Employability Advisor Assistant Volunteer

Employability assistants work with our Employability Advisor or Project Manager to support students by providing assistance throughout the workshops, feedback and friendly interaction, in small groups in a class, all with support and direction from staff.

They support students to improve their CVs and digital skills required to do so and offer proofreading of CVs.

Volunteers will need to be able to commit to supporting learners regularly, and inclusivity and teamwork is vital.

We ask Employability Assistant to commit to a minimum of three months of support.

Time Commitment in Newcastle: 2 hours per week on Wednesdays, between 10am-12pm or 2pm-4pm.

Tasks

Employability Assistants are expected to:

• Support the teacher in the delivery of employability workshops;
• Provide English and digital support to students individually and in small groups;
• Provide proofreading of CVs;
• Provide pastoral support;
• Attend sessions at the times agreed in advance with the coordinator;
• Attend appropriate training sessions or meetings (with the Project Manager or Officer);
• Respect the privacy of the students;
• Maintain appropriate professional relationships and boundaries with staff, volunteers, and students; (for example, do not swap phone number with the student)
• Treat all students equally and be sensitive to cultural and religious differences;
• Report any concerns/difficulties regarding students directly to the Project Officer or Manager as early as possible; · Implement Action Foundation’s Safeguarding Policy, and ensure that students are made aware of the policy including who they can report/talk to;
• Treat all information about students as confidential (except for safeguarding concerns which should be reported to a staff member / Safeguarding Lead);
• Abide by the values and ethos of Action Foundation.

Skills

Knowledge/Understanding

• A genuine desire to support students from migrant backgrounds;
• An understanding of the need to maintain safe professional boundaries when volunteering;
• An understanding of the need to maintain confidentiality (except for safeguarding reporting)

Skills/Abilities

• A commitment to empowering and enabling others
• Warmth, understanding, sensitivity and a willingness to listen
• Good use of English
• Some use of digital skills
• Familiarity with CVs and recruitment processes in the UK
• The ability to be supportive and non-judgemental regardless of students’ age, race, sexuality, religion or disability