Louth and Meath ETB – from paper-heavy admin to a professional, streamlined ATS

Louth and Meath Education and Training Board (LMETB) is one of our many ETB clients, recruiting year-round for schools and centres across the M1 corridor. They’re one of the largest Education Trust Boards in the Republic of Ireland. They employ over 2,400 staff and provide education for over 11,000 students at Primary, Secondary and Post Leaving Certificate levels.

We sat down with Susan Crosby, Siobhain Lenehan, Margaret McKeever, Jessica Halford and Sinead Murphy from their HR and recruitment team to learn how things have been going since they adopted our recruitment platform, Jobtrain.

A growing ETB carrying a heavy process

Before Jobtrain, recruitment was fragmented and slow: printed applications, packs had to be posted and disjointed email chains meant no single view of progress.

“It was very slow and paper-based before. Now everything is in one place and moves faster.” – Siobhain Lenehan

“Getting to the stage of organising interviews and having packs out has improved by at least 50% versus our old paper process.” – Margaret McKeever

With our recruitment platform’s configurability, it enabled us to tailor it around LMETB’s scale and variety of roles/competitions so recruiters, principals and centre managers could all work from the same system.

Today, LMETB is filling 508 roles a year through Jobtrain – volumes that demand a single, reliable system rather than paper and email chains.

What changed

• Single workspace: live visibility from requisitions and approvals to interviews, offers and onboarding

“Everyone in our office can log in and see everything – from requisitions through to offers and onboarding.” – Siobhain

• Shortlisting on screen: hiring managers review applications with the grid alongside, not in printed packs.

“Shortlisting is a click of a button with the grid side-by-side with the application. It’s much easier than before.” – Susan Crosby

• Digital onboarding: templated offer letters and document packs, e-signing and secure uploads. That pace is visible, with 375 offers issued in the last 6 months as candidates e-sign and upload documents faster online

“The onboarding documentation pack is a huge time-saving factor. To sign offers and contracts, candidates just click a button and upload their documents – they respond much faster online.” – Siobhain

• Reach and discovery: central job advertising and posting to free boards has widened audiences – and it’s working: 39% of candidates say the job advert description influenced them to apply.

“We’re far more accessible via Indeed and other channels.” – Siobhain

How was implementation and has it paid off?

As one of the first ETBs to adopt our recruitment platform, working with LMETB taught valuable lessons and helped shape best practice. Working with our in-house Jobtrain implementation team, LMETB implemented and tested while managing their peak recruitment season.

Rollout to schools and centres was smooth and pragmatic. Principals and candidates adjusted quickly and we’re happy to see that our partnership has grown stronger every day. Imelda Brehony, Head of Human Resources, was a key lead in the implementation of the system. Working with her and the rest of LMETB has enabled us to create an applicant tracking system designed specifically for Irish ETBs.

Professional experience, faster throughput, more candidates

With the recruitment process now centralised and digitised, LMETB moves earlier on strong candidates, gets to interview faster and communicates more efficiently. The hiring process and candidate site looks professional. It’s clean, slick and modern – especially from a candidate’s point of view.

• Recruitment admin-time reduction to interview: Now 50% faster to assemble what interview panels need
• Manager efficiency: on-screen shortlisting has replaced costly paper packs and separate grids
• Candidate experience: meets expectations that’s modern, mobile-friendly and simple to complete
• 89% of candidates agreed the application process was straightforward
• 88% said the amount of information requested was “just right”
• Application growth: the quantity of applications has increased sizably, with the team now capable of handling that growth.

In the last 6 months LMETB attracted 2,514 applications and issued 375 offers, reflecting faster reviews and cleaner comms across campaigns.

What would Louth and Meath say to other ETBs considering an ATS?

The team described Jobtrain as streamlined, professional and great with timesaving. With the core recruitment journey now bedded in, LMETB is focusing on practical refinements that keep speed and governance high without adding admin – strengthening panels, reporting and simplifying content where possible.

“We would absolutely recommend Jobtrain. Overall, the ATS has improved efficiency in our processes.” – Sinead Murphy, Director of OSD.

About Louth and Meath ETB

Louth and Meath Education and Training Board (LMETB) is the statutory provider of education and training across counties Louth and Meath, formed in 2013. It is the region’s largest provider, supporting over 30,000 learners each year across primary, post-primary and further education and training, with services delivered through a wide network of schools, colleges and centres.