Classifications
Welfare Support Assistant
Department: Student Welfare
Location: Greenford, West London (On-site)
Type of Contract: Permanent
GBS is a higher education provider offering a range of sector-relevant courses across ten campuses in London, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester. Working in partnership with several of the UK’s leading higher education providers, we deliver vocational, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in finance, accounting, business, construction, tourism, healthcare, and more.
Our Vision: Changing lives through education.
What We Do: Supporting students' well-being by offering help with mental health, personal issues, and practical concerns like housing or finances. Providing guidance, crisis support, and promote a safe, inclusive environment to help students succeed both personally and academically.
The role: Reporting to Head of Student Welfare the Welfare Support Assistant will facilitate the welfare referral processes while ensuring a connected and seamless approach to the service for students across campuses. The Welfare Support Assistant will be the gatekeeper for new welfare referrals, book initial meetings, and expected to contribute to the overall effective service delivery of providing information and support to ensure a high-quality welfare service is provided to students.
Please note, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this position.
Main Responsibilities
What the role involves:
- Support and co-operate with the wider welfare team to ensure the provision of an effective and efficient student welfare service for GBS.
- Be the first point of contact for students referred to the welfare department, ensuring queries are dealt with in a timely manner.
- Track and monitor new welfare referrals, ensuring they are signposted to relevant team
- Provide advice and guidance on welfare services to students.
- Prepare data for partnerships in relation to student referrals and learning adjustments.
- Provide immediate assistance to students on a drop in and appointment basis, monitor the welfare email inbox, and handle telephone enquiries from students, ensuring students are responded to in a timely manner.
Requirements
What Experience/Skills are required:
- Degree or relevant professional qualification.
- Experience in Mental Health First Aid.
- Experience of dealing with a wide range of demanding individuals and of resolving problems quickly and calmly.
- Experience of prioritising and managing time with a methodical and organised approach and an ability to balance a diverse workload while working with precision.
- A flexible and adaptable attitude, including occasional evening and weekend working and off-site.
- Demonstrate a high level of integrity and honesty, and an ability to manage information confidentially and sensitively.
Desirable Experience/Skills:
- Prior relevant experience working in Higher Education.
- General understanding of the full student lifecycle from enquiry to enrolment and understanding of the importance of welfare processes in contributing to overall student experience.
- Demonstrable experience of the workings of a Welfare or related team.
- Fluency in multiple languages.
Other Information
What We Offer
- 25 days annual leave, plus 8 public holidays
- 1-day extra leave per year of service, up to a maximum of 5 days
- Workplace pension scheme
- Tuition reimbursement for career development courses
- Flexible Benefits: Cycle to Work, Workplace Nursery, Techscheme and much more
- Perks@Work discounts platform, wellbeing centre and much more
- Reward and recognition programme
- £500 award employee referral scheme
- Discretionary annual performance bonus
GBS supported my development by enrolling me in an external Leadership and Management course, which equipped me with the tools to drive my team towards continued growth and success. Before joining GBS, I did not envision myself as a manager, but I have now found my passion in leadership. — Ebony Bates (Professional Services Employee)
GBS is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and providing a workplace free from discrimination or harassment. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and communities. We take our core values seriously and work hard to create an environment where everyone feels welcomed.