Unifrog sat down with TALiNT international for an exclusive interview following their multiple wins at this year’s TIARA Talent Tech Star Awards. They secured top honours at the awards for redefining the landscape of talent technology but has also exemplified a purpose-driven approach that transcends profit. We delved into their remarkable journey, learned about their successful partnership with Manchester Airport, and explored the impact of their mission-driven strategies.
TALiNT International: You forged a very successful partnership with Manchester Airport who historically have very challenging roles to fill. How was this recruitment partnership a success?
Unifrog: Manchester Airports Group approached us for support with three roles they’ve found historically hard to recruit for.
We know from our student surveys that young people want to hear first-hand from people doing the roles they’re interested in, so we created engaging videos featuring employees in these roles who had completed apprenticeships to get where they are today.
We also focused on diversity within the organisation to make the videos – and by extension the roles themselves – relatable. Within the first few months of going live on the Unifrog platform, Manchester Airports Group firefighter role profile was viewed over 650 times, and students have been using our unique ‘Put me in touch’ button to contact MAG directly to learn more about their opportunities.
TI: Judges praised Unifrog at this year’s TIARA Talent Tech Star Awards for showing purpose beyond profit. How does this statement drive your business strategies?
U: Our mission as an organisation is to level the destination’s playing field for young people, and we benchmark every new initiative against this. We ask ourselves: Does it align with our mission, and will it bring us closer to ensuring every young person, regardless of their background, moves on to a positive destination? And if so, how can we deliver these new initiatives in a way that saves our partner schools money and connects teachers and students to more employers and their opportunities to further bridge the gap between education and the world of work.
TI: Unifrog were the big winners at the TIARA Talent Tech Star Awards in June. What has winning at the awards meant for your business?
U: We’ve been working with schools and colleges for 10 years now, so we’re well established within the careers and destinations space. We knew that we could bring huge value to employers and their early years and talent acquisition teams, so two years ago we began partnering with employers.
To win the award is huge for us! It’s a fantastic reflection of the success of our early employer partnerships – both for us as a team and for prospective partners.
TI: Tell us a bit about why you entered the Awards.
U: We were keen to enter the awards to discover a bit more about how our employer partnerships measure up compared to others in the space, as well as to gain valuable feedback and insights from the judges on our strategy and impact.
TI: Will you be entering next year?
U: Absolutely! Our employer partnerships are continually evolving, we’re developing new initiatives and strategies all the time based on feedback from our partners, so we’re already aware that we have even more to offer in our next application. And – most importantly – we want to retain our title!
TI: What would you say to other organisations who are thinking about entering?
Go for it! Reflecting on your work during the process of writing the application is a great way to assess your own strategy. You also gain constructive feedback on your application, which allows you to improve and hopefully do even better next time.
