Education and Youth Development Manager

The opportunity:

This is a senior role with responsibility for the strategic direction, quality and impact of We Belong’s youth development portfolio. Reporting to the CEO and working as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, you will lead programmes spanning early intervention, educational attainment, further and higher education, employability, skills development, youth leadership and progression into positive opportunities.

You will oversee the Let Us Learn Programme, Emerging Young Leaders Programme, Schools Excellence Programme and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Bronze programme. You will also strengthen young people’s influence within We Belong through the Core Group, ensuring that lived experience informs organisational priorities and programme development.

The Context:

Following the landmark Supreme Court judgment in the Tigere case, which helped secure fairer access to higher education for young migrants, We Belong has continued working to ensure that young people can progress into higher education. This has included successful campaigning to increase scholarship opportunities and building strong relationships with educational institutions across the UK.

However, more work is needed. Young migrants can experience significant barriers to educational attainment, further and higher education, employment and personal development because of their immigration status.

These barriers can arise long before a young person reaches the point of applying to university, beginning an apprenticeship or entering employment. We recognise that university is not the only pathway to success and that young people should be supported to explore a range of routes that reflect their ambitions, strengths and circumstances.

Early intervention is therefore essential to ensure that young migrants understand their rights, receive accurate information and appropriate support, and are able to make informed decisions about their education, training, employment and future.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is passionate about working with young people, supporting their development and creating pathways for them to achieve their ambitions.

If successful, the applicant will be joining an award-winning youth charity and a staff team dedicated to improving outcomes for young migrants between the ages of 16-25 years old and empowering young people to create change.