Award-winning partnership: How collaboration is powering public sector recruitment transformation
Posted on: 17/06/2025
Thought Leadership
West Midlands Employers and Tribepad have won Best Supplier Partnership at the Talent Labs Awards 2025. This recognition highlights the impact of true collaboration in modernising public sector recruitment. Through shared values, open communication, and a growing WMTribe network, 14 councils have already improved speed, inclusivity, and candidate experience—proving that trusted partnerships can transform how local authorities attract, engage, and retain top public sector talent.
By Katrina Whitby, Talent Acquisition Consultant at West Midlands Employer
We’re delighted to share that West Midlands Employers, in partnership with Tribepad, has won Best Supplier Partnership at the Talent Labs Awards 2025. This recognition highlights the power of collaboration in transforming public sector recruitment, replacing outdated systems with inclusive, efficient, and candidate-friendly processes.
At West Midlands Employers, we know that our councils need more than just software, they need trusted partners who understand the challenges of modern hiring and are committed to long-term improvement. Tribepad has proven to be exactly that.
From partnership to progress
In 2023, we launched a region-wide procurement on behalf of 14 organisations, seeking a modern applicant tracking system that could support more responsive and equitable recruitment. Tribepad was selected not only for their technology but for their ethos, one that aligns with our people-first values and public sector mission.
Over just six months, we onboarded 14 organisations to the new platform. The implementation was on time, on budget, and without disrupting ongoing recruitment activity. That alone is a remarkable achievement. But the real value lies in what came next.
- Real results, sector-wide impact
- Councils like Malvern Hills and Wychavon have achieved:
- 75% reduction in time to offer (16 weeks to 22 days)
- 100% increase in average applications per role
- 77% completion rate across 900+ applications
- Five hard-to-fill Civil Enforcement Officer roles filled
- Seamless onboarding, improved hiring manager experience, and happier candidates
These successes show what’s possible when supplier relationships evolve into true partnerships.
Building the WMTribe network
To keep the service responsive and evolving, we’ve created a Tribe network, a collaborative space for councils using the platform to share feedback, receive updates, and shape ongoing improvements. It’s this continual, two-way communication that makes the partnership more than a product, it’s a living, growing service shaped by those who use it.
The Tribe network is now a vital part of how we support councils, aligning our work with real-time user needs and insights.
A blueprint for collaborative recruitment
Our award-winning partnership with Tribepad stands as a clear example of what’s possible when councils and suppliers work in genuine partnership.
When local authorities come together with shared values, clear communication, and mutual trust, recruitment becomes more than a process, it becomes a strategic advantage.
This isn’t just a West Midlands success.It’s a model other councils across the UK can learn from, particularly those looking to build fairer, faster, and more people-centred recruitment systems that are resilient in the face of ongoing pressures.
The Talent Labs Award simply affirms what we’ve always known: collaboration is the real innovation.
At a time when expectations are high and budgets are tight, working together is no longer optional. It’s how we stay ahead. Collaboration is now a competitive advantage.
So the question isn’t just what recruitment system are you using? It’s who are you working with, and how?
Because real transformation happens when we stop tackling these challenges alone. Is your organisation ready to be part of the network shaping the future of public sector recruitment?
