Trainee Careers Adviser - Shetland No

Full Time Trainee Careers Adviser
About You and the Role

Skills Development Scotland has an exciting opportunity for a customer focused individual to join our Career Information, Advice and Guidance (CIAG) team as a Trainee Careers Adviser (TCA).

This is an excellent opportunity to join our organisation and experience our bespoke TCA training programme with a commitment to become a permanent Careers Adviser; like sixty of our Careers Advisers have done before!

You’ll be supported in this programme both with an in‑house comprehensive training plan alongside a fully funded vocational Diploma in Career Guidance and Development. You can hear from one of our existing TCAs here.

Hear more about the role of a Careers Adviser and how they support our customers.

Hear first‑hand from some of our Careers Advisers about the benefits and lifestyle of a career in the career service at SDS and what makes them so passionate about their jobs.

SDS has designed a comprehensive bespoke training plan for our TCAs which would include undertaking a work‑based qualification to become a fully qualified Careers Adviser. The provider of this work‑based qualification is still to be confirmed, but enrolment would be expected in March 2026.

To support you in completing this qualification, you will receive one day paid study leave per week, in addition to the personal study expected at this level. Upon satisfactory completion of the qualification, your SDS training plan, and meeting performance standards, you will progress to the position of Careers Adviser.

The starting salary is £29,176, with structured pay progression throughout your traineeship as you achieve set milestones aligned with the qualification. As a qualified Careers Adviser, you can expect to earn £43,020 annually.

As you work with us, you will also gain supported firsthand experience of engaging with and supporting our customers as we enable them to identify, develop and use their career management skills. This is in line with the Professional Body’s ethical and national occupational standards expectation.

Ideally, you’ll be educated to SCQF level 9 (degree), however, we would also invite applications from candidates with educated to SCQF level 8 (HND) and has substantial experience in employability, education, and/or public service role. To succeed in this role, you must be fully committed to undertake study at Graduate level while performing the duties of a Trainee Careers Adviser.

With a genuine desire to work in this person‑centred profession and geographical area, experience in employability, education and /or public service would be beneficial. The role will involve engaging with customers of all ages, in schools, in SDS premises or community environments, so strong interpersonal skills are essential.

As part of a geographically dispersed team, the Careers Adviser role will be well suited to someone who is able to work well as part of a team and who can work well independently with self‑direction in complex work environments.

SDS takes its duty of safeguarding children and vulnerable adults very seriously. Due to the type of work and customer contact employees in Career Information, Advice and Guidance (CIAG) have with young people and their personal data, successful applicants will be subject to a Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) check by Disclosure Scotland. PVG is a government regulated scheme which undertakes a criminal record check to ensure that any potential employee is suitable to work with young people or have access to their personal data.

We will explain more about this scheme and the process if you are successful following the selection process.

Skills Development Scotland is the national skills agency. Our ambition is to drive productivity and inclusive growth through investment in skills, enabling businesses and people to achieve their potential. Through the sharing of expertise, intelligence, and extensive partnership working, we enable the development and delivery of innovative solutions to Scotland’s skills and labour market…