• Education Support Level 1 Range 3

East Doncaster Secondary College is host school for the Eastern Metropolitan Head Start Cluster and for this Head Start Program Support and Administrator position. Head Start is an exciting initiative from the State Government to increase the numbers of students undertaking high quality apprenticeships and traineeships while still completing their senior secondary studies through flexible arrangements.

Head Start apprenticeships and traineeships are characterised as meeting employer requirements and providing a strong pathway for students wishing to transition from school into employment with qualifications in their chosen field.

The three core components of a Head Start apprenticeship or traineeship include: flexible delivery of VCE with a strong focus on literacy and numeracy; quality training delivered concurrently with time on the job to support achievement of competencies; maximised time in employment to support genuine progression through the apprenticeship or traineeship.

Head Start has been rolled out across 100 schools in 10 sites across Victoria with targets to achieve an additional 1,700 new apprenticeships and traineeships from 2019–2022. The initiative is part of a suite of Careers and Pathways Reforms including $109m for careers education with a strong focus on Years 7–9 and $25.9m to strengthen vocational education in schools.

The secondary schools in Eastern Metropolitan Cluster have a long history of commitment to and collaboration on vocational education. All mainstream government secondary schools in Eastern Metropolitan Cluster are participating in Head Start to provide their students with a pathway to completing their VCE or VCAL while getting started on a career path. The cluster is overseen by a Board comprising the School Principals and led by the Cluster Director.

The Program Support and Administrator will be relied upon to assist design, development and maintenance of systems, processes and reporting and to increase stakeholder database via networking, to support the smooth operation for the Eastern Metropolitan Cluster. This is a great opportunity to be part of a motivated and skilled team establishing a new pathway for Eastern Metropolitan students.

Role:

The Program Support and Administrator will play a critical role in the organisation of the Head Start Cluster including:

• Developing, managing and maintaining systems to keep track of Head Start pathway plans, training plans, timetables, employer and Industry databases and Vass reports
• Liaising with students, coordinators, schools, employers, Industry and training providers as required
• Program financial administration and management.
• Building continuous improvement into cluster practices.

Responsibility:

A. Develop new and Improve existing systems and processes to

• Manage, store and analyse data and information.
• Manage finance and budgetary processes.
• Support team and program administration.

B. Seek out, work within and promote ways to support all team roles and program outcomes, especially employer/ industry pipeline and database

C. Support the Cluster Director to build effective working relationships with colleagues, schools, employers, training providers and Industry

In addition to providing resume, applicants must address the following 6 Selection Criteria to be considered for this role:

1. Demonstrated behaviours and attitudes consistent with the Victorian Public Service Values.
2. High level administration and organisational skills and proficiency with IT programs along with an ability to work within a team with a high degree of autonomy.
3. Ability to develop and improve systems and processes to support the Cluster Director and the effective operation of the Program.
4. Capacity to build effective working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders, including finding constructive ways to support the role of the cluster Coordinators and Director.
5. High-level verbal and written communication skills, which includes preparation of reports, development of resources and presentations as required.
6. Ability to contribute to the continued development and expansion of the Head Start Eastern Metropolitan Cluster

Full position description and selection criteria are available on Recruitment Online. Job Reference Number 1233603.

The Head Start Support and Administrator is a fixed term, part time FTE 0.80, Education Support Level 1 Range 3 position. Attendance requirement for this position - required to work during the school holiday periods for up to three weeks per school calendar year.

Contract Start Date: 23 August 2021 to End Date: 30 December 2022.

Please address Selection Criteria in your application (to be considered for this position, Selection Criteria must be answered as a separate part of your application - no more than four pages in length) and apply via Recruitment Online or via email together with C.V. to Anita Dewhurst, Cluster Director, Head Start, Eastern Metropolitan Cluster, East Doncaster Secondary College.