1. Joining up approaches between your recruitment and admissions 1b
Joining up approaches between your recruitment and admissions 1b. UCAS Admissions Conference, 21 March Dan Shaffer, Head of Professionalism in Admissions Lizzy Woodfield, Admissions Support and Development Manager

2. What is SPA?
Set up in 2006 following the Schwartz Report Fair Admissions to Higher Education: Recommendations for Good Practice 2004
‘The Group recommends the creation of a central source of expertise and advice on admissions issues. Its purpose would be to act as a resource for institutions who wish to maintain and enhance excellence in admissions. Such a centre could lead the continuing development of fair admissions, evaluating and commissioning research, and spreading best practice.’

3. Fair, in principle
Be transparent.
Enable institutions to select students who are able to complete the course as judged by their achievements and their potential.
Strive to use assessment methods that are reliable and valid.
Seek to minimise barriers to applicants.
Be professional in every respect and underpinned by appropriate institutional structures and processes.
“Equal opportunity for all individuals, regardless of background, to gain admission to a course suited to their ability and aspirations.”

4. Fair, in principle
QAA B2 Expectation:
‘Recruitment, selection and admission policies and procedures adhere to the principles of fair admission. They are transparent, reliable, valid, inclusive and underpinned by appropriate organisational structures and processes. They support higher education providers in the selection of students who are able to complete their programme.’
“Equal opportunity for all individuals, regardless of background, to gain admission to a course suited to their ability and aspirations.”

5. Fair, in practice preparation engagement attitudes
Which affects not only the quality of their student experience, but whether or not they seek to be your students at all
A joined-up approach to fair access and fair admissions influences students’
preparation
engagement
attitudes
and shapes the ‘psychological contract’ early on for motivating retention and success

6. The influence of the Applicant Experience
A good applicant experience
is mutually beneficial to both the applicant and the higher education provider
prepares, informs and provides equality of opportunity to enter higher education
should accurately match the student’s aims, abilities and aspirations with the character of the institution.
therefore improves student retention and enhances the strategic mission of the institution
A poor applicant experience
is inherently detrimental to both the applicant and the higher education provider – both lose out
perpetuates barriers to entry
disengages potential applicants and their advisers
risks incongruence between student expectations and institutional character
therefore embeds an enrolment strategy leading to unfulfilled potential and increased drop-out
WHERE ARE YOU ON THIS SCALE?
HOW DO YOU INFLUENCE THAT POSITION?
HOW DO YOU MEASURE AND TRACK IT? 6

7. Q The influence of the Applicant Experience
HEPs come in all different shapes and sizes, but the applicant experience is only effective if recruitment and admissions cooperate to achieve the same goals.
What is the purpose of your recruitment?
What is the purpose of your admissions?
What is the purpose of your university / college? Q
same or
different?

8.   The influence of the Applicant Experience size separation shape?
Using just three circles, draw how you see the work of recruitment, admissions and the rest of your HEP currently interact.
Then, on the other half of the page, draw how you think they should.  
size
separation
shape?

9. The recruitment-admissions relationship
A National Expert Think Tank (NETT) guide
Promotes an integrated approach across the applicant experience.
Encourages greater understanding internally.
Helps HE providers identify, analyse and develop the relationship between recruitment and admissions.
Seeks efficiency, effectiveness and mutual benefit.

10. The recruitment-admissions relationship
Key recommendations:
Evaluate your recruitment and admissions relationships.
Use SPA’s interactive review toolkit as part of a continuing review and enhancement plan.
Plan strategic policy in advance to promote collaboration.
Adopt a flexible approach to recruitment activities.
Ensure fairness and transparency.
Make effective use of data.

11. The recruitment-admissions relationship
Highly influential and highly involved
These are the people who must fully engage with one another and remain well-informed across a wide range of recruitment/admissions influencers. They should seek to understand the impact of any changes on different areas.
People in this quadrant are most likely to be the ones who should be responsible for informing and engaging with those in other quadrants.
Highly involved but less influential
These people are likely to engage with a limited number of other individuals or areas externally, so need to be kept well informed, but it is not as important to engage directly all the time. However, as they may pick up useful intelligence and have practical experience, it is helpful to have ways for them to inform more influential people. If several people work in local/regional areas it would be useful for them to engage with others in this quadrant to share and compare knowledge.
Less involved and less influential
These people are least likely to need to engage with others on recruitment/admissions activity, but it is still important they keep up-to-date, especially in a changeable environment. Ensure they know where to access relevant information when needed and consider ways of ‘pushing’ important updates to them (but keep it relevant and don’t bombard them).
Highly influential but less involved
These people must be satisfied with the effectiveness of your recruitment/admissions activity, but will not require (or desire) constant engagement. They will need to understand important points to help them make informed decisions. Care should be taken not to overload them with information for risk of disengaging them or obscuring key points.

12. The recruitment-admissions relationship
Interactive review toolkit:
Step 1: congruence survey
Step 2: SWOT analysis
Step 3: action plan
Step 4: interaction map
Step 5: act, remind and repeat 

13. NETT recruitment-admissions interactive review Case study congruence surveys Relationship between recruitment and admissions activity

14. Staff congruence
Set of questions comparing what respondents’ current understanding is with what they feel it should be:
Congruence = match between what ‘is’ and what ‘should be’.
The greater the divergence, the greater potential for unfulfilment
in a recruitment or admissions context this could lead to unprofessionalism: misunderstanding between staff, poor decisions, incorrect IAG, missed targets…
It should be easier to treat/redress slight divergence with increased information, communication, and training.
Wide divergence may indicate a trickier problem to treat.

15. Congruence A response on the red dotted line is congruent.
Responses slightly away from the red dotted line (by about one grid point) are slightly incongruent.
Responses further away are highly incongruent.
Incongruence up and to the left of the dotted line is probably of greater concern
…but be wary of potential overconfidence suggested by incongruence down and to the right.

16. 2
My understanding of both recruitment and admissions strategies within my institution

17. 2
My understanding of the concerns of prospective students and their advisers

18. 2
My understanding of the internal policies that concern student entry to my institution

19. 2
My understanding of the quality, reliability and sources of data used to analyse recruitment and admission activity in my institution

20. Epilogue and many, many more Recruitment Admissions
The recruitment-admissions relationship is more than two teams
Outreach / WP
staff
and many, many more
Partners
Marketing
staff
Recruitment
Agents
Admissions
Student support
staff
UCAS
Students
Teaching
staff

21. Thank you More information from: enquiries@spa. ac
Thank you More information from: or

22. Step 1: Congruence survey

23. Step 2: SWOT analysis

24. Step 3: Action plan

25. Step 4: Interaction map