How we took an influential government agency from where they were to where they needed to be TDA
Service Line:
Executive Recruitment | Public Sector |
Background
The TDA is an innovative, influential and highly effective government agency committed to establishing a world-class education system through the training and development of the school workforce. Following an independent review to secure efficiencies and boost regional economies by relocating a number of Government functions away from the Capital, the TDA were identified to move from their London base to Manchester.
The requirement
The TDA began its phased 12-month relocation in April 2009, with approximately 80% of the 320-strong workforce choosing not to relocate. We were retained to recruit all new staff at mid and senior levels, plus a new nationally distributed field force of 35 Regional Delivery Leads; this latter requirement was delivered in only two months from initial briefing.
Our approach
The project was delivered by a dedicated team and required us to create an entire recruitment brand for the client, design a new recruitment process and build awareness of the TDA’s relocation to the North West.
We conducted a complex programme of sustained advertising which we tailored on an ongoing basis to reflect the TDA’s changing requirements throughout the relocation period, supported by targeted executive search for many of the individual specialist roles.
Challenges
In October 2009 the TDA approached Penna to recruit to 35 Regional positions. These were two-year fixed term contracts to start in April 2010 which meant that the recruitment and resignation process needed to be complete before the Christmas break.
To meet these challenging deadlines we developed a major, national advertising campaign which was supported by a wide-reaching mapping, identification and search exercise into local organisations which had the most potential as candidate sources. We designed an assessment centre that included a number of psychometric tests, competency and panel interviews and a written exercise that would test candidates against the role criteria, but also how well they would respond under pressure.
The results
So far our team have filled c70 positions with a 100% completion rate and with candidates being drawn from a mix of public and private sector backgrounds. The regional recruitment project was delivered successfully, within the timeframes while delivering a positive experience for both client and candidates.
Our ability to deliver all that the TDA has asked of us has been due to a combination of factors. Initially it was key to quickly understand, and be sympathetic to, the client’s requirements, and to form open and trusting partnerships which allowed us to anticipate and address issues before they became problems. The TDA has been wrestling throughout with huge change, disruption and the loss of significant knowledge and expertise, so our ability to ensure that we delivered replacement staff of the highest quality, against extremely challenging timescales, has proved invaluable.
For more information
Please contact David Hunter on +44(0)207 933 8333 or email david.hunter@penna.com
