Employability Champion

Please apply online via the link provided. Please note, we do not accept CVs submitted without a fully completed online application form.

At Barnsley Council you can start a career that makes a real difference to people’s lives, helping our council and residents to be the best they can be.

We’re an award-winning council and one of the biggest employers in the borough, supporting around 243,000 people. We put people at the heart of everything we do, and that includes our employees. As part of the team, we offer lots of benefits and rewards to support you to thrive and grow, like flexible working, employee discounts, support for your health and wellbeing, and opportunities for training and development to grow your career and develop your skills.

There’s so much happening in our thriving borough, and now’s the perfect time to join our excellent Communities team as we work to make Barnsley the place of possibilities.

• We’re an award-winning team and one of the biggest employers in the borough supporting around 243,000 people.
• Working at Barnsley Council means being part of a team that makes a real difference to people’s lives, where you can develop the skills you need to make change happen.
• If you join the team you’ll receive great pay alongside an excellent pension scheme. With flexible working we’ll also support your work/life balance, helping you to adjust your hours and take time off when you need it.
• We’ll help you to develop your career and grow your skills with opportunities for training and development.
• There’s so much happening in our thriving borough and your talent and skills will help us make Barnsley the place of possibilities.
• Key to our success is working with our residents, partners, businesses and organisations and building these partnerships to bring about change in Barnsley.

About the Post:

Are you passionate about supporting businesses and innovative new approaches to employment support for our Barnsley residents to benefit from? We’re looking for a skilled Employability Champion to help make Barnsley the place of possibilities through working with and supporting employers across the borough.

As part of our Employment and Skills team, and working as part of a small Employer Engagement team, we are looking for a dynamic Employability Champion to deliver Barnsley’s trailblazing approach to creating better Pathways to Work.

Learn more about our trailblazing approach

In July 2023, under the guidance of Rt Hon Alan Milburn, former cabinet minister and social mobility champion, leading labour market, skills and health experts came together to form the Pathways to Work Commission.

A year later, in July 2024, the independent commission published local, regional and national recommendations in the Pathways to Work report.

Since then, Pathways to Work has been selected as a trailblazer initiative in the UK Government’s Get Britain Working White Paper. Working alongside the other South Yorkshire local authorities and the Mayoral Combined Authority, the proposals set out a strategy to help Barnsley's economically inactive residents to access high-quality, sustainable employment. This approach is guided by the findings of the Barnsley-led Pathways to Work Commission.

The delivery plans aim to support 10,000 South Yorkshire residents into work over the next four years. This approach will deliver personalised support to 2,200 people in Barnsley, so they can overcome barriers that prevent them from working, while improving their skills and employability.

This builds onto our wider Barnsley 2030 Strategy and our Inclusive Economic Growth Strategy, working to empower our communities to thrive.

As part of our commitment under Pathways To Work, we recognise the importance of supporting employers across the borough to develop pre-employment and employment opportunities for those individuals furthest from employment.

Your role in our journey

For Pathways to Work to succeed, there is a need to proactively engage with employers to identify opportunities to support employment of those with potentially complex needs. This will be as much about shifting attitudes as it requires practical support to employers and individuals entering the workforce.

There is a need to work with employers to operationalise the strategic intent of Pathways to Work, specifically around the employer activation workstream. Examples of support could include guiding new recruitment processes, changes to shift patterns, and putting into place the specialist support to enable a successful placement and continuation of work tailored to individuals’ needs to keep them in good work.

Our values

At Barnsley, we live and work by four important values:

· Honesty

· Teamwork

· Excellent service

· Taking pride in what we do

Why join us?

· We’re an award-winning council and one of the biggest employers in the borough, supporting around 243,000 people.

· Great pay alongside an excellent pension scheme.

· Flexible working hours to help you balance work and life.

· We are an equal opportunities employer committed to removing barriers in our recruitment process.

· Opportunity to contribute to a thriving borough and help make Barnsley the place of possibilities.

Apply now

To find out more about joining our team at Barnsley Council and help with your application, visit Barnsley.gov.uk/Jobs. If you would like further information or an informal discussion, please email Alasdair Parker (alasdairparker@barnsley.gov.uk), leaving your name and contact number.

Join us and be part of a high-performing council with a growing economy, a thriving town centre, and impressive community outcomes.

We hope to conduct interviews week commencing Monday 4th August 2025.