Corporate Vision Together Creating Learning Capacity in the Classroom Operam Education Group (OEG), recognised as our Education Recruitment Agency Acquisition Specialists of the Year 2024, is an education recruitment business, specialising in the acquisition and growth of regionally intimate education recruitment agencies with high value service offerings. Currently with eight brands across the north and the midlands, its pending acquisition will enable a national reach. OEG brands include Provide Education, The Education Specialists, Teachers UK, Key Stage Teacher Supply, First For Education, Bridge Education, and Provision Recruitment. Successfully over the last five years, Operam Education Group’s investment strategy has encompassed people, technology, and business processes to improve efficiencies and further develop service delivery. Every acquisition process strives to strengthen stakeholder relationships to position each brand as the number one recruitment partner within their regions. Eddie Austin, Founder and CEO of OEG, shares the following advice for other businesses on its successful growth: “It’s important to understand your purpose, ensuring that all your stakeholders recognise and are aligned to it for greater levels of engagement and collaborative working. A clearly defined, robust, and deliverable business plan that identifies your key value levers is a must and is one thing that you should revisit every year. And above all, lead by example.” Since its inception, OEG has been underpinned by its set of values of fostering innovation and maximising potential, applying knowledge through experience, and accountability. The values reflect employee behaviour and decision making to achieve, progress, and excel, whilst being conscientiousness of Environmental, Social, and Governance considerations. They are the foundation that has ensured OEG’s delivery of high operational standards for the benefit of its employees, clients, candidates, partners, and its board, but most of all for the pupils and students who benefit from OEG’s purpose. Ultimately, OEG’s contribution translates into bridging the attainment gap, making a difference to children’s lives, enabling social mobility. The recruitment and retention of teachers has been an ongoing concern for almost two decades, which has been exacerbated by post pandemic issues. The industry’s biggest challenge currently has been the rise of mental health issues experienced by pupils. This has placed a lot of education staff in the frontline of identifying early signs of pupil mental ill health as well as managing their own wellbeing needs, which have also increased. In addition, the rise of challenging behaviour in the classroom has been a key motivation for teachers and TAs to leave the profession. In response to these identified challenges, OEG has invested in supporting and training supply staff through CPD of the highest quality. It has a dedicated Education Manager as its Training and Development Lead: a senior educational practitioner with a wealth of experience who has developed bespoke training. The tailor-made approach means training can assist in developing local solutions to local problems because not all schools are the same nor are their local challenges. Evidenced by feedback, live training, as opposed to video-led content, has had a real impact on the attendees’ confidence and ability to work in a classroom: Additionally, OEG has partnered with Northorpe Hall Child and Family Trust, mental health education experts, to deliver bespoke CPD training. The courses are also live and interactive, and facilitated by education professionals with mental health and wellbeing experience. All candidates can also access CPD Online College, who offer a wide range of safeguarding and subject specific courses. As employee numbers grow, OEG has made several investments to assist them in people management and HR, as well as accessible support for their staff’s physical and mental health, wellbeing, lifestyle goals, and challenges. Eddie Austin, CEO, gives the following advice on how SME businesses can bolster their HR: “As a fast-growing business with an equally fast-growing colleague headcount, we recognised at an early stage the need to have a robust and flexible approach to our working practices. Understanding when the internal trigger point is to hire a HR professional is important and should become a key milestone in your people plan. In advance of any such hire, management should consider investing in a fully supportive HR system, one that is easily accessible for all stakeholders and that offers the highest level of transparency in areas such as onboarding, attendance, CPD, and policies and procedures. Appointing a part-time HR professional to support management is always a good consideration and can be extremely cost effective.” The future for Operam Education Group includes further acquisitions to enable a national reach, strengthening its position as a market leader in education recruitment. Eddie Austin, CEO, says, “We have grown through our strategic investment and the dedication of our colleagues. Our growth year on year, both financially and geographically, has deservedly earned us a reputation as sector leaders.” Company: Operam Education Group Email: [email protected] Website: www.operameducationgroup.com
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