1. | Did the Pathfinder experience any recruitment difficulties? |
Yes/No (if no go to Q10) |
2. | Which professions/posts were affected? |
Professions/posts | Number of posts |
Youth workers |
Programme admin/management |
Social workers |
Other: |
3a | What recruitment difficulties were encountered? |
lack of applicants |
lack of suitably qualified applicants |
lack of suitably experienced applicants |
or a combination of factors? |
b | Any other difficulties? |
4a | How much time did it take from the point when you decided that a post was needed to the post being taken up by the successful candidate - i.e. how long did the process of writing job descriptions, consulting with unions, getting pay scales approved, going to committee, writing the advert, arranging interviews, and allowing for notice periods etc. take? |
b | Were any of these stages more protracted than normal? |
5 | With the benefit of hindsight, is it possible that the qualifications required for the difficult to fill posts were higher or more specific than was in reality needed? |
6 | Were posts with recruitment difficulties offered on particular types of contracts? |
Temporary |
Permanent |
Part-time |
Full-time |
Other |
7 | How were recruitment difficulties addressed e.g. revised advertising, increased salary, incentives, training? |
8 | In addressing recruitment difficulties were short term measures considered or implemented e.g. secondments, agency staff, use of consultants? |
9 | Do you feel that your location - either rural or outside the central belt - created any specific recruitment difficulties? |
10a | Did you implement procedures to avoid recruitment difficulties?(please provide examples) |
10b | Did these result in successful recruitment? |
11a | Have there been any issues retaining staff? |
Yes/No (if no go to Q12a) |
b | Has staff turnover been greater than anticipated/previous experience? |
c | Have staff indicated reasons for leaving that relate specifically to programme design or implementation? |
12a | Are the recruitment and retention issues for BNSF any better or worse than other short-term programmes or public sector recruitment generally? |
b | Why? |
13 | If you've experienced recruitment and retention difficulties, how have these affected the programme - have they resulted in programme re-design, for example have they resulted in delay in delivery or smaller scale or poorer quality services? |
14 | What do you think could be done differently in the future? |