Scott Parkin is Chief Executive of the Institute of Employability Professionals
Employability practitioners play a vital role in supporting people to gain work, progress in work and retain work.
As a result of high unemployment attributable to the Covid pandemic, the employability sector is experiencing transformational growth with the government investing heavily in employability programmes such as Restart to support the UK’s economic recovery.
Who should consider a career in employability?
Employability practitioners need considerable knowledge and skills combined with a passion for helping people to improve their lives.
Having the ability to assess needs, identify and map a participant’s journey, help to motivate and build confidence so they are able to progress and transform their lives requires a high level of compassion, understanding and commitment.
It is a tremendously rewarding vocation that not only allows you to play a role in helping the people you are working with but to also have a positive impact on the lives of their families, communities and wider society.
“Employability practitioners need considerable knowledge and skill to diagnose needs, effectively identify and map transformative options to create a viable pathway for an individual’s learning and work goals. Alongside this, practitioners also need to be able to empathise, influence and encourage to inspire hope, nurture confidence and build the resilience of their participants.” Veejay Patel FIEP Managing Director Business 2 Business
Why consider a career in employability?
As well as the social impact, a career in employability also offers extraordinary opportunities for personal and professional growth. The employability sector’s professional membership body, the Institute of Employability Professionals, has developed an accredited suite of learning at Level 2, Level 3 and a Level 4 Apprenticeship providing a career pathway for practitioners in the sector. The learning and qualifications help to prepare practitioners to initially provide effective support for individuals in their search for employment and then to undertake further learning as you progress through your career to support many more complex cases.
This is what you can expect as an Employability Practitioner:
- A large, fast moving and growing sector with exciting career prospects.
- The opportunity to use your skills to deliver positive outcomes for your participants.
- A supportive and encouraging sector where professional development is strongly encouraged.
- Job satisfaction in supporting people to thrive.
What transferable skills will be in demand?
Working as a frontline practitioner you will possess excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with a range of people. You will be resilient, confident and empathetic, being non-judgemental and a good motivator.
As you progress through your career you will develop a range of skills that span a variety of specialist areas from customer service, IAG, sales, recruitment, coaching and mentoring, complaint handling and caseload management to planning and organisation, business development and partnership engagement. Skills, knowledge and experience in any of these areas will benefit you if you’re looking for a career in employability.
What the sector is looking for:
- The ability to manage a caseload of participants effectively.
- Empathy and the ability to coach and support individuals through a challenging period in their lives.
- Exemplary customer service.
- Managing relationships built on trust.
- Administration and digital skills and the ability to use online systems.
The Institute of Employability Professionals
The IEP is the membership body for employability professionals, dedicated to supporting the people who support others gain work, progress in work and retain work. You can watch a video here that helps to explain the developmental journey of both an employability professional and an individual who needs our help.
Contact the IEP
enquiries@iemployability.org
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