Personal Development Mentor – ABC Skills Academy, Edinburgh

Apex Scotland is the leading employment and training organisation specialising in work with people with convictions.

Apex Scotland offers a diverse range of services for young people and adults to help them remove personal barriers to employment and engage in education, employment or community activities.  We also work in partnership with many organisations and employers.

With support from Edinburgh City Council and funding through Capital City Partnership we have created the ABC Academy.  This is an innovative partnership, now in its second year, between Apex Scotland and All Cleaned Up (ACU) social enterprise.

All Cleaned Up (Scotland) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Apex Scotland. Trading as a social enterprise cleaning company and employability provider since 2012, ACU operate contracts in 20 different geographic locations across Scotland, employing 50 people and offering opportunities to many more.  A large percentage of our team come from the most marginalised and disadvantaged groups in society, including people with convictions, mental health issues, disabilities, health conditions and the long term unemployed.

The post holder will support ACU and Apex Scotland in continuing the ABC Academy, combining vocational skills training, employability and personal development support with practical work experience in ACU’s busy commercial cleaning business. The service will support individuals in Edinburgh with experience of the justice system.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and dynamic individual who has effective communication skills and an understanding of the nature of issues that unemployed individuals may present with. The right candidate will have the ability to engage with service users on a one to one or group basis and have experience of delivering training sessions or qualifications. An understanding of the network of support agencies in the area would be advantageous.

We envisage this post holder being based from our offices in Edinburgh.  This is an exciting opportunity as we continue to build on the success of this service.

Training will be given, however for this post you should be able to demonstrate good communication skills, be approachable and compassionate and have knowledge or experience of employability.  Experience of working to deadlines and targets is desirable.  Candidates should possess a good understanding of the current labour market and demonstrate the ability to build connections with local employers and stakeholders. All client activity and outcomes will be recorded on integrated systems management software, therefore a good eye for detail, IT skills and experience of reporting is essential.  You would need to demonstrate flexibility, some travel will be required therefore a driving licence or access to a means of transport would be an advantage. This service is currently funded until March 2025.

Part time or job share options can be discussed, please state your preference on your application

 In view of the nature of this post and the requirement to work with vulnerable adults, this post holder will be required to join the relevant PVG scheme.

PDM Job Description April 2023