consistency of approach with other clusters
• Accountable for the management and Co-ordination of all governance structures and processes for OLASS to ensure that proper regional oversight and approval is in place for OLASS activities, in conjunction with other cluster leads.
• Accountable for planning, implementation, quality assurance and development of all learning, skills and employability provision across the cluster (OLASS, and all non OLASS provision including prison, voluntary, and other providers/organisations)
• Advise the SFA (and its NCS and learning and skills providers) on the local delivery needs of the cluster
• Act as regional lead for specific initiatives, in agreement with other cluster
• HoLSE and Lead Governors
• Manage the Learning and Skills Development Fund across all establishments in the Cluster
• Produce the establishment and Cluster Self-Assessment Reports and Employability Strategies/3 Year Development Plans, with key qualitative and quantitative information provided by establishments
• Lead the Cluster to ensure that there is a culture of continuous Quality Improvement for all OLASS and Non OLASS learning and skills activities, based on the OFSTED Common Inspection Framework and relevant HMIP expectations
• Chair and monitor the Quality Improvement Groups in establishments in line with the OFSTED Common Inspection Framework
• Act as the Ofsted Nominee in all prisons within the cluster 
• Facilitate and support strong cluster partnership working with National Careers Service (NCS) and learning and skills providers
• Ensure that within the cluster there is a multi-agency approach to ensure that effective use is made of the virtual campus as a cost effective tool to support the development of skills and as a route to employment and further training/learning
• Maintain an awareness of the integration and sequencing of all OLASS and non OLASS, learning, skills and employment provision across the cluster and its aligned within Offender Management arrangements, advising on changes where necessary
• Accountable for ensuring that the delivery of all activities and learning is in accordance with HMPPS standards
• Accountable for drawing in resources at cluster level including voluntary projects and funds to provide a range of appropriate activities to complement OLASS delivery for the benefit of learners to maximise employment activity for offenders
• Support Governors in developing establishments in their region as places of meaningful work.  Work with prison industries and private enterprise to make the most appropriate use of workshops to provide prisoners with the learning and skills they will need to compete for and achieve employment within the local labour market
• Responsible for cluster and regional oversight of the Unit of Delivery allocation and advise the DDC on all matters relating to potential movement of recourses across clusters
• Ensure that there is effective ‘Through the Gate’ provision for prisoners being discharged back into the community

 Undertake other management tasks including:

• Promotes Prison Service policy in all activities and behaviours e.g. promotes diversity, decency, safety and reducing re-offending agendas
• Provides leadership and management of the function.  Will have the skills to apply all Human Resources (HR) related policies and practices and be able to carry out all aspects of people management such as attendance management, disciplinary investigations, performance management and staff appraisals
• Oversee the compilation and achievement of any performance improvement programmes reporting on progress regularly as appropriate
• Manage the appropriate authorisation of financial compliance statements Manage devolved budgets in accordance with the financial procedures outlined in the budget delegation
• Ensure that the function produces and analyses audit and establishment performance management information identifying variances and areas requiring improvements
• Accountable for all local and national policies relating to function, and ensure procedures implemented are compliant, including development of new policies
• Contribute to the development and delivery of the medium-to-long term strategic and business plan for the establishment, with overall responsibility for implementation within their function
• Attend relevant boards/meetings and actively contribute either as chair or team member
• Work collaboratively and provide constructive challenge to colleagues to ensure that their own and other functions are joined up and together contribute towards the overall delivery of the establishments performance
• Produce relevant reports as required and ensure all correspondence is replied to within agreed timescales
• Carries out investigations and administration in relation to incidents of potential discrimination and reports on findings

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.

An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales) Welsh.