JOB DESCRIPTION. Community-based ESOL (CbESOL) CbESOL Curriculum Manager (CM) Kay Penman

Transcription

1 JOB DESCRIPTION Post title Department / Section Centre Responsible To Number of post holders Administrative Assistant Community-based ESOL (CbESOL) College Community CbESOL Curriculum Manager (CM) Kay Penman 1 Purpose of Job To review and process course applications and enrolments. To maintain Students Records within the College Management Information Systems to accurately reflect College activity. Major Tasks Administer an efficient recruitment and admission service for CbESOL. Input student data from all CbESOL paper enrolments. Input, monitor and maintain data records relating to student enrolment to ensure integrity of Further Education Statistics (FES) submissions. Respond to enquiries and requests received via , telephone and mail from all internal and external stakeholders. Undertake, at the request of the CM, any other appropriate duties to support the department at an operational level, in a flexible and co-operative manner. 1

2 Job Activities Administer an efficient recruitment and admission service for Academic Centres Deal with all calls and enquiries in a sensitive and helpful manner. A large number of students who come to CbESOL are vulnerable due to their background. Needs vary depending on circumstances (eg asylum seekers and refugees, Shakti women s aid referrals). Have an ability to communicate sympathetically and clearly with applicants who may have very limited abilities in English Arrange student interviews in consultation with Curriculum Managers and Lecturers for all CbESOL applications Liaise with applicants regarding the suitability of the course they have applied for and providing information on relevant funding to ensure payment of tuition fees Provide support to ESOL applicants who need assistance with form filling. Work closely with finance staff to ensure fees are correct and receipted accurately on Unit- E. Liaise with lecturers to collect enrolment forms, fees, ILA documents and fee waiver evidence. Arrange and facilitate enrolment for students Input data from paper enrolments to ensure students are enrolled on the correct course and course group and resolve any emerging issues immediately. Ensure correct fee information is entered during these sessions. Photograph students and generate student ID cards and Travel Permits. As PVG counter-signatory, responsible for accurate verification of relevant documents and liaise with Disclosure Scotland to resolve any issues. Record and submit student bookings to Skills Development Scotland to ensure ILA payment. Provide information and advise applicants on college fee waiver policy. Input, monitor and maintain data records relating to student enrolment to ensure integrity of FES submissions Responsible, in conjunction with MIS and Quality, for the accurate input and maintenance of SQA records to ensure correct certification Use SQA Navigator where appropriate to search for Scottish Candidate Numbers in order to update Unit E appropriately and to ensure candidates have appropriate entry qualifications Process withdrawals, transfers and cancellations accurately as per college policy Make changes and maintain accuracy of student details on Student Records System (Unit-E) Assign optional course units on Unit E to ensure students will qualify for their awards Accurate input of fees and receipt information on Unit E including split fee information to ensure correct invoices are raised Engage with Curriculum Managers, MIS Staff, LDT s and Lecturers regarding course amendments (withdrawals, transfers and cancellations) and timely recording of student absence via the CELCAT Register System Work closely with MIS checking student information and processing updates/amendments as necessary to ensure the integrity of FES submissions to the Scottish Funding Council Respond to enquiries and requests received via , telephone and mail from all internal and external stakeholders Deal with a high volume of varied enquiries from a wide range of cross-college staff, applicants, students and other external bodies as appropriate Working closely with Student Services and CbESOL lecturers, deal with a range of referrals/enquiries (Student cards, Registers, Applications, References/Letter Requests and change of circumstance) Provide accurate information to external bodies required for reference checking Supervision and Management of People (Numbers and type of staff) None 2

