How Aspira Education cut average candidate onboarding time to a day, and compliance costs by 80%

Aspira Education is a specialist recruitment and training provider supporting schools with teaching assistants, teachers, and SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) focused staff.

When Managing Director, Dario Ostad, launched the business, he knew from day one he needed a more efficient foundation. Aspira required a single ecosystem that could automate compliance, simplify candidate onboarding, and eliminate the need for multiple disconnected tools.

Challenge

Multiple disconnected systems for onboarding, DBS checks, Right-to-Work verification, and timesheets.
Fragmented tools created a slow, manual, admin-heavy process.
Lack of integration increased the risk of delays, where fast turnaround is essential for SEND placements and school staffing.
Previous systems were expensive and inefficient.
Needed a tech stack that could support a lean operation without the overheads of hiring full-time staff.

Approach

Implemented Access Volcanic (now known as Access Attract Evo), Access Vincere Evo and and TimeTemp, and Access Onboarded to consolidate the entire recruitment workflow.
The integrated tech stack formed the foundation for automated compliance, digital registration, and candidate file management.
Access Onboarded replaced several stand-alone platforms and enabled a connected flow of candidate data directly into Access Vincere Evo.

Results

Average candidate onboarding time cut to 1 day (down from 3–5 days).
Compliance cost reduced from ~£3K/month to ~£500/month.
The connected system reduced the bulk of manual admin, as compliance checks, DBS processing, and document uploads now happen inside a single platform.
The new automated onboarding experience received a 4.8 candidate satisfaction rating.
With job postings now made directly from Access Vincere Evo into Access Attract Evo, vacancies are now live in under 5 minutes on www.aspiraeducation.co.uk.
Hiring costs reduced with only the need for a part-time administrator, rather than a full-time employee.

Access Volcanic is now known as Access Attract Evo, with our marketing platform supercharged with enhanced AI functionality and predictive analytics giving recommendations to improve performance and prevent budget waste.

The problems with disconnected tools in education recruitment

For recruitment agencies placing staff in schools, Right-to-work verification, DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) criminal records checks, and reference collection must all be completed and verified before a candidate sets foot in a school. Any delay in the compliance process may have direct consequences for schools, pupils, and the agency's reputation with the candidate unable to commence work.

An Enhanced DBS check - mandatory for all staff working in schools - takes an average of 12.3 days to process (source: DBS Police Performance data, 2024) and when that process is managed manually across disconnected platforms, delays compound. Agencies that can compliantly place candidates quickly hold a genuine competitive advantage.

Dario set himself the task to discover an integrated system from one provider:

How do I find like an all-in-one system where I can just have my proof of Right to Work, my DBS checks, the onboarded files the candidate input straight onto my CRM platform? How do I have a platform that also has timesheets?

He knew that starting a new business on this kind of foundation would give him an advantage from day one.

I came across a few companies, but Access was the best one.

What the implementation looked like: hands-on, product by product

From the moment Aspira began onboarding the software, Dario took an active, hands‑on role in shaping the setup. He worked closely with product specialists at Access, ensuring the implementation aligned with how he wanted his new business to operate, saying of his Account Manager:

He was really helpful throughout the onboarding process. He was a great help. I had a lot of sessions with him to get everything up and running.

The result? A fully integrated recruitment ecosystem.

How does Access Recruitment’s platform perform for education agencies?

Since going live with its chosen Access Recruitment software, Aspira has transformed the speed, cost, and efficiency of its entire recruitment process:

One‑day candidate onboarding

According to data recorded directly within Access Onboarded, Aspira Education's average time for candidate onboarding is now one day - down from three to five days using manual processes. Dario attributes this to how straightforward candidates find the digital registration process: accessible on mobile or desktop, with no email attachments, no separate logins, and DBS processing embedded directly in the registration form.

I think it's because it’s so easy. You click on it from your mobile or your laptop and you just fill it in.

Significant compliance cost savings

By automating Right-to-Work checks, DBS processing, and document collection through Access Onboarded, Aspira avoided hiring a full-time Compliance Officer at a typical cost of £2,500–£3,000 per month including employer National Insurance contributions and employment costs, representing a saving of up to £36,000 per year. Aspira now runs compliance on a part-time basis at approximately £500 per month, saving an estimated £24,000–£30,000 annually.

The files are all uploaded into Vincere. All I need is someone to chase the references for me - and that's a cost I don't mind. If it was £2.5 to 3K a month, I couldn't do that right now.

Faster job publishing and stronger candidate flow

Posting a job through Access Vincere Evo to the Access Attract Evo website, which Dario describes as “a great return on investment for me” now takes around five minutes, and improved SEO is already driving more applications directly through the site. What he expected to be a complex, technical process turned out to be remarkably straightforward - every task was simple enough for him to manage independently.

I’m not a major tech guy… I would say if I could do it, I’d say the majority of people would be able to do it.

A smoother experience for every candidate

With 9 out of 10 candidates completing the digital onboarding process, there is no need for email attachments or manual document handling.

Would Aspira Education recommend Access Recruitment?

100%. I've already recommended it to other people within the industry.

- Dario Ostad, Managing Director, Aspira Education

Dario also flags an area of genuine interest for future growth: automated outreach. As Aspira's pipeline grows, the difficulty of reaching SENCOs and head teachers at scale - contacts who are rarely reachable by phone - makes multi-channel outreach automation an appealing next step.

Access Automate Outreach, which integrates with Access Vincere Evo, is already on Dario's radar.

See how Access Recruitment supports education recruitment agencies

Find out how Access Recruitment can help your agency reduce compliance admin, onboard candidates faster, and build a lean, scalable operation.

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