Education and Training Manager - City of London, Greater London, United Kingdom - The Furniture Makers'​ Company

Description

Temporary maternity cover (16 months starting July 2024)

The Furniture Makers' Company is the City of London livery company and charity for the furnishing industry.

Our role is to sustain a thriving British furnishing industry with a talented workforce delivering high quality products, which supports those in need from within its ranks and those who have served it in the past. We achieve this through three pillars of activity – education, excellence and welfare.

We are seeking an organised and driven individual for a maternity cover to lead on our education and training programme, which is facilitating the growth of a talented workforce by inspiring, connecting and retaining the next generation. This is an exciting and rewarding opportunity to make a real impact, addressing the skills gap in the industry, working alongside young people.

This is a varied role with a significant focus on events and project management, including special events, as well as engagement activities to raise awareness of career opportunities in the industry. This includes driving forward our new website – – aimed at 15 – 24-year-olds and attending careers fairs. This role will also involve working with specialist education providers to support the provision of industry specific education and training.

A successful applicant will have demonstratable experience of organising and delivering large scale events, timely and cost-effective project management and financial reporting. You will be able to work independently and with a high level of attention to detail and used to prioritising a complex workload. Experience of working in the sector or in a previous educational role is not required.

Job Purpose

• To be the focal point for implementing all Education and Training activity within the Company, and to report back to the Education and Training Committee to maximise its reach and effectiveness.
• To implement several large-scale national events engaging young people, industry and specialist education providers.
• Oversee and steer the activity around a new website to engage young people with possible careers in the industry, ensuring growing engagement with young people and job posters.
• To administer and deliver several small grant programmes which support furniture and furniture students or those working with said students.
• To support and report quarterly to the Education and Training Committee.

Key Responsibilities

Events

• Young Furniture Makers Exhibition - To plan, organise and deliver the annual one-day exhibition showcasing the best new talent to industry. Securing event sponsorship and working with sponsors during the organisation process to ensure positive relationships. Working with over 70 exhibitors, multiple sponsors and external suppliers to ensure a successful event.
• Young Professional Industry Engagement event programme - To plan, organise and deliver the annual three-week programme of CPD visits for a selected group of participants to industry hosts across the UK. Working with participants and over 20 organisations to schedule and deliver the programme.
• Furniture Making T-Level conference – Working with the Chair of the Education and Training Committee and selected members to plan, organise and implement a one-day conference on the practicalities of overing the Furniture T-Level in an educational setting.
• Organise and attend several regional career fairs and trade shows to promote the education and training initiatives and encourage young people to consider a career in furniture and furnishings.
• Plan and organise the content of an Education and Training slot at the annual Furniture Makers' HR Conference to highlight key events and programmes.
• Ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion is considered in all aspects of Education and Training events.

Grants

• Administer a small annual grants scheme supporting colleges and universities which provide specialist furniture and furnishing education courses.
• Manage a travel bursary scheme to support exhibitors attending the Young Furniture Makers Exhibition.

Website

• Administer the jobs board featured on the My Furniture Career website, screening and approving posted vacancies as well as liaising with those posting jobs to confirm the status of the vacancy, sharing data once the vacancy expires and collecting feedback data from the poster.
• To work with the Digital Officer to agree a schedule of content for the website and its associated social media.
• Work with the Communications Manager and Digital Officer to promote the use of the website by the targeted audience group as well as the HR community to post vacancies to the jobs board.
• Produce a quarterly report detailing the usage and any highlights regarding the website.
• Report any technical issues to the website provider and liaise with them to fix the issue.

Reporting

• Quarterly reporting on activity and budget to the Education and Training Committee.
• Supporting the Committee Chair by setting up Committee meetings and taking minutes.
• Supporting the Committee Chair with any other administration as necessary related to the Committee.
• Assist with any ad hoc administration as necessary related to the FIESTA Committee.

Miscellaneous

• Assisting the Education and Training Committee Chair with any administration in regard to the Masters Certificate Scheme.
• Send quarterly feedback surveys mentoring participants and collect the data for reporting purposes.
• Work with the Communications and Marketing Manager to promote Education and Training events.
• Keep the Education and Training budget up to date and process all invoices in a timely manner.
• Report back to all event sponsors after any Education and Training sponsored event to keep sponsors updated and aware of the events successes.

Personal Attributes and Skills

• Success in delivering projects and large events against demanding targets and deadlines.
• Excellent administrative track record, with experience with an educational and/or charitable organisation.
• Highly motivated, dynamic, self-starter able to work largely on own initiative.
• Ability to plan, manage own time, work to deadlines and perform effectively under pressure.
• Excellent communications, influencing, negotiation and presentation skills.
• The credibility to deal with people at all levels.
• IT and finance literate.
• Empathy with The Furniture Makers' Company charitable cause and programme.
• Enthusiasm and willingness to learn are essential: occasionally the post holder will need to perform tasks outside of the formal Job Description.

Benefits include 25 days of annual leave plus bank holidays, a 3% pension scheme as well as hybrid working opportunities.

Interested candidates should submit their CV and a cover letter outlining their qualifications and why they're a good fit for this role. We look forward to reviewing your application and discussing how you can contribute to our team's success.

Please note that we are not a UK visa sponsoring organisation. Therefore, you will need to be able to demonstrate that you have the right to work in the UK if you wish to apply for this role.

We are committed to ensuring transparent and non-discriminatory recruitment and employment. We champion equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristic.