PeopleScout named Talent Acquisition Supplier of the Year in 2024

PeopleScout’s work to improve security and diversity at Heathrow Airport achieved ‘remarkable results’ according to the Personnel Today Awards judges. Here we profile the winner and runners-up in the Talent Acquisition Supplier of the Year Award in 2024. 

WINNER

PeopleScout in partnership with Heathrow

PeopleScout has partnered with Heathrow since 2019, building a collaborative and strategic relationship. Initially focused on recruiting security officers, PeopleScout expanded its services to support Heathrow’s graduate campaigns, including assessment design and on-demand recruiter support.

To improve diversity in Heathrow’s graduate intake, PeopleScout implemented a number of targets, ensuring that the applicant demographics for its graduate programmes (finance, procurement, engineering, and generalist) aligned with Heathrow’s 2.0 diversity strategy. To engage and employ the local community, PeopleScout supported Heathrow’s goal of reflecting local diversity by helping residents access employment opportunities.

PeopleScout harnessed Snapchat’s power to promote the scheme, producing targeted media and representative imagery to reach a diverse audience, resulting in 107,977 views and 2,419 clicks. A ‘register your interest’ campaign established a diverse talent pool for pre-launch communications. A bespoke graduate microsite delivered targeted content about Heathrow’s mission, values, and graduate programme. Partnering with Bright Network, PeopleScout accessed a diverse audience of over 900,000 graduates, promoting Heathrow’s programmes and values.

Supporting the local community, PeopleScout partnered with Heathrow’s Employment & Skills Academy, assisting residents in accessing airport jobs. PeopleScout’s team screened candidates, monitored data, and provided information on candidates’ employment status. For security officer recruitment, PeopleScout created an assessment process combining video-based tests, live video interviews, and a virtual testing platform. This significantly improved recruitment efficiency.

The partnership achieved notable successes. For graduate intake, PeopleScout achieved a 100% fulfilment rate, with 44% of offers made to female candidates and 44% to individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds. The use of Snapchat generated significant engagement, and ethnic minority candidates performed 25% better at the assessment stage. In engaging the local community, the partnership helped 600 locals gain employment at Heathrow. For security officer recruitment, PeopleScout recruited over 1,600 officers, reducing recruitment timeframes from 16 weeks to 8 days.

RUNNERS-UP

Healthdaq in partnership with Western Health and Social Care Trust

The Western Health and Social Care Trust employs around 12,000 staff and serves a rurally dispersed community with limited infrastructure. Post-Covid, there was growing dissatisfaction with the bureaucratic and linear recruitment model. Both applicants and recruiting managers preferred the faster, more localised response provided during the pandemic. The Trust aimed to improve its recruitment process, reducing time to fill positions and cutting costs by lowering reliance on agency staff.

The Employee Resourcing Support Team (ERST) provided support to services and the Recruitment Shared Services partner, HSC Business Services Organisation (BSO). Increasingly, the team began handling recruitment in-house to meet timely service needs. In 2023/2024, the team addressed over 3,000 requisitions. Recruiting in a rural area posed challenges due to a limited applicant pool, especially for high-turnover, entry-level positions. Traditional recruitment methods were slow, causing applicants to disengage or find other jobs, thus increasing reliance on expensive agency staff.

The Trust, in collaboration with the recruitment insourcing team at Healthdaq, formerly HealthSectorTalent, developed an in-house recruitment solution. This partnership led to a refreshed branding and recruitment marketing strategy, making the Trust an employer of choice in north-west Ireland. The Trust streamlined the application process, allowing candidates to upload documents for multiple applications and improving pre-employment checks. Healthdaq’s technology provided transparent tracking and performance metrics.

Over six months, the recruitment processes were tested and fine-tuned. The new model enabled the Trust to regain control of recruitment, covering clinical and support roles for a fixed monthly fee. Healthdaq’s technology also supported greater diversity and inclusiveness, with features like screen reader technology for blind and partially sighted applicants.

In the past 20 months, the in-house team exceeded its targets, filling 1,152 posts, including 16 doctors and 104 nurses, surpassing the KPI target of 740 posts. By 31 March 2024, the Trust had the lowest vacancy rate in Northern Ireland, having previously had the highest.

LHH

Lee Hecht Harrison (LHH) is a highly rated talent solutions provider and a global business unit of the Adecco Group, the global talent advisory and solutions company. Employee expectations have shifted dramatically, with many now frequently changing jobs. This trend pressures employers to attract and retain the best talent, as the average cost of hiring and onboarding a new employee is £30,000. However, insufficient attention to the onboarding process can lead to new hires switching employers within their first few months.

LHH launched LHH Onboard to address this issue. This comprehensive talent retention programme supports mid- and senior-level hires, supplementing the traditional onboarding process. It ensures new hires feel equipped with the right knowledge and guidance for long-term success by supporting them during their first three months in a new organisation.

LHH Onboard, launched in May 2024, is now rolling out fully and is available to all LHH clients. LHH places an average of 1,500 permanent candidates each year and expects to support 750 candidates through the programme in the second half of 2024. The programme is included within the retainer offered to new clients, making it a seamless part of the recruitment relationship.

LHH aims to be a quality recruiter that views recruitment as part of HR’s efforts to create a quality workplace. By staying with candidates to ensure they land well in the company, LHH Onboard increases retention levels and productivity of new starters. The programme is winning praise for its potential to reduce churn in client-facing roles, and senior staff intend to use it for future hires.

Omni RMS

Omni RMS has over 95% client retention with long-standing clients including Ofcom, ISS, Royal Mail, NHS, and more. Omni helps organisations enhance business value through Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), talent strategy, and executive search. It deploys RPO solutions to manage hiring spikes and source scarce talent. Its talent strategy expertise supports people directors and talent acquisition teams in workforce planning, employer branding, and EDI training, helping organisations stand out in the talent market. Its executive search team finds senior talent to drive organisations forward, delivering high-quality, diverse leadership talent.

Omni’s combination of research, consultancy, and best practice, in partnership with the CIPD, has developed a proprietary Resourcing Effectiveness Assessment (REA) to audit, assess, and improve resourcing investments. Recent strategies have included workforce planning, salary benchmarking, inclusive attraction and selection, and tech utilisation for onboarding and retention.

Ofcom appointed Omni as its RPO partner in 2020 to increase permanent headcount and manage its contingent workforce. This partnership aimed to support Ofcom’s delivery of the Government’s Online Safety Bill by recruiting niche skills in technology and compliance. A key aspect was aligning with Ofcom’s EDI commitments and developing a tech centre in Manchester, the largest tech hub outside London.

Through Omni’s Resourcing Effectiveness Assessment and collaborative strategy development, the TA strategy significantly improved Ofcom’s recruitment. Over four years, time to hire was reduced by 44% to 47 days, agency reliance decreased by 11%, and ethnic diversity at job offer increased from 9% to 28%. Kerri O’Neill, chief people officer, praised Omni’s commitment to partnership and understanding of evolving business needs and culture.

VHR

Founded in 2003, VHR began as a niche, partner-focused recruitment and training organisation. Initially focusing on the aviation sector, it has since expanded its services to include automotive, engineering, defence, marine, renewables, and construction. Operating from 10 global offices with a diverse staff fluent in 22 languages, VHR supports 135 clients in 57 countries. International trade contributes 92% of its £40m turnover. The company has seen significant growth.

VHR prioritises staff investment and professional development. It offers clear career progression, monthly awards, tailored training, and support for professional qualifications. In 2023, 16% of staff earned new qualifications. Additionally, 45% of employees were promoted, with 11% advancing to management roles.

The company has embraced innovation by hiring a head of AI and automation and investing in new software, such as Paiger for social media automation, talent analytics for feedback collection, and Daxtra for CV parsing. This technological advancement has increased placements by 18%.

In partnership with Etihad Airways, VHR developed a six-week training programme to upgrade standard aircraft technicians to ACTs. It coordinated the shipment of aircraft seats to Manila for technician training and conducted recruitment drives in the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. Technicians received better skills, a 400% pay increase, and benefits, positively impacting their careers and local economies.

VHR is committed to diversity and inclusion, notably increasing gender diversity in aviation engineering through its work with aircraft maintenance firm Joramco. The recruitment and training of 29 female technicians now make up 21% of the workforce, compared with an industry average of 5%. VHR also enhanced remote training with EASA-certified online courses, generating £112,000 in direct revenue and £334,000 in indirect revenue from personnel placements in 2023.

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