Welfare Support Assistant

At GBS (Global Banking School), we invest in our people and our students are at the heart of everything we do. Our mission is to change lives through education, and we take an inclusive approach to recruiting students, with an aim to widening access to higher education among groups currently under-represented in the sector.

We are proud to be a certified ‘Great Place To Work’ and have achieved outstanding results for the third year running in the National Student Survey, with an incredible 91% overall satisfaction rating in 2022.

Reporting to Head of Student Welfare the Welfare Support Assistant will facilitate the welfare referral processes while ensuring a connected and seamless approach to the service for students across campuses. The Welfare Support Assistant will be the gatekeeper for new welfare referrals, book initial meetings, and expected to contribute to the overall effective service delivery of providing information and support to ensure a high-quality welfare service is provided to students.

Main Responsibilities

To support and co-operate with the wider welfare team to ensure the provision of an effective and efficient student welfare service for GBS.

Be the first point of contact for students referred to the welfare department, ensuring queries are dealt with in a timely manner

To work to with the wider student support services such as student engagement managers, enterprise and employability officers, and the learning support team to provide 360 support for GBS students.

To use initiative when dealing with problems and issues arising and take responsibility for follow up actions.

Track and monitor new welfare referrals, ensuring they are signposted to relevant team

To provide immediate assistance to students on a drop in and appointment basis

Prepared to travel to other campuses as the need arises

To maintain accurate records in accordance with GBS requirements, ensuring compliance and maintenance of relevant systems.

Ensure accurate input of student data following referral.

Provide advice and guidance on welfare services to students.

To provide activity reports to the Head of Student Welfare

Prepare data for partnerships in relation to student referrals and learning adjustments

Monitor the welfare email inbox, ensuring students are responded to in a timely manner.

Handle telephone enquiries from students, independently and in a timely and professional manner.

Support Welfare Officers with offering support to students when required.

Provide overall clerical support to the whole welfare department. Assist the Team with face-to-face events across campuses when required.

Requirements

– Degree or relevant professional qualification.

– At least a year’s relevant experience working in Higher Education

– Experience in Mental Health First Aid

– Experience of working effectively in a multi-disciplinary environment.

– Experience of dealing with a wide range of demanding individuals and of resolving problems quickly and calmly

– Experience of being administratively self-sufficient and accustomed to exercising initiative

– Experience of prioritising and ability to balance a diverse workload while working with precision.

– Confident user of the Microsoft Office package

– Good organisational and time management skills; scheduling and prioritising multiple projects and tasks with varying deadlines

– Excellent customer service ethos to enable effective delivery of services to internal and external stakeholders at all levels

– Able to establish and maintain productive professional relationships with colleagues and stakeholder groups

– Ability to work under pressure.

– A flexible and adaptable attitude, including occasional evening and weekend working and off-site.

– A methodical and organised approach to work with a high level of accuracy and an eye for detail.

– Committed to working as part of a team.

– Demonstrate a high level of integrity and honesty, and an ability to manage information confidentially and sensitively

Desirable

• General understanding of the full student lifecycle from enquiry to enrolment and understanding of the importance of welfare processes in contributing to overall student experience.
• Demonstrable experience of the workings of a Welfare or related team.
• Experience in a advisory role.
• Taking a pro-active approach to forward planning whilst remaining flexible to changing needs.
• Experience with student management systems (e.g.:  SITS, Salesforce, Unit4)
• Ability to manage change and respond positively to new challenges.
• Knowledge of two or more languages.
• Pro-active, responsive, motivated, and approachable

Other Information

GBS is a dynamic and fast growing Higher Education provider with campuses across the UK.  We are a vibrant and diverse family of committed staff bringing life-changing learning to a wider range of communities.