Academic Skills and Mentoring Tutor

Company: Victoria College of Arts and Design

Role: Academic Skills and Mentoring Tutor

Location: On-site at London Borough and Harbour Exchange Campuses

Hours: Full Time: 9am – 5pm, Monday-Friday, occasional weekend and evening work required

Salary: £33,000 to £38,000 per year

Department: Student Services

Reporting to: Academic Skills and Mentor Lead Officer

About us

Victoria College of Arts and Design (VCAD) provides higher education teaching and learning in the arts, design, creative industries and business fields. Our goal is to guide and support our students on their journey to becoming successful individuals and citizens. We strive to offer the best services and resources available to ensure that our students are well-prepared for graduate-level employment within the creative industries or any other aspect of the world of work. From enrolment to graduation, we are dedicated to nurturing our students' growth, fostering their creative and critical skills and equipping them with the confidence and abilities needed to excel in a professional environment. Whether through the dedication of our lecturers and support staff, our outstanding facilities, or our network of industry connections, Victoria College of Arts and Design is committed to helping and mentoring our students so that they achieve their personal goals and build themselves sustainable and fulfilling careers.

Position Overview

VCAD is seeking an Academic Skills and Mentoring Tutor to join our Academic skills, Mentoring and Library Team at our London campuses for London Borough and London Harbour Exchange – South Quay. The successful candidate will provide high-quality of academic skills support, mentoring support and supporting the library services for our students throughout their academic journey. This role requires excellent communication and organisational skills and the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment. As an Academic Skills and Mentoring Tutor, this role requires you to deliver and support the design of academic skills workshops, academic English,

library instructions and mentoring students with research support in an educational setting.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver programmes to enhance students’ academic literacy, digital, language and employability skills using appropriate materials and tools.
• Collaborate with academic staff and students to understand resource demands and ensure resources meet learning and research needs.
• Provide mentoring services to students at all levels of the degree journey to ensure that they have understood the topic, assessment tasks and content.
• Provide guidance to students on how to use the e-library and support students using the physical campus library.
• Review library materials regularly to ensure students have the reading materials available for each term.
• Provide library cover as part of team’s weekly rota pattern.
• Provide guidance on the use of print and electronic resources, including referencing and copyright.
• Respond to course requirements and address the specific needs of students.
• Utilise and develop diagnostic tools and online support materials.
• Monitor and support students’ progression in academic English and skills development.
• Tailor academic English and skills support programmes to different student groups and levels.
• Assess and provide feedback on academic English and skills-related assignments.
• Participate in transitional programmes to develop students’ written and verbal communication skills for university study.
• Facilitate the integration of academic and digital literacy into all VCAD courses.
• Collect and analyse data to continuously improve the service.
• Contribute to project work, service planning, policy development, and innovation.
• Develop links with colleagues in other institutions and contribute to external professional bodies and networks.
• Support other duties as requested by the Team Leader or Head of Student Experience and Outcome.

Requirements:

Essential:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
• PGCE or equivalent teaching qualification.
• Experience teaching and supporting adult learners in HE or FE (at GCSE level or above) with academic writing and skills development.
• Experience of mentoring students in higher or further education settings.
• Understanding of the library’s role in learning and research.
• Experience delivering library instruction and academic skills support in an educational environment.
• Commitment to widening participation and supporting students from diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to motivate students and make academic skills development rewarding and relevant.
• Evidence of excellence in teaching and programme design.
• Self-starter with the ability to initiate improvements in teaching.
• Experience in setting and marking examinations and coursework.
• Ability to work in team and share best practices.
• Ability to multi-task and manage time and workload effectively.
• Excellent communication, customer service and interpersonal skills.
• Awareness of relevant literature on academic skills development in higher education.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Flexibility to work evenings and weekends when needed.
• Strong IT skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Ability to use learning technologies to support a diverse range of learner needs.
• Aware of the challenges in academic writing due to growth of artificial intelligence.

Competencies:

Planning and Organising Resources/Service Delivery:

• Ability to adapt to changing situations and reflect these changes in their approach.

Teaching learning and assessments

• Ability to use a range of teaching pedagogies like scaffolding, experiential learning and chunk learning to meet the needs of a range of diverse learners when delivering of academic skills.
• Ability to design engaging interactive academic skills works emending learning technologies to develop digital literacy /transferable skills.
• Ability to use a range of formative assessment and feedback approach in session to ensure learners are developing their academic skills.
• Ability to delivery academic skills workshops in any learning environment; face to face, hybrid or fully virtual.
• Ability to provide library instructions to students.
• Ability to act as a mentor to students in providing assessment support and guidance.

Communication / Liaison and Networking:

• Confidence in advising and supporting academic staff in integrating skills development into teaching.
• Commitment to high-quality, reflective and collaborative professional practice in higher education.
• Ability to liaise with key stakeholders such as academic faculty members, student engagement and exam team to ensure that we are targeting students that can benefit from our mentoring and academic skills services.

Teamwork and Motivation:

• Inspirational teacher who collaborates well within a team to achieve the best outcomes for students.
• Ability to work as part of a diverse team with a range of experiences and responsibilities.
• Ability to contribute to team professional develop and sharing of best practice within VCAD and PEN group.
• Ability to show flexibility in your role for covering library presence, mentoring students and delivering academic skills workshops.

Benefits

• Annual leave (5.6 weeks) + bank holidays.
• Workplace pension scheme.
• Company Sick Policy (from January 2025).
• Statutory maternity/paternity pays.
• Career development opportunities
• Training and self-development opportunities.
• Gym membership discounts
• Retail discount schemes
• Cinema discounts
• Grocery discounts
• Cycle to work
• Investing and savings opportunities
• Financial wellbeing – personal debt advise.
• Financial wellbeing education
• My Mind Pal (mental fitness)

If you are passionate about supporting students in their academic journey and have the skills and experience required for this role, we encourage you to apply.

Join our team at Victoria College of Arts and Design and help make a positive impact on the lives and futures of our students.