Department For Transport

The Department chose Human Assets Limited to evaluate existing managerial selection processes, including assessment centres, to make sure they were reliable and fair. The review also identified changes needed to ensure the process was accurate in identifying the right staff to deliver the Department’s future agenda.

We worked closely with the Department to focus on the key questions that would help move the assessment centre process forward for the future. The review included a check on whether the competency framework reflected the qualities needed in the roles, whether the process met the Department’s diversity objectives, and whether the selection process was aligned with best practice. The evaluation was based on a thorough statistical analysis.

Stakeholders’ views on the process added richness and context and we used a variety of methods such as questionnaires, interviews and focus groups to gather the views of line managers, the HR team, assessors, successful and unsuccessful candidates, and union representatives. We met regularly with the client project team to provide updates on progress. This provided the Department with reassurance that the project was on track and allowed early sight of any interesting findings.

Human Assets produced a report identifying aspects that were working well and those that could be enhanced. The report also highlighted potential alterations for consideration in future competitions to ensure the centres fully matched the changing needs of the Department.