Job Title:                                    Team Leader/ IQA – Childcare Apprenticeships

Report to:                                  Head of Children and Early Years

Responsible for:                       Line Manage Team Members to support Apprentices on the Children, Early Years and Teaching Assistant apprenticeships and IQA qualifications for Childcare, Early Years and Teaching Assistant apprenticeships.

Base:                                           Homebased

Main role objective:      

To line manager and develop staff effectively to ensure qualitative and timely completions within the Childcare and Early Years Apprenticeships.

Qualifications & Experience

Qualifications:

• Cert Ed/DET (or equivalent)
• TAQA (A1 or equivalent)
• IQA (V1 or equivalent)
• Key Skills Level 3 and/or Functional Skills Level 2(or equivalent)
• Level 5+ Childcare qualification

Experience:

• Experience of delivering & assessing Children, young people, and families’ practitioner and/or Manager, and Early Years Practitioner/Educator/Lead Practitioner/Teaching Assistant apprenticeships and on programme qualifications.
• Assessment of Learners
• Internal Quality Assurance
• Lesson Planning & Preparation
• Delivery of Training to Learners
• Basic Skills Assessment
• General understanding of apprenticeship training and contract funding issues
• Identifying and implementing training solutions.
• Assessment to identify additional learning support needs.
• Working in an environment of Continuous Quality Improvement.
• Working in an environment offering individual support for staff and Learners.
• Working in a Managerial role.
• Working in a customer-facing role.

Tasks  

Apprentices

1. Manage assessment of learner work and other activities and feedback on progress towards completion of all relevant paperwork for the induction process as laid down by company policy and procedures, ensuring that details are passed on to compliance and the relevant company offices as required.
2. Deliver workshops and assess childcare and early years apprentices and support delivery of sessions where required to support the team.

1. Keep the Head of Childcare and Early Years fully briefed on apprentice progress, review dates and target dates and work with them to ensure that Contract Value is realised.
2. Identify and manage the delivery of any training required for underpinning knowledge to support apprentices’ successful completion of units towards their Apprenticeship Programme.
3. To ensure that all Action Plans are reviewed regularly on a timely basis with team, apprentices, and employers.
4. Oversee mentoring and or coaching, with staff, for apprentices, ensuring any additional needs are identified and supported.  Offer information, advice and guidance as required.
5. Assist with disputes and appeals from apprentices or Assessors and refer these to the appropriate authority.
6. Complete all relevant paperwork for the induction process as laid down by company policy and procedures, ensuring that details are passed on to compliance and the relevant company offices as learners are posted.
7. Manage monthly profiles as per company requirements,
8. Conduct Team Leader checks on documentation for quality, context, SMART targets, etc.

Team Leader

1. Line Manage a team of childcare and EY Skills coaches, including monitoring and delivery of attendance, conduct, discipline, appraisal, Training Cycle, feedback, and mentoring.
2. Liaise and work in conjunction with HR on any occasion where Company Policy & Procedure needs to be invoked (e.g. Attendance, Capability, Disciplinary, etc.)
3. To ensure the team plan and manage their caseload effectively and efficiently with due regard to cost-effectiveness and teamwork.
4. To maintain accurate records always, preparing reports as required by the Head of Childcare.
5. To ensure data is entered onto BUD on a timely basis by self and team, managing and controlling the MIS database within team locations.
6. To establish and maintain good working relations with all employer contacts through liaison, briefing and reporting.
7. To represent the Company in a professional and competent manner at all time
8. Manage monthly profiles as per company requirements, ensuring that outstanding reviews are managed efficiently, break in learning, where they occur, are kept to a minimum and that no learners fall into the ‘Past Planned End Date’ criteria.
9. Conduct OTL of team/staff members and manage reporting and staff development in line with company policy and procedure.
10. Conduct Line Manager checks on documentation for quality, context, SMART targets, etc.

Quality

1. To carry out the internal quality assurance processes in accordance with Exalt-Training and Awarding Bodies’ procedures, providing constructive feedback on assessment judgements where necessary.
2. To keep accurate records of assessment and internal quality assurance ready for inspection.
3. Maintain internal quality assurance sampling tracking sheets ensuring that assessment methods and supporting evidence can be cross-referenced against learners’ portfolios.
4. Sample portfolios on an ongoing basis across the range of assessors, learners, and relevant qualifications.

5. To assist in the preparation of and participate in External Verification visits, Internal Audit and Ofsted Audits and Inspections.
6. Ensure that each IQA within the Childcare and EY team has a formalised sampling plan; that the sampling is being completed correctly and that the plan is in line with the Awarding Bodies and Exalt-Training’s Policies and Procedures.
7. Ensure that standardisation meetings are carried out across the organisation in line with Exalts Policies and Procedures; to attend at least one Standardisation meeting per Centre/Team annually and ensure that best practice is extrapolated across the organisation.
8. Chair all quarterly Children and EY sector IQA meetings; this can be in conjunction with the Lead IQA standardisation meetings.
9. Ensure a consistent approach to the internal quality assurance process is carried out in accordance with Exalts’ internal quality assurance Strategy across the sector.
10. Ensure IQA – Learner questionnaires are being carried out according to Exalt’s Policies and Procedures and maintain a record of the number of interviews carried out by each Team Leader/IQA monthly
11. Carry out Internal Quality Assurance Checks on all IQA within the Childcare and Early Years sector against the IQA/V1/D34 standards within Exalt as per Policies and Procedures, ensuring that standards, as laid down, are being met and providing a report on each IQA to the Head of Childcare and EY, ensuring also wherever required, any training needs are forwarded to the Head of Childcare and Early Years for action.
12. Liaise directly with the Quality Manager on any quality and compliance issues that may arise.
13. Coordinate the preparation for all External Verifier visits; nominating an IQA who will lead the visit; attending such visits and giving support where necessary.
14. Carry out IQA training, when requested.
15. Attend Awarding Body standardisation conferences and seminars to gain information on

               updates, new practices, and procedures.

16. Assist the Head of Childcare and EY to develop, evaluate and implement

new/revised QCF standards – Working in close liaison with IQAs from the Childcare sector to produce documentation and new working practices.

17. To evolve existing qualifications, documentation, practices, and procedures across Exalt, working in close liaison with the sector IQAs and the Quality Manager.

Skills/Abilities – Interpersonal:

• Ability to train and assess Children, young people and families’ practitioner and/or Manager, and Early Years Practitioner/Educator/Lead Practitioner/Teaching Assistant apprenticeships and on programme qualifications.
• Possession of good communication skills, written and oral.
• The ability to manage, develop and motivate a team to high performing levels.
• The ability to develop positive working relationships with individuals at all levels.
• The ability to train others with energy and enthusiasm and provide an environment where learners feel motivated.
• The ability to work effectively as a manager, as part of a team as well as autonomously when necessary.

Skills/Abilities – Other:

• Ability to prioritise own workload and meet deadlines.
• The ability to demonstrate Leadership capabilities.
• Ability to produce work to an appropriate standard in line with the requirements of the role.
• Using a PC/Laptop for creating, storing, and retrieving information.
• Effective Time Management Skills.
• Flexible and able to cope under pressure.
• An understanding of Safeguarding Issues.
• An understanding of Equality & Diversity.

Work-related Circumstances

• Possession of a full driving licence, the ability to drive and use of a car.
• The ability and willingness to undertake relevant staff development.