In light of the considerable pressures on homelessness services, both in local authorities and the third sector, a common issue reported across Wales, was that service providers are struggling to attract interest in vacant posts, causing increased pressure on an already stretched workforce. At the same time, Welsh Government and Cymorth Cymru shared an aim to up-skill the existing workforce and provide trauma-informed, person-centred care for those that come into contact with homelessness services. There was therefore a need for a range of new recruits to step into those posts or be prepared to undertake training.
The Welsh Government and Cymorth Cymru partnered to create a recruitment campaign that aims to attract more people to apply for jobs in the homelessness and housing support sector. The sector is hugely rewarding and can provide trauma-informed, person-centred support to those who need it most. Our job was to create a campaign that attracted people who had shared values and transferrable skills, such as building trust and rapport with others, which could be suitable for working in this sector.
We left no stone unturned when it came to getting the word out about this campaign. We knew that to reach as many potential applicants as possible, we had to use a diverse range of media channels. From radio ads to eye-catching billboards on buses, train stations and supermarkets across Wales, to featuring in all 11 Welsh weekly titles, we made sure our message was visible to everyone. We also took advantage of digital platforms, with a Wales Online Homepage takeover, job boards, and Digital Advans at local job fairs, as well as paid digital advertising on Facebook, Google Search and TikTok. We ensured that this campaign was as widely known and accessible as possible, reaching a broad range of audiences across Wales.
Results
The website remains live and is being managed by Cymorth Cyrmu, however during the campaign period 1,623 ‘apply now’ clicks were achieved. Recruiting organisations who used the site praised the campaign for helping to attract applications jobs for ‘unpopular’ jobs, some of which had remained unfilled for quite some time and were impressed by the diversity of the people that applied for the jobs.
