The International Aviation Technical College Case Study
TECHNICAL RECRUITMENT CASE STUDY
The International Aviation Technical College (IATC)
Case Study
ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP
The International Aviation Technical College (IATC) based in Riyadh, operated by Aviation Australia Riyadh Collage (AARC), aims to provide the aviation market with skilled, motivated, and dependable technicians in line with KSA vision 2030.
IATC partnered with AeroProfessional in the Autumn of 2020, securing the expert support they needed to successfully source and recruit Airframe & Powerplant Instructors. Up to this point, AARC had found the process of attracting the required talent complex and challenging; engaging with the niche skilled target workforce and tackling the subject of relocation to the Middle East were both critical to a successful outcome.
At the time the partnership was established, the Covid-19 pandemic had already established itself, creating monumental challenges for the travel industry. On top of the existing challenges outlined by IATC, we also needed to overcome the additional economic and social constraints put on us by Covid-19.
Our expert teams executed a recruitment campaign that addressed the challenges that the IATC team had previously faced. Throughout the end of 2020 and into 2021, we successfully identified a large pool of suitably skilled candidates, managed an effective selection process and managed the onboarding process, including supervising Visa applications & other crucial documentation to ensure a smooth relocation of the new employees to the Middle East.
HOW IT WORKED
In the initial phase, our team identified and constructed a comprehensive candidate attraction campaign that would successfully attract qualified European candidates. Elements included highlighting company USP’s, as well as clearly communicating correct information about the opportunity to people within AeroProfessional’s aviation network. Our extensive reach to the appropriate technically skilled aviation workforce allowed for significant exposure and quick results from early on. The AeroProfessional team’s experience in executing various attraction techniques led to ‘passive’ candidates also enquiring about the IATC opportunity. This provided the team with a strong pool of qualified, eager candidates with a shortlist carefully selected to progress to the next stage of the process.
Utilising our 15-years of recruitment experience and regional expertise within the Middle Eastern market, our team had an inherent grasp of the typical on-boarding requirements and fully aligned themselves with the additional expectations of the IATC team. Managing the visa and English language certification process on behalf of IATC, we were able to streamline our process and reduce the clients expected timescales by over 50%.
To overcome the added complications from Covid-19, our team adapted to a predominantly ‘online process’. Organising and coordinating video interviews was a significant undertaking, as well as providing candidates with guidance to the nuances of video interviewing, something most were unfamiliar with. We then managed successful candidates through remote on-boarding, navigating potential showstoppers such as last-minute border closures that prevented travel.
Over the course of the campaign our team supported IATC as if they were part of their internal HR team, providing a robust candidate management service, a great applicant experience and exceptionally successful hiring rates. Working collaboratively, the team achieved a positive 78% submission to interview conversion rate, with 70% of those candidates being interviewed, offered, and accepting of employment.
All while dealing with and overcoming the ongoing and profound challenges and obstacles that Covid-19 posed!