Apprentice and Employer Engagement Officer

The position, while based from Colchester will be expected to cover the whole county. 

Overview

ACL Essex is the largest provider of adult education in the county. Our aim is to provide learners with as many ways to flourish as possible, to be there in communities across Essex, to make a difference to residents and businesses, so they can make a difference for themselves and to the places that they live in.

The Role

Adult Community Learning (ACL) is ECC’s provider of lifelong learning experiences for Essex residents. ACL offers qualifications to help people move nearer to, enter or progress within the workplace or gain skills to enhance life chances. The service focuses many of its programmes and activities on the hardest to reach communities within Essex. ACL learners have access to a diverse range of accredited and non-accredited courses which encourage creativity, healthy lifestyles, social inclusion and engagement.

The Employer Engagement Officer is tasked with generating and sustaining new business for ACL. Proactively working to maximise opportunities, the role involves increasing the number of learners and apprenticeships across all programs. Excellent sales skills are required, along with demonstrable evidence of meeting targets.

With excellent account management, ability to build strong working relationships with both internal and external stakeholders that increases Apprenticeship take up and new business opportunities.

Accountabilities:

• Responsible for generating good quality leads, from both new and existing customer bases, through a range of proactive sales activities that increase apprenticeship uptake and generate new income streams.
• Responsible for providing excellent account management, that maintains and increases the take up of apprenticeships from a wide range of small/medium businesses across Essex
• Identify and attend careers events across the county to promote and increase uptake of ACL apprenticeships and training programmes to individuals
• Identify and attend regular business networking events to build employer base and increase uptake of ACL apprenticeships and training programmes
• Accurately complete relevant paperwork and ensure that records are kept up to date on the ACL CRM system.
• Responsible for carrying out key tasks, as directed by the Apprentice & Employer Engagement Lead, to ensure targets are met, delivered on time, and within budget.
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

The Experience You Will Bring:

• Educated to level 3 or by experience
• A qualification in Information, Advice and Guidance
• Proven track record of successfully delivering against challenging targets in an education setting or similar.
• Experience of building and maintaining strong relationships and partnerships with both internal and external stakeholders that lead to positive outcomes. Specifically those that increase apprenticeship take up.
• Excellent communicator with a proven ability to always deliver outstanding customer service.
• Good working knowledge of Education and Skills Funding Agency rules

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government’s devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR) on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service.  The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate.  This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained.  For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email daniel.warner@essex.gov.uk

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Further details can be found on our careers page.

Downloads

Pay and Reward | Our Ways of Working  | About Us  | Organisation Behaviours