JOB TITLE: Job Coach
LOCATION: Petty Pool Vocational College, Pool Lane, Sandiway, Cheshire, CW8 2DR
REPORTS TO: Careers, Employment & Futures Manager
SALARY: £22,587.00 - £23,039.02 per annum, (£26,108.41 - £26,630.58 FTE)
HOURS: Monday to Thursday (28 hours per week) 8:30am - 4:15pm (term time 41 weeks per year)
DBS: Enhanced check required
CLOSING DATE: Friday 7th August 2026 at 4:00pm
INTERVIEWS: Friday 14th August 2026
Summary
Supported internships are a structured, work-based study programme for 16 to 24-year-olds with SEND, who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan. The core aim of a supported internship study programme is a substantial work placement, facilitated by the support of an expert job coach.
A job coach must ensure that they share a can-do attitude and a strong belief in young people’s ability and right to work. A job coach will inspire supported interns and their families to aspire to paid work and demonstrate to employers the value of these young people in their paid workforce. The core role of the job coach is to provide tailored support to both the supported intern and employers so that the young person can make a positive progression to paid employment. Job coaches are central to the study programme and provide support to both the young person and employer.
A Job coach is a distinct role within the team that requires specialised training. Job coaches should be trained in supported employment and systematic instruction, a structured approach to teaching decision-making and new skills to people with intellectual disabilities.
The job coach will support the intern to learn from, develop in and maintain their supported internship work placement. The job coach will support the employer to offer meaningful work placements that match the skills and needs of interns, adapting roles and tasks where possible and appropriate. They will also help employers to develop their confidence in employing people with a disability.
Main Responsibilities
Your responsibilities will include, but are not restricted to:
Pre-work placement activity
- Vocational profiling and assessment.
- Sourcing potential employers and identifying possible internship placements.
- Creating productive links between the intern and employer through job analysis, job matches, negotiating and ‘carving’ job roles.
- Practical support such as sourcing and gathering relevant documentation for work, understanding the dress code and workplace culture.
- Helping interns to sort out travel arrangements (for example, planning routes or getting bus passes) and accompanying them on visits to the workplace prior to starting a job.
Workplace Support
- Learning the job role in readiness for training the supported intern and attending workplace inductions.
- Training the supported intern to master tasks by breaking them down and applying systematic instruction techniques.
- Checking supported interns’ understanding of tasks and re-phrasing or repeating employer instructions when necessary.
- Producing visual or written aids (for example, a step-by-step task list) and ensuring any assistive technology is provided.
- Encouraging supported intern self-assessment and reflection as part of target-setting, monitoring, and reviewing progress.
- Modelling workplace behaviours.
- Mentoring and confidence-building, including supporting interns to try out new ways to do things if they are not successful at first.
- Negotiating an increase in responsibilities or new activities.
- Troubleshooting or advocating for supported interns when things go wrong.
- Identifying Skills development needs and either addressing them or referring to other staff.
- If the need for support tapers off, regular workplace visits and observation of supported interns.
Support for employers
- Explaining a supported intern’s strengths, support needs and successful communication strategies.
- Providing information about a particular condition or impairment and advising on reasonable adjustments.
- Suggesting appropriate ways to explain tasks, developing supporting accessible resources of use to the wider workforce.
- Introducing the supported intern to their colleagues and offering colleagues advice on how to best support and include the intern.
- Being a first point of call if issues or problems arise and negotiating solutions.
- Identifying additional or more challenging tasks or roles that a supported intern could take on.
- Ensuring supported interns are on task and meeting workplace standards and expectations (for example, timekeeping and attendance).
Supporting positive progression
- Negotiating opportunities for paid employment with the employer providing internship.
- Where that is not possible, supporting interns with job searches and signposting to other work opportunities.
- Supporting job applications, including CV development and revisions.
- Helping interns prepare for and accompanying them to job interviews.
- Signposting interns to other services (for example, Access to Work or local supported employment services) and if necessary, liaising with these agencies.
Work with key partners and stakeholders
- Local SEND employment forums (also known as supported internship forums).
- Other learning providers such as neighbouring 16+ providers and feeder schools.
- Parent and carer groups.
- Progression partners such as:
- Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) advisors.
- adult services.
- the Disability Employment Advisor at Jobcentre Plus.
Off-the-job learning
- Facilitate and deliver a personalised employability study curriculum.
- Check learners understanding, ask appropriate questions, challenge and encourage their deeper level thinking.
- Facilitate learners’ attendance in English and maths and where appropriate deliver bespoke functional sessions to support their development.
- Deliver off-the-job employability learning that may also include specific areas of vocational learning that have been identified by employers as increasing the supported intern’s employability in a specific sector.
- Planning, sourcing and delivery of bespoke qualification personalised to learners employment needs which may include small qualifications in areas such as food hygiene, health and safety, lifting and handling, or pesticide handling. It can also focus on improving independence and teamwork skills.
- Plan time to complete any actions that would enable supported interns to take up employment on completion, such as setting up a bank account or applying for a passport.
- Facilitate supported interns coming together and build up a group identity to prevent them from feeling isolated in their separate workplaces.
- Support interns to reflect on their learning journey as they progress in their internship.
- Take responsibility for personal professional development in consultation with Line Manager and be proactive and willing to invest in own development subject to the availability of appropriate resources and job/organisational requirements.
- Be responsible for submitting accurate Access to Work paperwork on a regular basis to ensure the appropriate funding for an individual learner is claimed for.
- Carry out all duties and responsibilities in accordance with all College’s Policies (incl. Equality & Diversity, Health & Safety and Safeguarding), core values, behaviours and other relevant procedures.
- Be responsible for Health & Safety issues in all areas of own work and employment venue.
- Be responsible for creating an inclusive, non-discriminatory learning environment in line with the College’s Equality policy.
- Participate in the College’s continuous review (appraisal) scheme and work towards achievement and/or exceeding of targets set.
- Demonstrate day to day commitment to the College’s Core values.
- Be mindful of the need to ensure all College learners receive a high level of care and discipline at all times.
- Promote Petty Pool through conduct towards learners, parents, agents and other parties, and through attendance at college events.
- Adhere at all times to college standards and values.
- Be required to carry out such reasonable additional duties as may from time to time be determined by Senior Leadership.
- To undertake any other such comparable duties as may be reasonably required by the Line Manager.
Person Specification
Qualifications and Experience
Essential
- English and Maths GCSE or equivalent at grade C or above
Desirable
- Hold or be working towards a Careers Information Advice & Guidance qualification
- Hold or be working towards a Learning Support qualification
- Hold or be working towards ECDL I.T. qualification
- Hold or be working towards a Basic First Aid Certificate
- Experience of people with learning disabilities
- Experience of working within Further Education
- Experience within work based learning environments
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Excellent interpersonal & communication skills
- Ability to work effectively both within teams and independently
- Good organisational skills
- Ability to use IT skills to support learners
- Ability to keep accurate and up to date records
- Full clean Driving Licence (Car)
Desirable
- Knowledge of Inclusion, Equality & Diversity, Safeguarding policy
Personal Competencies
Essential
- Flexibility
- Reliability
- Honesty
- Enthusiasm
- Sense of humour
- Caring nature
- Empathy with learners and with issues facing young adults
Pay: £22,587.00-£23,039.02 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Discounted or free food
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- Sick pay
Work Location: In person
