Support Officer (ALS)

Package Generous annual leave package Generous pension scheme Staff benefits and rewards  

Oldham College is a great career choice for ambitious professionals. With a “good” Ofsted rating, a Silver “TEF” assessment for our higher education provision, one of the best apprenticeship programmes in the region, excellent 16-18 results and truly outstanding GCSE English results, we are already a high performer. 

But we want to deliver much more than this.  Our ambition is to be “The Best Place to Learn and Work” and we have a clear Strategic Plan which sets out what this means and what we will do to deliver it.  We will keep on improving and innovating, and we are investing in new provision, new facilities and new technology. 

We expect a lot from you, so we want ambitious, open minded candidates, who are ready to give their best.  But we give a lot in return, from training to pensions, our own benefits package, and one of the best and most helpful group of colleagues you could ever wish to meet. That’s true, by the way – ask almost anyone who has been here. Or come and see for yourself. 

If you want to be outstanding, and want to help us achieve the same thing, then please apply.

We are looking for:

  • Additional Learning Support Officers (to support both mainstream and complex needs students)
  • FTE Salary is £19,027.00 Actual Salary is £16,904.76 (Pro Rata 40 weeks per year)

This is a very important role. 

Alun Francis, our Principal, says: “This is a very important appointment, the Additional Learning Support Department is central to our plans for the future, and we are looking for high calibre candidates.  We want people who love their profession, are committed to providing high quality support to students, colleagues and the wider college.  We are investing in the facilities, employer relationships and the skills and knowledge of our staff.  We are looking for people who will respond to this, love the learners and enjoy the challenges and benefits of working at Oldham College”.

Stephanie Firth, Head of Additional Learning Support, says “The ALS department has been recognised nationally for our important work around Inclusivity. To join this award winning team you have must have natural empathy for young people, be willing to advocate on their behalf and be SEND ambassadors across College working towards an ethos where `every Teacher is a Teacher of SEND”.

Oldham College is a medium sized general further education college, with a turnover of almost £25m. It has one main campus in the centre of town, and this in the third phases of a £40m redevelopment which began in 2012.   Higher education is taught on a second, dedicated campus, a short walk away.   The College delivers a full range of work related education and training, including 16-18 programmes of study, T levels, apprenticeships, adult learning and higher education.  It has over 5000 full-time students and 600 undergraduates.   

The College is in the top quartile for 16-18 programmes of study and English GCSE resits, and in apprenticeship provision, but is the second highest performing provider Greater Manchester. The quality of its higher education provision is better than many established universities. 

Joining our Journey:

When you join our college, our colleagues have access to numerous benefits and facilities:  

  • Generous Pension Scheme  
  • Fantastic Staff Benefits and Rewards platform
  • Very generous holiday entitlement
  • Employee Assistance Scheme
  • Enhanced Maternity/Paternity provision
  • Staff Development days/week (Jan, July, Aug)
  • Free confidential counselling service
  • Staff recognition awards
  • Subsidised car parking
  • On-site Day Nursery
  • On-site hair and beauty salon and The Grange Theatre both offering staff discounts

 The Role: Support Officer - Complex Needs

As a Support Officer in this department you will provide the full range of support for students with complex support needs, enabling them to access the College provision; this includes providing support on work placements, enrichment activities and external visits and personal care needs. You will have experience of helping student`s day to day self-care, such as toileting and hygiene and you will be able to assist students with mobility as needed, transporting from one location to another with a wheelchair or other form of support. Preferably, you will have experience in feeding students with complex needs, or be prepared to undergo training to do this.

Support Officer - Mainstream

As a Support Officer working across College, you will need to be confident in supporting students across different vocational areas and English and maths. You may have some experience in working with students that have behavioural difficulties, or have confidence issues and will need you to ensure the support outlined in their Support Profiles are adhered to. Mainstream lessons range from Level 1 to Level 3 and include GCSE maths and English.

Please note Agency Workers currently working within this role must have worked for the College for a minimum of 3-6 months before applying for these positions.

Further details including a Person Specification are included within the attached Job Description.

The role will require you to embed and work to the college’s values; working with Integrity, having Ambition to help our learners succeed and being Inclusive to learners and colleagues alike.