Recruit-Manager Light - A Case Study

The Belfast Institute

The Belfast Institute of Further & Higher Education is one of the largest provider of further education, providing 43,000 students with courses on its 6 main sites. These courses range from basic literacy and numeracy through to all vocational and academic areas and at all levels to degree and degree equivalent. Of these, 20,000 are on adult and community education courses provided in over 140 outcentres across the city.

A recent review of The Institutes processes identified their recruitment strategy as out-dated and inefficient especially in light of the large number of applications received, as you would expect of an organisation of its size. As a result of this the Institute installed e-Link's 'Recruit Manager 'LIGHT' product in December 2001 as they wanted to offer their applicant's the easiest and quickest method of applying for positions as well as reducing the work load on their administrative staff to a minimum.

From an initial level of 20% online applications the Institute's latest figures have shown that 63% of all applicants now apply for vacant positions via their website. This has meant a dramatic reduction in the administration of dealing with postal applications but has also meant that the Institute reported cost savings in excess of 20% over previous campaigns with that figure expected to rise as online applications increase.

Terry Martin, Personnel Manager at the Belfast Institute, believes that the publishing of vacant positions and the ability to apply online has also increased their web presence and improved their corporate image. Asked if he thought 'Recruitmanagement' would revolutionise their recruitment process, he commented, "At present 'Recruitmanagement' complements the more traditional method of recruitment. In time it may well replace it and revolutionise the way we recruit, but not just yet. The Belfast Institute is committed to an e-business strategy and the concept of on-line recruitment fits well with that strategy."

Terry believes that online recruitment will continue to be more accepted as the preferred method of recruitment for today's medium to large orgainisations and has no hesitation in recommending other organisations to follow their lead. "This product has considerably reduced the amount of manual keying required by our staff as well as reduced paperwork. This has resulted in large cost savings as well as savings on administration time and effort."

For further information or for the latest job vacancies within the Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education, visit their website www.belfastinstitute.ac.uk and look under job opportunities.