Dyw Programme Officer

**Developing the Young Workforce (DYW)**

Established in 2014, the Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Regional Groups are a national network of industry-led groups tasked with strengthening and developing employer engagement with education. DYW West Lothian is hosted by West Lothian Chamber of Commerce.

The Regional Groups engage directly with key stakeholders, including educators, to understand how businesses can better prepare our young people for the world of work, and we use this knowledge to enhance and expand engagement and partnerships between schools and the business community.

**DYW West Lothian (DYW WL)**

DYW WL is the industry-led Regional Group for the West Lothian local authority area. We are a small but dynamic and effective team, who are passionate about what we do to inspire and better prepare the next generation for the world of work.

In 2020, the capability and scale of the DYW West Lothian Regional Group expanded, with funding being made available to recruit DYW School Coordinators to work directly in secondary schools across the region. This provides our core team with schools-based DYW Coordinators to support the delivery of business engagement in school.

**DYW West Lothian Programme Officer**

The Programme Officer plays a crucial role within the Regional Group, taking a lead on liaising with - and connecting - schools and employers. The Programme Officer reports to, and is supported by, the Programme Manager, who has overall responsibility for delivering the programme. There is also a Project Assistant who leads on social media, provides general administrative support and helps to coordinate and plan events. There are 7.5 FTE DYW School Coordinators who cover all secondary and ASN schools within the West Lothian area, and the Programme Office will have regular communication and interaction with the School Coordinator network.

**West Lothian Chamber of Commerce (WLCOC)**

The programme is hosted by WL Chamber of Commerce who is one of the region’s main business support organisations. All DYW WL staff are employed by WLCOC and there is a growing synergy between DYW WL and WLCOC.

**DYW WL Employer Board**

The DYW WL Employer Board is a group of private and public sector employers, who come together along with key partner organisations on a regular basis to provide input and guidance to DYW WL. This helps shape the programme and helps ensure we are delivering opportunities that are relevant to local employers.

**JOB SUMMARY**

The Programme Officer is a front-facing, dynamic and varied role which is key to the success of school-employer engagement in West Lothian. You will be supported by a small team of staff along with the DYW WL Board who represent key sectors from industry in the region. You’ll play an instrumental role in delivering DYW activity across West Lothian, guided by a set of national KPIs. Delivery of activities to meet these KPIs will be the key success measures to demonstrate we are achieving our intended impact. Delivering the qualitative measures is equally as important, as we take pride in our education-employer partnerships delivering meaningful, sustainable, positive impacts through activity and interactions with young people.

You’ll be expected to support the strategic approach of the team through to delivery, raise the profile of DYW WL and, through your ability to inspire and influence others, ensure key stakeholders and the business community understand the benefits of engaging with DYW.

The role will include key stakeholder engagement, including with the local business community, education, the Local Authority and other relevant partners, Scottish Government, business support organisations and other key agencies.

This is an externally facing, high profile role within the business and education communities in West Lothian, with successful relationship and partnership management with a wide range of stakeholders and the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities, essential to your success.

**1. Stakeholder Relationships**
- Identify, build and maintain influential relationships with senior leaders across the West Lothian business community, schools, colleges and other key stakeholders, partner agencies and the national DYW network
- Encourage employers to commit to DYW, promoting the benefits of DYW to new employers as well as maintaining relationships with our existing employer network
- Work in partnership with the Local Authority and other key partners to lead and maximise the opportunities to strengthen and grow education employer partnerships and engagement via the DYW School Coordinator network
- Support the DYW Programme Manager, wider team and DYW Board in the continuous development of DYW and promote the DYW agenda with passion, enthusiasm and professionalism

**2. Leadership, Planning & Reporting**
- Play a key role in driving DYW activity in schools through the DYW School Coordinator network, both by supporting and fulfillin