Contract type: Consultancy (self-employed / Ltd company)
Duration: Contract until 30th September/ completion of all post event deliverables
Commitment: 2–3 days per week + onsite event delivery days (23rd/24th/25th August)
Who we are:
One in three students leave school each year without a standard pass (grade 4 or above) in GCSE English and maths, representing over 200,000 16-year-olds every year. This rises to over one in two for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The scale of the challenge at 16 extends into adulthood. An estimated 8.5 million working age adults in England have low literacy and numeracy skills. Lacking gateway qualifications locks people out of many opportunities for education and employment and is associated with adverse outcomes for learning potential, health and well-being.
Get Further exists to change this. Our charity delivers a series of interventions that help disadvantaged learners in Further Education to secure gateway English and maths qualifications that unlock opportunities. These interventions include our award-winning GCSE Resit Tuition Programme, for those resitting GCSEs, our Functional Skills Tuition Programme, supporting those on or aspiring to undertake apprenticeship programmes, and training and resources to support teachers and leaders of English and maths in Further Education. You can read about the impact of our interventions here.
Get Further Forum 2026: Never too late to learn
Location: Eastside Rooms, Birmingham
Date: Monday 24th August 2026
For too long, the potential of young people who fall behind at school has been underestimated. Yet English and maths teachers in the FE sector see every day how, with the right support, young people in the final years of compulsory education can rebuild confidence, strengthen their skills and achieve qualifications that open doors to opportunity.
There is now a growing evidence base for what those working in this space have long known: it’s never too late to learn. Neuroscience highlights a key window of opportunity for learning in late adolescence, and the research into how best to support these young people continues to expand.
At this exciting moment, Get Further Forum 2026: Never Too Late to Learn will bring together teachers, sector leaders and policymakers for an inspiring day focused on what works in post-16 English and maths. Drawing on both research and the experience of those working directly with students, the forum will explore practical, evidence-informed approaches to support adaptive, ambitious teaching so that no student is left behind.
It will be an optimistic and energising day: an opportunity to learn from colleagues across the sector, highlight the power of post-16 education to transform young people’s futures, and equip delegates with fresh insights, practical ideas and renewed momentum to build on the vital work already happening in classrooms across the country.
Key Deliverables
Delegate Management
- Deliver a fully managed delegate experience through Cvent, including profile completion and attendee hub engagement.
- Respond to delegate queries and support registration‑driving activity with the External Relations and CPD teams.
- Complete post‑event delegate survey distribution and drive response rates.
Event Staff Recruitment & Training
- Recruit and schedule event staff for registration, room management and wider conference support.
- Produce and deliver a pre‑event training plan for all event staff.
- Manage staff roles, responsibilities and performance onsite.
Venue & Supplier Management
- Lead the venue relationship and ensure completion of all risk assessments and health & safety requirements.
- Confirm build and strike plans with the venue and communicate detailed requirements to all suppliers.
Speaker Management
- Secure event speakers in partnership with the CPD Manager and Executive Team.
- Collect speaker bios, materials and information for print and event collateral.
- Manage speaker scheduling, communications, session sign‑ups, and ensure timely submission of presentation materials.
- Source and coordinate any additional materials required for breakout sessions.
- Create a comprehensive speaker run‑sheet including timings and locations.
Onsite Event Delivery
- Lead the onsite management of the full event, ensuring smooth delivery.
- Oversee and support the onsite team, ensuring break schedules and adequate cover.
- Produce a detailed onsite run‑of‑show pack for all staff.
Post Event Delivery
- Deliver all required post‑event communications, including surveys.
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Conduct a full retrospective with the Get Further team and agree on follow-up actions.
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Close out relationships with venues, suppliers, and speakers professionally.
Key Milestones
- Ideal start date: 13th April
- Registration launch: 15th April
- By end of May: event staff recruitment underway, 60% of speakers secured
- By end of June: Publish final agenda, 50% of attendees registered and speaker profiles completed, 50% of event staff secured.
- By end of July: All event staff secured, 90% of attendees registered, pre-event communications plan in place, venue risk assessment and compliance in place.
- Event date: 24th August (Set up day before, strike PM/day after tbc)
- By end of September: post event survey complete and debrief pack created.
The Ideal Candidate:
- A highly experienced event manager with at least 3 years of hands-on event production experience, with a proven track record of independently delivering complex, multi‑stakeholder conferences or large‑scale events (300+) from planning through to onsite delivery.
- Confident leading all compliance requirements, including producing and managing risk assessments, overseeing health & safety processes, and ensuring full venue and supplier compliance.
- An empowering onsite leader, able to recruit, brief, and manage event staff with clarity—ensuring seamless role coverage, break scheduling, and high‑quality delivery across all touchpoints.
- Exceptional stakeholder manager, capable of working closely with senior internal colleagues, speakers, suppliers, and venue partners while maintaining clear lines of accountability.
- Responsive and solutions‑focused, able to handle delegate enquiries promptly and drive registration and engagement through proactive communication.
- Experienced in full staffing lifecycle management, with a history of recruiting, rostering, and supporting staff across roles such as registration, room management, and customer support.
- Able to design and deliver effective pre‑event training, providing staff with confidence, clarity, and structure needed for a smooth onsite experience.
- Highly autonomous and self‑directed, able to take full ownership of the event, make informed decisions independently, anticipate risks before they arise, and maintain momentum without close supervision.
- Calm under pressure, thrives in fast‑paced environments, and brings strong judgement and adaptability to managing on‑the‑day changes or challenges.
- Ideally skilled in Cvent, with hands‑on experience managing delegate registration, communications, and attendee engagement through the platform.
The Next steps
We will be considering applications on a rolling basis until the right professional is found for the role, if you are interested in being considered then please email applications@getfurther.org.uk with the following:
- Your CV
- Your proposal, which should be no more than 2 pages and must include: A short overview summarising your understanding of the event and its goals, and the value you will bring
- Your approach to event management
- Your approach to the key deliverables, and event milestones
- Your experience and credentials
- Your commitment and rate.
Any questions please reach out to applications@getfurther.org.uk / https://getfurther.org.uk/event-manager/