We’re Looking for Our Next 5 Pilot Employers
15 Sept 2025
Building the Future Workforce Together
Across the UK, employers are facing growing challenges around recruitment, skills shortages, and building sustainable pipelines of job-ready candidates. At the same time, training providers and adult education organisations are preparing motivated learners who are eager to step into work. The gap between these two groups is often not about talent or opportunity, but about connection.
That’s where we come in. We are inviting five forward-thinking employers to become part of our pilot employer programme, designed to link businesses directly with training providers and job-ready candidates through pre-employment initiatives such as the Sector-based Work Academy Programme (SWAPs).
By becoming a pilot employer, you won’t just fill vacancies, you’ll shape the way employers and training providers work together to solve recruitment challenges in the UK.
Why Employers Need Recruitment Pipelines
Recruitment is costly, time-consuming, and unpredictable. Many employers find themselves filling urgent roles reactively, which can mean higher turnover, lower job fit, and gaps in productivity.
A recruitment pipeline flips this approach. Instead of waiting for the next vacancy, you create a stream of talent that is already prepared, trained, and aligned with your business needs. Through SWAPs and employability programmes, candidates learn sector-specific skills, gain confidence, and demonstrate commitment before they even arrive at interview.
By joining as one of our five pilot employers, you’ll benefit from a tailored recruitment pipeline while helping to build a model that works for employers across the UK.
How Pilot Employers Benefit
Becoming a pilot employer is not just about accessing candidates, it’s about co-designing solutions that improve workforce development. Here’s what you gain:
Early access to job-ready candidates who have completed pre-employment training.
Reduced recruitment costs, with candidates sourced through funded employability programmes.
Input into training content, ensuring candidates gain the skills that matter most to your business.
Stronger retention rates, as participants are matched to roles with greater preparation and understanding.
Positive employer branding, showing your business is proactive in tackling the skills gap.
This is a chance to shape not only your recruitment strategy but also the future of how businesses and training providers collaborate.
What We’re Looking For in a Pilot Employer
We’re seeking five employers who:
Have ongoing or upcoming recruitment needs.
Are open to engaging with training providers.
Want to trial innovative approaches to talent pipelines.
Value diversity, inclusion, and social impact within recruitment.
Whether you’re in logistics, healthcare, hospitality, retail, manufacturing, or another sector struggling with recruitment, this pilot is an opportunity to test a more reliable, future-proof model.
Connecting Employers and Training Providers
Training providers across the UK are running employability programmes, apprenticeships, and SWAPs that produce motivated, job-ready candidates. Too often, though, these candidates don’t connect with employers in a structured way.
By joining our pilot, you help bridge that gap. You’ll be introduced to local training providers who are preparing candidates specifically for your roles. Together, we’ll ensure that the training content matches your workforce requirements, creating a win-win scenario: employers gain skilled staff, and learners move into sustainable jobs.
Why Act Now?
The UK labour market is changing fast. Skills shortages are being reported across nearly every sector, while employers continue to spend heavily on recruitment. At the same time, government-backed programmes like SWAPs are providing fully funded training that can help solve these challenges, but only if employers engage early.
By stepping forward as one of our five pilot employers, you place your business at the forefront of this movement. You’ll not only benefit immediately from tailored recruitment support but also help shape long-term approaches to workforce development.
Creating a Smarter Future for Recruitment
If your organisation is ready to explore a smarter way to recruit, we would love to hear from you. Becoming a pilot employer is simple:
Register your interest.
We will connect you with suitable training providers.
Together, we will align training and recruitment needs.
You gain access to candidates ready to succeed in your business.
👉 Find out more at www.swappro.co.uk or contact us directly through www.swappro.app.