Do you enjoy working with young people? Do you have valuable work and/or life experience that you could use to provide direction, advice and guidance to young people from different cultural and social backgrounds, who are seeking to make education, employment and life choices?
Connexions Nottinghamshire is offering bursary opportunities to study for the Qualification in Career Guidance (QCG) at Nottingham Trent University. Following successful completion of this qualification, bursary students will be offered a permanent Personal Adviser position with the Company.
About the role
The Personal Adviser role is to engage with young people, to enable them to identify and begin to address their needs by raising their ambitions and improving their self confidence. Additionally, you will help remove the barriers to learning by working with other services to help the young person progress into education, employment and training.
This 10 month course commences in September 07, is full time; Monday to Wednesday requiring attendance at university, Thursday and Friday being study days with full time attendance during work based learning.
The Bursary payment of £8,000 will cover costs of course fees (approximately £2,950) and provides a small living allowance.
Application process
Applicants are requested to respond with a basic CV detailing their qualifications and work history including any relevant voluntary work.
In addition applicants are required to provide a word processed statement, a maximum of 2 sides of A4, font 12, detailing why they are suited to this opportunity. Essentially you will need to show the ability to study at HE Level 3 standard (overseas qualifications are acceptable). Equally we value your life experiences and your attitude and ability to work as a Personal Adviser.
Candidates invited to attend the selection process will be required to provide documentary evidence of qualifications.
As this career involves working with young people appointed candidates would be required to undergo an enhanced criminal background check.
Responses to: Helen Turnbull, HR Administrator, Connexions Nottinghamshire, Heathcote Buildings, Heathcoat Street, Nottingham NG1 3AA, by midday on 15 June.
Selection/open evenings (by invitation) are scheduled on 2 and 3 July with follow up interviews on 18 and 19 July.
Connexions Nottinghamshire is committed to equality of opportunity to all.
Case studies from QCG students 2006/7
Adam Broadhurst
I am nearing the end of the Qualification in Career Guidance at Nottingham Trent University and on the whole have found this a rewarding, positive experience.
The course is split into modules run by tutors who are very experienced and sensitive to student issues and their support and advice has been invaluable. The learning experience has been varied with lectures to the whole group and then splitting off into smaller groups which really helped to build my confidence and keep focussed. We are encouraged to share our experiences and learn from each other which has generated a real sense of camaraderie and it’s great to know that you’re not the only one who may be struggling with some aspect of the course.
From my point of view the only downside to this course has been coping with the workload, getting up to speed in writing essays and at the same time trying to maintain a social life.
Lisa Sowerby – QCG Student 2006/2007
Prior to beginning the Qualification in Careers Guidance course I spent 16 months working for Connexions as a Young Person’s Adviser and thus already had a pretty good insight into the Connexions service. However the 12 weeks of work placements that I undertook as part of the course enabled me to gain a wealth of knowledge regarding the other job roles within Connexions.
The weeks I spent on work placement also provided me with the opportunity to put what I had been learning in the classroom into practice. I found the opportunity to observe Personal Advisers conducting interviews and delivering group work to be extremely valuable and I believe this really helped me to develop my own practice. Although I found learning to interview and deliver group work sessions to be very challenging I also found it extremely rewarding.
The biggest difficulty I faced whilst undertaking my work placements was finding the time to write my assignments. I was however able to overcome this challenge by managing my time well and being organised both of which are skills that will help me to manage my workload as a Personal Adviser.
