Prison Employment Lead

The job holder has responsibility for improving prison leavers' employment outcomes by assessing the work readiness of prisoners and matching them to suitable jobs; working with employer engagement colleagues, DWP and other partners to promote jobs and training opportunities from the prison Employment Hub.

Summary

HMPPS have invested significantly in a variety of activities that give prisoners the opportunity to develop work skills and gain experience.

Employment is managed as part of the Education, Training and Employment pathway, which alongside Finance, Benefit and Debt and a range of support services, provides prisoners with the skills and knowledge to live a law-abiding life after leaving prison.

A key aspect of this service is to support prison leavers into meaningful, sustained employment on release by working with employers in the community.

The New Futures Network (NFN) is a national network of employment brokers and industry leads, who work to establish relationships with a range of sector-based employers. The specific aim is to increase the number of prison leavers entering into employment on release. In order for these employers to benefit from the potential labour pool that exists within Prisons in England and Wales, it is essential that work ready candidates are identified pre-release.

The role of the Prison Employment Lead (PEL) is to identify work ready prisoners and match them to jobs through face to face interventions.

The Prison Employment Lead will principally be responsible for:

• Identifying work ready candidates.
• Referring prisoners to work readiness support.
• Matching work ready candidates to suitable vacancies supplied by the New Futures Network, DWP and other employment.

This is a non-operational job with line management responsibilities. This role is non-rotational.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

The role of the PEL is to improve employment outcomes for prison leavers. In order to achieve this, they will:

• Engage with stakeholders within the prison to establish a system that identifies work ready prisoners and highlights actions needed to support prisoners to achieve work readiness.
• Work with prison staff and DWP Prison Work Coaches to match work ready candidates to job opportunities from the New Futures Network (NFN), DWP Employment Advisers and National Employer and Partnership Team.
• Support contracted IAG and Education providers to ensure the prison induction process properly: o promotes employment, education and skills training opportunities to prisoners upon arrival

at the prison

• effectively captures information relating to prisoner education, work experience and skills
• encourages prisoners to develop personal and social skills that improve employability
• Manage an Employment Hub which centralises employment support services within the prison and promotes live vacancies to prison leavers within the resettlement period.
• Champion innovations in employment and industry focused recruitment practices, such as hospitality/construction drives etc.
• Work in partnership with the Prison's Strategic Employment Advisory Boards to improve systems that support prisoners to develop employability, ensuring they meet commercial needs/standards of employers.
• Contribute to the Local Partnership Agreement (LPA) with DWP detailing the responsibilities of the PEL, Prison Work Coaches and DWP Employment Advisers and how they will work together at the prison.
• Organise regular opportunities for NFN, DWP and other stakeholders to bring employers into the prison and facilitate prisoner forums.
• Work in partnership with Community Offender Management (COM) to ensure prison leaver information is supplied to relevant agencies post release in order to remove duplication.
• Liaise with COM to ensure prison leavers who require further support on release are signposted to Education, Training and Employment Commissioned Rehabilitative Services (CRS) who can continue to support them on their journey towards meaningful, sustained employment.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.

An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales) Welsh.

Civil Service Success Profile Criteria

Behaviours

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service
• Changing and Improving

Experience

• Experience of working with senior officials.
• Experience of working across stakeholder groups and Other Government Departments and excellent influencing skills, showing the ability to deal effectively with conflict and deliver objectives.
• Has experience of setting goals and achieving targets.
• Has commercial experience and an understanding of contract management.
• Has previous experience/understanding of recruitment processes/legislation (desirable).

Ability

• Ability to engage at Local and Regional Management level.
• Ability to work in partnership with NFN Managers, communicating strategy and priorities to providers and stakeholders.
• Resilience under pressure, ability to articulate and defend decisions on behalf of HMPPS.
• Strong written and excellent verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
• Strong team building and working skills.

Hours of Work

Additional Information

Working Arrangements & Further Information

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working.Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone's circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised roles, the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to aMoJoffice location, which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. This will be discussed and agreed on the completion of pre-employment checks.

Some of MoJ's terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week excluding breaks which are unpaid. HMPPS welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance withthe HMPPS' Flexible Working policy.

If you are a current NPS employee, this vacancy may be available on a Loan basis for up to 2 years. Applications are invited from suitable qualified staff.

The Loan/Secondment is subject to the approval of the selected candidate's Business Unit, which should be obtained before confirmation of appointment.

-The holiday year runs from 1 March. If you work a non standard work pattern your leave entitlement may be expressed in either hours or days as appropriate. Leave entitlement is calculated on a pro-rata basis and you will be advised of your actual entitlement on appointment. If you were appointed internally and your leave was previously calculated in days, this will continue to be the case.

Bank, Public and Privilege Holidays

-You are entitled to 9 days (66 hours 36 minutes) in recognition of bank, public and privilege holidays. These hours are added to your annual leave allowance. There is a requirement to work some public and bank holidays subject to your shift pattern and the operational needs of the establishment

Pension

-The Civil Service offers a choice of two pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Work Life Balance

HM Prison & Probation Service(HMPPS) is keen to encourage alternative working arrangements. Work life balance provides greater opportunities for staff to work more flexibly wherever managers and establishments can accommodate requests to do so. HMPPS offers flexible working subject to completion of a satisfactory probationary period and NVQ

Season Ticket Advance

-After two months' service, you'll be eligible to apply for a season ticket advance to purchase a quarterly or longer-period season ticket for travel between home and your place of work

For any moves across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers

Training
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