Technical Skills Coach

**Responsible for**: Providing a caseload of tech apprentices with skills, pastoral and portfolio support to develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours, build their workplace portfolio and successfully complete their apprenticeship.

**Salary: Manchester **£27,000 - £33,000 pro-rata dependent on relevant experience

**Package**: 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, and an employer pension contribution of up to 10%.

**Location and travel**: The role is based at our campus in Manchester (Blossom Street, Ancoats), but you will primarily be supporting apprentices based at a single employer in Sheffield. Therefore, the ability to travel to central Sheffield on a regular basis is essential. Occasional travel to other locations may also be required. Travel expenses will be met in line with our expenses policy.

**Welcome to Ada**

We are a specialist digital skills college training and developing diverse higher-level apprentices into fantastic roles in the tech sector and transforming their lives in the process. Our mission is to educate and empower the next generation of diverse digital talent.

We have approximately 350 apprentices on roll from a wide range of backgrounds across our Manchester and London campuses. 75% are recent school leavers. One third are young women, one third from ethnic minority backgrounds and many come from tough backgrounds. They represent over 15 different nationalities. They are united by their passion and enthusiasm for tech.

We are looking for a **Technical Skills Coach **to support apprentices throughout their journey with us.

Within the role, coaches will maintain regular contact with apprentices & their employers providing continuous guidance throughout the apprenticeship, ensuring the students stay on track and are ready for their End Point Assessment.

This is a unique opportunity to work with a growing number of employers and apprentices. You’ll join a small but growing close-knit team, who is passionate about seeing all our apprentices thrive.

We’ll also provide you with the opportunity to develop your skills and professional practice in a collaborative and nurturing environment. This is through continuous professional development and via the support of our experienced technical skills coaches and apprenticeship experts.

**Main Responsibilities**:

- Guiding and supporting a caseload of apprentices through their apprenticeship programme, including skills development and pastoral support during our initial ‘Launchpad’
- Carrying out 12-weekly reviews either in person or remotely with apprentices and line managers to monitor progress against key milestones and the apprenticeship standards
- Working with students to create, monitor and update their individual learning plans
- Providing personal and professional support to apprentices and employers
- Ensuring monthly performance updates on learners are provided to other team members
- Providing rigorous, developmental feedback on work-based learning evidence
- Managing and tracking of progression of all key programme elements for each apprentice
- Working with the national Skills Coach team to deliver remote and in-person skills workshops
- Supporting apprentices to prepare for their end point assessment and assessing whether they are ready to enter gateway
- Ensuring all apprentice records are maintained and are compliant to ESFA regulations using our preferred eportfolio (OneFile)

**Other Responsibilities**:

- Getting involved in the design and delivery of other Ada projects as required
- Providing technical and academic assistance to support apprentices’ learning depending on expertise
- Representing Ada occasionally as needed with employers and young people as part of our business development and outreach activities
- Engaging with the wider Ada team to share best practice and contribute to a culture of collaboration and support

**The Person**

**Essential**:

- Passion for supporting and developing diverse apprentices in an educational and workplace setting
- Excellent communications skills and able to work effectively with people at all levels
- Able to effectively use systems, including e-portfolio tracking systems, to record and track outcomes
- Professional working ethos to effectively build and manage business relationships with employers
- An understanding of tech and the digital industry and an awareness of the skills required to succeed in tech-related roles, or a willingness to develop this.

**Desirable**:

- Technical experience or knowledge in an area of digital technology such as programming, databases, networks, software development, IT project management etc.
- Experience coaching learners/apprentices in their career development
- Knowledge of data analytics or a programming language
- Experience tracking apprentices through their apprenticeship programme and liaising with the relevant regulatory bodies

**Personal Qualities, Aptitudes and Skills**:

- A commitment to Ada’s missi