3 Creativity and Innovation The post holder is required to develop a full awareness of all aspects of the college, its course provision, funding options, qualifications and progression routes available in order to assess applications and award course places to best effect. He/she is also be required to develop a good working knowledge of the student record management information systems and how each area of the system is integrated to ensure accuracy of data. Student Records Administrators (SRA) are always looking to improve the levels of service available as we come into contact with many college services e.g. student support during application and enrolment periods. The role-holder therefore encourages and contributes to developing, reviewing and innovating services offered to promote a better level of customer service to prospective students and staff. Closely involved in the design and implementation of improved processes and procedures using the Lean Business Model ensuing from the Rapid Improvement Events. This can be as simple as creating an office rota and taking responsibility for certain tasks. Further examples of this include putting forward ideas for improved SAM form procedures to colleagues at team leader and management levels which have now been resolved and implemented. SRA s are also required to identify any errors or scope for improvement in external communication, regarding Interview or offer texts and ensure this is changed by liaising with MIS colleagues. Contribute to development of efficient processes and procedures in liaison with Team Leaders and MIS Manager. Contacts and Relationships - Internal Students Students require a huge amount of information regarding courses and application process, timetables, points of contact, tuition fees (collection and recording), ILAs, absences, interview arrangements etc. Student Records are in the perfect position to provide this information as they are central to many of the processes and procedures on how this information is disseminated. Academic Staff Post-holder provides intricate information to Academic staff regarding students, student applications, enrolments, admissions procedures and other processes, including student withdrawals, student absence and timetabling issues; systems advice is also given. SRAs are periodically required to provide advice about amendments to interview texts, course application capacity or improvements to systems and processes. Management Information Systems (MIS) SRAs liaise regularly with MIS to resolve issues with course framework, CELCAT registers, optional units, course applications system where identified Other Support Staff The role holder regularly provides course and system information to colleagues in student services for them to relay back to applicants. Advice is also regularly given about a broad range of topics relating to the best course of action for students or applicants to take and the processes involved e.g. when students have queries about the application process or the status of their application. Finance Student Records relationship with Finance is vitally important to ensure that every enrolment has the correct fee and receipt information recorded in Unit-e, to ensure correct fee generation and income to the College. This is particularly important in these times of financial constraint and the ongoing financial pressures the College finds itself under. Other important internal contacts include Student Records Team Leaders, the MIS Manager and IT 3

4 Contacts and Relationships - External Applicants, Parents and Guardians, family members including spouses, Schools Guidance Teachers and Support Workers Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Support Organisations (eg Shakti) CbESOL Outreach Venues Employers and Training Providers Scottish Qualification Authority Disclosure Scotland Skills Development Scotland UK Border Agency and other Government Bodies Job Centre Plus All of the above external contacts rely on the depth of knowledge that the SRA s have developed and the high levels of customer care that they deliver. Decisions (i) Discretion The post holder will prioritise their own workload on a day-to-day basis. The post holder will make decisions on which of the many services and processes the College can provide to support the customer and resolve their enquiry ensuring customer care is maintained at all times. While the post holder is expected to handle the majority of their own enquiries themselves, they must also decide at which point to pass on queries to other colleagues, either within the department or beyond, or ask for further advice from their Curriculum Manager. The post holder is expected to use their initiative throughout the application and enrolment process, using explicitly-defined and detailed College policy. Close involvement with Rapid Improvement Events to implement and design new and improved College wide procedures and processes. (ii) Consequences All successful applicants are placed on appropriate courses and accurately enrolled as soon as possible. Incorrect enrolment could result in: Students not appearing on registers and therefore bursary and SAAS funding could be affected. Impact on the students gaining their desired qualification Loss of income to the College (Grant in Aid Funding, incorrect fee information) PVG forms not being completed correctly or being queried by Disclosure Scotland can lead to students not being able to undertake their placement. 4

