Education Recruiter is the first standalone recruitment Applicant Tracking System developed specifically for the education sector by the sector and produced by the Association of Colleges in collaboration with colleges across the UK. We have created the Education Recruiter software to meet the needs of the education sector, as well as to be a cost-effective alternative to the recruitment systems and modules currently being used by education providers.
We have developed the Education Recruiter system to solve some of the crucial problems that education institutions face with recruitment, using both recruiter and candidate research data to mould the system to their requirements.
Unlike most ATS systems Education Recruiter is a candidate first model, so we have developed the system around their needs and requirements first before looking at the needs of recruiters. We made this decision based on the data below.
A Sector Problem - Candidate Feedback on Recruitment Processes in FE
Before we started developing Education Recruiter system, we needed to research what was currently wrong with the sectors recruitment processes. Below is just some of the input we received from our candidate survey.
Candidates are frustrated with:
Here are some of the comments we received from candidates from the survey data. We received many comments like this with most candidates saying that they have not heard from the college since submitting their application.
“I recently applied for the position of Marketing Communications Officer. Not only did I not receive confirmation of the application, but I also haven’t heard anything since. I was wondering if you could give me an update on the status of my application?”
“I've applied for two jobs via the college website and had no feedback at all. I ended up taking an LSA job via an agency.”
“I have been trying all day to apply for the position, and I am finding the online application form impossible to negotiate. It will not save properly and won’t take me to the next page once I have completed each particular page. When I try and go back to get onto the next page, it deletes everything I have done. Also, I must keep redoing my password even though I am doing it right. Please advise as I am keen to apply for this position. Is there any other way of doing it?”
“As a lot of time has passed since I made my application, I’m assuming I haven’t been shortlisted, but I just wondered as I hadn’t had any correspondence from the college I applied to – is this usual? “
If we solve the problems that candidates face when applying for jobs in education, then we can boost application response for the sector.
By simplifying the application process for candidates, making it easier for candidates to apply for jobs, we will reduce candidate drop-off and boost job applications.
Giving candidates more control of the process to find out more about their applications, get feedback and organise their interviews, Education Recruiter will reduce frustration and improve the perception of organisations and the wider sector.
For recruiters, Education Recruiter will provide a system that enables colleges to easily manage their candidate needs and communicate with them more effectively. As well as reduce the time spent on menial recruitment tasks giving them more time to focus on more critical HR responsibilities and engage with future employees more.
