Building jobs in Lydney

About Camphill Village Trust

Camphill Village Trust is a charity that supports adults with learning disabilities, autism and mental health challenges. Now in our 72nd year, our focus on humanity and nature was inspired by our past and remains as key to the Trust’s ethos today. This is reflected in our focus on social care and nature-based therapy and skills integration, valuing everyone’s contribution, enabling personal pathways to development, celebrating the changing seasons, and respecting the rhythm of natural life.

We operate in both rural and urban communities, building on our care (social) and farming legacy. Our historical focus on enabling potential for people with support needs through farming, organic horticulture and enterprise centred on nature and traditional skills, continues to play to our strengths.

We continue to support adults with learning disabilities, autism and mental health challenges to live their best, independent lives. By applying our core values to modern social care, we ensure that our provision remains relevant to supported people and social care commissioners today.

This is a part-time, term-time only vacancy.

We are currently seeking Alternative Provision Skills Mentors in the following specialisms:

• Cleaning & Housekeeping (10 hrs) – based between Lydney and Taurus Crafts (satellite training site).
• Catering (10 hrs) – preference for bread and cake-making experience alongside general cooking/ cheffing.
• Gardening & Grounds Maintenance (10 hrs) – experience in gardening, groundskeeping, and site management.

Purpose

Severnside Skills is a campus-based training provider offering vocational skills and employment pathways for individuals with special educational needs (SEN), delivering programmes within the following subjects;

• Catering
• Retail & hospitality
• Gardening
• Cleaning & housekeeping
• Events and marketing
• Administration

The Skills Mentor provides day-to-day vocational support to trainees with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) during work placement sessions at Taurus Crafts.

Working with individuals and small groups, the post holder supports trainees to settle into the workplace, build practical skills, work towards agreed goals and unit outcomes, and gain meaningful experience in a supported environment. Work placements take place across the café, kitchen and retail areas of the Taurus Crafts Visitor Centre, as well as at satellite sites including our holiday let property.

The role is a key link between Severnside Skills and Taurus Crafts, combining vocational knowledge with learner-focused support to promote progression towards volunteering, further training, and employment.

Location & Travel

Community-based

These roles will be based in and around Taurus Crafts in Lydney.

Duties & Responsibilities

Main responsibilities:

• Support trainees aged 16+ with SEND to engage in vocational work placement activities, build confidence, and progress towards their individual goals, AQA unit outcomes, and pathways to employment.
• Provide day-to-day mentoring and practical support in the workplace, working with individuals and small groups across relevant vocational areas at Taurus Crafts.
• Develop an understanding of each trainee’s communication style, strengths, support needs, and aspirations to promote effective participation, informed choice, and inclusion.
• Work closely with skills tutors, job coaches, and workplace teams to identify suitable opportunities for skill development, increased independence, and progression.
• Contribute to the induction of new trainees by supporting introductions to the work environment, providing feedback from trial sessions, and completing relevant documentation.
• Maintain accurate, timely, and confidential records, including reflective diaries, observation notes, witness feedback, and other evidence required to support trainee progress and outcomes.
• Undertake any other duties which are consistent with this post, as directed by line management. This may include participation in weekend or evening events at Taurus Crafts.

This job description is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of the department.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• A* - C GCSE English & Maths.

Knowledge & Experience

• Competent with Office 365 programmes.
• Relevant vocational specialist knowledge e.g. hospitality/ catering/ retail/ admin/ cleaning.
• Full clean driving license.

Personal Attributes

• Passionate about enabling work opportunities for people with special educational needs and motivating and supporting them to succeed.
• An attitude towards others based on respect, dignity, and equality.
• Commercially aware, numerate, able to manage budgets.
• Able to work with little supervision.
• Highly organised, good planning skills and efficient.
• Able to work under pressure.
• Reliable and punctual.
• Considerate, friendly and approachable.
• Confident and capable of lone working and travelling off-site as needed.
• Solution seeking, creative and resourceful, innovative problem solver.
• Flexible attitude, willing to try new activities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Open to challenge.
• Encouraging, able to motivate others.
• Resilient, confident, able to take on responsibility.
• Team worker, hands-on, ability to problem solve.
• Able to support the training and development of others.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Able to apply active listening.

Key Employment Terms

• Salary: £24,784.50 - £26,000 per annum, dependent on skills & experience (pro rata for part-time/ term-time - £12.71 - £13.33 per hour).
• Location: Severnside Skills, Taurus Crafts, Lydney.
• Hours: 10 per week within our core hours of10:00am – 3:00pm.
• Contract: term-time only.
• Holiday entitlement: 25 days annual leave statutory plus bank holidays.
• Sick pay entitlement after 1 month.
• Standard auto-enrolment pension scheme, with the option to contribute 10% of gross salary for a 6% contribution by the employer.
• Employee assistance scheme that is also available to your immediate family.
• Death in Service benefits: payments made to your beneficiaries should the unthinkable happen.
• Once you join us, you'll be eligible to benefit from "Charity Discounts" where you can enjoy reductions from lots of differing retailers and service providers.
• The appointment is subject to a 3-month probation period.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a sufficient number of applications.

Camphill Village Trust is an equal opportunity employer.

Camphill Village Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all adults who use our services and as such expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful applicant will be required to complete the relevant pre-employment checks including a DBS check.

Pay: £12.71-£13.33 per hour

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Employee discount
• Health & wellbeing programme
• Life insurance
• On-site parking
• Referral programme

Application question(s):

• What is your right to work in the UK? If you are a visa holder please tell us the type and EXACT expiry date - we can't progress without this information.
• If your email address and postcode are not featured in your CV, please add them here.
• Are you a driver with access to a vehicle?
• Please specify which role you would like to apply for: Cleaning & Housekeeping/ Catering/ Gardening & Grounds Maintenance.

Work Location: In person