Apt – a Scottish Government initiative dedicated to reducing the disability employment gap

Wednesday 6 September 2023

Please join us on Wednesday 6 September at 0800-0830, for our next ‘Breakfast Briefing’ webinar. The next Breakfast Briefing will look at Apt, a Scottish Government initiative dedicated to reducing the disability employment gap. Presented by Amrit Kaur Bedi, Development Manager for Apt.

Recruitment today is often digital, with increasing numbers of employers posting vacancies on their websites and advertising through online job search websites. Many employers only accept applications which have been submitted online. This has created a scenario where disabled jobseekers face not just attitudinal barriers, but digital barriers as well. A significant portion of employer sites, recruitment boards and online tools are not fully accessible to disabled people. This can raise serious questions about diverse recruitment practices and discrimination. Apt is keen to educate employers on how they can have efficient and cost-effective recruitment processes that do not deter disabled applicants and applicants with long-term health conditions.

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Who are Apt?

Apt is a partnership of organisations that have chosen to work together to develop and deliver services that will improve and advance the prospects of disabled people who are looking to enter or sustain paid work.

Only 45% of disabled people in Scotland are in employment. Apt are making it their mission to change this.

Their approach is inclusive, supportive, and challenging.

Their aim is to ensure that their services achieve real, sustainable, and significant improvements in workplaces. Change that will give employers confidence to hire disabled people and build their capacity to retain, support and develop the disabled people they employ.

Apt are offering solutions that will make employers forward-thinking, brave, certain in their hiring choices and, eventually, recruitment processes and workplaces that are inclusive.

Their solutions start at the very beginning of the hiring process and support employers throughout. Ensuring that you’re connecting with disabled people in the places that they are searching for, that the hiring process is inclusive and accessible for applicants and that once in the role, they are adequately supported, and employers and the new employees are set up for success.

What do they do?

Apt is offering fully funded solutions that will make you, as employers, forward-thinking, confident, and certain in your hiring choices. Ultimately creating workplaces that are diverse, inclusive, and fair.

Apt work with organisations to ensure the hiring process is inclusive and accessible, and once in the role, people are properly supported, with both employee and employer set up for success.

This is a tailored process and is led by you and what your business requirements are.

Digital Recruitment Review

Apt are keen to educate employers on how they can have efficient and cost-effective recruitment processes that do not deter disabled applicants and applicants with long term health conditions.

A Digital Recruitment Review is a comprehensive analysis of an organization’s digital recruitment practices. This review is designed to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the organization’s digital recruitment strategies and identify areas for improvement.

During a Digital Recruitment Review, a team of experts will typically conduct an in-depth analysis of the organization’s website, social media presence, job board postings, applicant tracking system, and other digital recruitment channels. They will evaluate how well these channels attract, engage, and retain qualified candidates.

The review may also include an assessment of the organization’s recruitment metrics, such as time to hire, cost per hire, and applicant conversion rates. These metrics can help identify bottlenecks or inefficiencies in the recruitment process.

The goal of a Digital Recruitment Review is to help organizations optimize their digital recruitment strategies to attract the best talent more efficiently and effectively. The review provides valuable insights that can inform strategic decisions about recruitment, including where to invest resources, which channels to prioritize, and how to improve candidate engagement and retention. Ultimately, a Digital Recruitment Review can help organizations improve the overall quality of their talent pool and drive business success.

Participating employers receive a full and detailed report, as well as key recommendations for improvement. Advice and guidance on implementing the recommendations is also available.

This requires minimum input from the employer. All the work is done by our Experience Network behind the scenes at our offices along with the expert web developers. We do not require access to your coding or web teams.

Following an agreed period, a second review will be undertaken to measure the success of any changes made to the digital recruitment process.

The Outcomes:

• Improved Recruitment Metrics: A digital recruitment review by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde led to a 30% increase in their online applications, as well as a 20% reduction in their time-to-hire metric. This review helped the organization identify areas where they could improve their recruitment processes and increase the efficiency of their recruitment efforts.
• Enhanced Candidate Experience: A digital recruitment review by the Scottish Police Authority led to a significant improvement in the candidate experience. By implementing changes to their online application process and improving their communication with candidates, the organization saw a 14% increase in positive feedback from candidates.
• Increased Diversity: A digital recruitment review by the Scottish Government led to a series of changes to their recruitment processes, including the implementation of blind screening and more targeted outreach to underrepresented groups. These changes helped the organization increase the diversity of their talent pool and improve their overall recruitment outcomes.
• Cost Savings: A digital recruitment review by Scottish Water led to a significant reduction in their recruitment costs. By identifying areas where they could streamline their recruitment processes and reduce their reliance on traditional recruitment methods, the organization was able to save over £500,000 per year on recruitment costs.

Register now