Milton Keynes College is working in partnership with HMP Gartree to put education at the heart of the prison system.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Learning Support Practitioner to join our Offender Learning team at HMP Gartree; who is able to inspire and assist learners throughout their academic and vocational studies. The requirement of this role is to work across the whole prison estate, on all wings where education is delivered.

The ideal candidate will be a passionate, creative and empathetic towards our learners and be able to offer knowledge and guidance to our learners.

Responsibilities include:

• To work closely with teaching staff and additional learning support staff in the delivery of good and outstanding support for all learners.
• To manage the initial and diagnostic assessment service in order to identify how learning needs can be effectively supported and monitored.
• To provide cover for a diverse range of teaching sessions as directed by line management, ensuring familiarity and compliance with the appropriate paperwork and procedures within the Department.

HMP Gartree is a Cat B lifer prison which houses just over 700 life sentence prisoners. The education department offers a wide range of courses and ‘hands on’ experience.

We are a small department who are passionate about our learners, we strive for quality and believe we can help change lives through learning.

As a successful candidate you will:

• Have a good basic general education including GCSE (or equivalent) Maths and English at Grade C.
• Hold an NVQ2/NVQ3 Teaching Assistant qualification or be willing to work towards.
• Have experience of working in a learning environment.
• Have well-developed interpersonal skills in relating to prison staff and in working with students who may have little experience of education and training.
• Be computer literate and willing to improve your IT skills.
• Have the ability to work as part of a team and on their own initiative.
• Have good organisational skills and be able to meet deadlines.

More about the rewards

• 25 flexible days annual leave, 3 additional days leave for Christmas to New Year closure and UK Bank Holidays
• Able to apply for an NUS Extra Card and Blue lights card, offering a wide range of High Street Discounts
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Childcare Vouchers
• Continued Professional Development Opportunities
• Cycle To Work Scheme
• Access to ‘JUICE’ the employees’ health and wellbeing platform
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Contributions towards Eye Tests for Visual Display users
• Plus, many more

More about the College

Milton Keynes College is proud to be an open and inclusive general Further Education College welcoming learners of all levels and delivering an exceptional educational experience. The College offers a broad range of qualifications with more than 3,000 16 – 18-year-old full-time students studying traditional A Levels, vocational courses, apprenticeships and Higher Education. In addition, the College delivers employability and key skills training programmes to 3,000 people in local community learning centres and is one of the largest providers of Offender Learning in England, working with 28 prisons across the East Midlands, South Central and West Midlands.

Jobs at Milton Keynes College - Whatever your Direction

Milton Keynes College is a committed “safer recruitment” employer. We take extreme care in ensuring the safety and welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All positions therefore undergo a stringent vetting process to include DBS for all positions.

We want to develop a more diverse workforce and positively welcome applications from all sections of the community

Milton Keynes College is committed to promoting the safety and welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All positions therefore require a DBS check.

The College is proactively committed to Sustainable Development through the learning opportunities it delivers, its management of resources and its engagement with communities