Head of Skills, Education and Employment

Vacancy ID: 006800

37 hours per week

We are at the forefront of northern growth, and a flagship for successful devolution.

Improving the opportunities for residents in Tees Valley is critical for the delivery of our plans for the Tees Valley economy. With increasing responsibility for employment and skills being devolved to Tees Valley Combined Authority this new role is critical for the delivery of transformational change in skills, education and employment in the area.

Straddling the boundaries of County Durham and North Yorkshire, the Tees Valley covers five local authorities – Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Stockton and Redcar & Cleveland – with a combined population of 660,000.

The Authority incorporates the highly successful Local Enterprise Partnership, Tees Valley Unlimited, and sustains strong links with the local business community and other partners. Together, we aim to create 25,000 jobs and £2.8bn extra growth by 2026. From May 2017 a Mayor will be elected to chair our leadership board.

Having recently appointed our Managing Director we are now looking to recruit a Head of Skills, Education and Employment to lead and develop a Tees Valley wide skills, education and employment policy and strategy.

You will have senior leadership experience and strong partnership skills, enabling you to work with schools, colleges and employers. Driving forward this high profile area, you will develop our programme for adult skills, employability, apprenticeships and educational improvement, helping to transform the lives of people across the Tees Valley.

In a challenging environment, too many of our citizens are struggling to access the opportunities of a modern economy. So, we have prioritised investment in new skills and jobs, to deliver better outcomes by taking more local responsibility.

Through devolution, the Tees Valley Combined Authority is assuming significant responsibilities in this area. We will be directly responsible for adult education from 2018, with a budget of around £18m a year, alongside responsibilities for initiatives to help people into work, for apprenticeships, and to improve educational performance in close partnership with our partner authorities. We maintain strong relationships with the local HE, FE and independent providers, and play a vital coordinating role on initiatives to improve the skill base of the Tees Valley.

For detailed information on this role, please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification.

For more information, visit www.teesvalley-ca.gov.uk/jobs.

Closing Date: 17/10/16
Interview Date Expected to be held week commencing 31/10/2016