Head of Education, Skills and Work

**General Information**:

- Salary
- £52,316
- Working Pattern
- Full Time
- Vacancy Approach
- External
- Location
- Market Drayton
- Region
- Midlands
- Closing Date
- 29-Jul-2025
- Business Unit
- Stoke Heath
- Post Type
- Permanent
- Civil Service Grade
- SEO
- Number of jobs available
- 1
- Reserve List
- 12 Months
- Job ID
- 7742

**Descriptions & requirements**:

- Job description

**Overview of the job**

This is a functional management job within an establishment.

Responsible for delivering high-quality education, skills and work provision, in line with prisoner need and aligned with regional, national and Ofsted standards and frameworks, to support prisoners into employment upon release.

All staff have a responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The post holder must undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

This is either an operational or non-operational job with line
management responsibilities. If operational, please see technical requirements. This role is non-rotational.

**Summary**

The job holder will be responsible for setting and leading the strategic direction for all of education, skills and work within the prison. This will involve developing a cont approach to all areas of Education, Skills and Work, ensuring that sequencing of activities is purposeful and directed towards maximising prisoners’ opportunities to access employment, education and training on release.

The job holder must ensure that all Education, Skills and Work activities are structured around the 5 pillars of the Ofsted Education Inspection Framework, supporting other function heads within the prison to maximise this approach in areas of prisoner residence and social interaction.

They will work with education providers, prison industries and local private enterprise to make the most appropriate use of workshops and all other prisoner places of work, providing prisoners with the learning and skills required to compete for and achieve employment within the local labour market.

As a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT), the job holder will contribute and implement their Function’s objectives as defined in the establishment’s Business Plan.

**Responsibilities, Activities and Duties**
- The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

- Responsible for setting and leading the strategic direction for all of education, skills and work within the establishment.
- Responsible for creating effective approaches to learning and teaching in line with HMPPS’ education vision and values, as well as regional and national directives and developing a cont, evidence-based, strategy for all education, skills and work so that the learning, skills and qualifications gained in prison work to maximise opportunities for employment on release.
- Responsible for delivery of the following related functions/pathways in a prison in line with national frameworks and guidance, and in a way which meets user needs. This will include, but not be limited to, Education, Neurodiversity, Employment on Release, Work in Prison/Industries, Farming & Gardens.
- Work in strategic partnership with the Head of Reducing Reoffending and other Head of Functions across each of their respective responsibilities to maximise education, skills and work opportunities, to reduce reoffending and support with effective prisoner resettlement.
- Work with the Governing Governor to maximise Release on Temporary License (ROTL): and develop strategy to support higher volumes of prison leavers into employment on release.
- Responsible for managing the quality of education, skills and work (ESW) provision using Ofsted’s Education Inspection Framework criteria, including providing guidance and expertise to the prison’s senior leadership team to ensure the requirements of Ofsted’s inspection framework are prioritised.
- Responsible for leading on inspections, including preparation, and driving forward the delivery of actions arising from them. This includes Standard Audit, His Majesty Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP), OFSTED/Estyn, Action Plans and Managing Quality of Prison Life (MQPL) surveys.
- Responsible for ensuring that a culture of employment is maintained within the prison, and responsible for prisoner outcomes in relation to employment post release.
- Responsibility for guiding the Prison Employment Lead (PEL) to embed this culture, utilising the Employment Hub (EH) and maximising the prison’s relationships with New Futures Network, Probation Service, Community Rehabilitation Service providers and other education/employment stakeholders and networks who support prison leavers.
- Responsible for ensuring the delivery of Prison Industries, Retail, Catering and PE Services (IRCPE), New Futures Network and local private enterprise work within prison workshops.
- Responsible for