5 Resources Property and Equipment Phone 100 s Business use, security and fault reporting PC 100 s Business use, security and fault reporting Student Records Filing 100 s Business use, security and fault reporting Cameras (ID Cards) 100 s Business use, security and fault reporting ID Card Printers 1000 s Business use, security and maintenance (Changing ink ribbons/replenishing stock) Multifunctional Device 1000 s Business use, security and fault reporting (Basic maintenance resolving paper jams and replenish/reorder paper) Drawers 100 s Business use and security Environment (i) Work Demands The post-holder is largely independent at managing their own workload and the demands placed upon them. These demands are largely determined by the number of enquiries and customers seeking assistance: the job holder needs to respond to high volumes at peak times. Prioritise competing demands within time constraints. Answering non-standard enquiries and analysing and clarifying with the customers the true nature of their enquiry. Handling extremely high volumes of applications and tight deadlines. The post holder is required to meet deadlines relating to the quality cycle of the year. The demands include the timely processing of paper enrolment forms from classes spread across 23 venues primarily at the start of the year but also throughout the year due to our roll on roll off delivery as well as collecting photographs from lecturers in order to produce student ID cards. There can be a need to do this urgently in order for students to be entered for optional units which is also a requirement of this post. The geographical spread of our delivery across the city makes communicating and liaising with lecturers and students over administrative tasks a complex issue requiring flexibility and a need to be able to work independently but also to respond to direction from the CbESOL Curriculum Manager and the Student records Team. Students urgently requiring ESOL certification for Home Office applications need to be identified, interviewed and referred to appropriate provision as quickly as possible. Decisions to cancel a class in the event of staff sickness or problems with the venue would be taken by the CM but the post holder could be in the position of informing the CM about the situation and then contacting lecturers to organise cover on direction from the CM and also contacting students to inform them about any changes to their timetabled class. Complex issues relating to ILA payments for example would require the post holder to liaise with a range of staff across the college and to identify areas where the CM would need to be involved. Assist with mentoring and training newer members of the team as requested, following the College s policies and procedures at all times. Share best practice and relevant information with colleagues as and when required. 5

6 (ii) Physical The role consists of normal office based duties and prolonged use of computer workstations, in a seated position. The exception of this would be dealing with new applicants in the Student Services area. (iii) Working Conditions 100% office based, except during Registration and Induction weeks at Drummond Community High School where the post holder may be expected to assist with directing new students. This process continues for part-time and evening students after this time as an on demand service. (iv) Work Context Dealing sensitively with unsuccessful applicants and deciding when it is necessary to pass it on to Curriculum staff. The psot holder could be the first point of contact for current or prospective students wishing to make a complaint or sometimes for family members of students getting in touch about a problem. This can involve dealing with angry people and difficult situations and requires the post holder to take details, communicate calmly and refer the issue to the CM. At certain periods of the year (application / enrolment) huge quantities of correspondence and phone calls come in. The Administrator must be able to deal with these in an effective and efficient manner. Therefore, the post holder must be able to respond appropriately to high volumes of diverse and, at times, complex enquiries. The post holder is required to prioritise tasks on a daily basis and work together as a team within CbESOL ensuring all tasks are completed in a timely and efficient manner Knowledge and Skills Essential knowledge, skills and experience: An education to higher grade/svq Level 3 or HNC in Administration or Computing based subject would be advantageous Demonstrates effective customer care skills and is approachable, adaptable and tactful in their approach. Excellent communication (written and verbal) and interpersonal skills with the ability to be self-motivated. Accurate keyboard skills including the ability to use a range of Microsoft packages e.g. Word, Excel etc Excellent organisational and record-keeping skills Desirable knowledge, skills and experience: Ability to be innovative; generating ideas/solutions effectively and efficiently, to overcome day to day operational difficulties At least four year s general administrative experience. Ability to contribute positively to the ongoing development of the team and the ongoing development of College operational targets in this area, with a flexible and committed proactive approach Demonstrates a commitment to developing effective and efficient administration services. Commitment to operating quality systems and procedures 6

7 College Community Staffing Flow Chart Head of Centre Jane Handley DC110 Curriculum Manager Community Based ESOL & Literacies 0.5 Clerical Assistant Vacancy DC130 7

8 Date Signed....(Employee) Date Signed...(Manager) Date... Signed...(Head of Centre) 8