Wickland Westcott

Transformation at BCU

Dedicated to becoming a leading business-facing university, and with a clear commitment to engaging employers, Birmingham City University is undergoing a change programme driven by the Vice Chancellor, Professor David Tidmarsh, and has seen the introduction of a new mission, vision and key objectives including a new recruitment programme for the future.

Finding the Right Candidates

To assess short-listed candidates for high profile positions, Wickland Westcott has been retained as one of several strategic partnerships, as our Consultant Keith Robinson explains: "To engage key stakeholders in defining the deliverables, tasks and competencies required for successful performance, we use our unique Blueprint © job profiling system to produce a validated job model against which short-listed candidates can be assessed prior to designing each assessment process."

Objective Assessment

A targeted suite of assessment tools including e.g. psychometrics, work simulation exercises and interviews is then selected. The process includes 1:1 feedback to the candidate, and an objective, hard-edged assessment report is produced. Each candidate also meets the University's selection panel, and takes a general tour to get a feel for the environment and meet relevant people.

A High Profile Position

With a unique culture, a strong emphasis on teaching, learning and research, and respected assets including Birmingham Conservatoire and Birmingham School of Acting, the University is flourishing, providing over 300 courses to more than 22,000 students from seven faculties across eight campuses. Recruiting the best talent is critical to its long-term success and Professor David Tidmarsh, a firm advocate of the Wickland Westcott service, commented: "Wickland Westcott has made a real contribution to the quality of people in our most critical roles, including the appointment of Pro-Vice Chancellors, Deans and Heads of Department. We consider them to be professional, responsive, and a very progressive company."