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The Scout Association launches recruitment and absence management systems to streamline processes

The Scout Association, the UK’s largest co-educational children and youth movement, has invested in an online HR platform, to improve efficiencies within its organisation.

The integrated solution, provided by Access UK, will help to improve online recruitment and absence management as well as streamlining training and appraisal processes.

The Scout Association's head of HR, Sally Hopper, said: "The flexibility and depth of functionality 'out-of-the-box' is incredible; the solution is very intuitive too, something that is very important to us. This coupled with the high level of customer service that Access provides made them stand out from the crowd. They're very responsive, patient and have an infectious enthusiasm. We're all really looking forward to working with the team.

"Technology has moved on a great deal during that time; it no longer supports our needs. With over 270 staff across multiple sites in England, Scotland and Wales, looking after their needs is something that we take very seriously."

It is hoped the investment will help the HR and payroll function to reduce administrative tasks so it can focus more time and attention on staff needs. "It's important to us that we work closely with them to motivate and help them progress within their roles," said Hopper.

She added: "'Learning by doing' is the ethos of our scouting organisation and, by the same token, learning is very important for staff development and personal growth too. That's why our chosen solution needed to offer the functionality to monitor, measure and act upon the training requirements of our staff."

The Scout Association has a membership of almost 500,000 young people between the ages of 6 and 25; internationally, more than 28 million people benefit from its work, throughout 216 countries.