Appointment Policy

and Procedure

INTRODUCTION
The prime objective of the Motherwell College Appointment Policy is
to ensure that a common, transparent and non-discriminatory
approach is adopted with regard to all appointments. The
Appointment Policy is in accordance with the College’s Single
Equality scheme and reflects the College’s responsibilities under
legislation and associated Codes of Practice.

PURPOSE
The Appointment Policy is intended to ensure that all recruitment
decisions are approached fairly and consistently, while continuing to
appoint and develop members of staff with the skills, knowledge
and experience to contribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of
College services.

SCOPE
This procedure applies to the appointment of all individuals
employed by the Board of Management of Motherwell College. It
also sets out the process for agreeing unpaid work placements and
for arranging temporary workers through specialist recruitment
agencies. It does not apply to self-employed contractors or
consultancy arrangements.
This procedure does not apply where a vacancy exists for the role of
Principal and Chief Executive or members of the Senior Executive
Team, where the processes followed will be at the discretion of the
Board of Management.

PROCEDURE
Staff involved in recruitment, selection and appointment processes
must conform to the requirement for integrity and non-
discriminatory behaviour, and recognise the importance of
compliance with all relevant statutory legislation and College
procedures.

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 Authorisation to Recruit
The College wishes to ensure good practice is
maintained in relation to the appointment of staff.
Human Resources has developed a procedure which will
be complemented with appropriate Recruitment and
Selection training for individuals involved in
administering the process and those responsible for
making recruitment decisions.
The decision to recruit new staff will involve
consideration of alternative means in which the required
skills/experience may be obtained. These may include:
(i) re-deployment;
(ii) staff development which may result in
improved versatility and quality;
(iii) re-allocation of duties which may better
utilise the capabilities of existing staff.
Where a Head of Department or Support Manager
wishes to recruit staff, Staff Requisition Forms must be
completed for all posts. These are available to download
form the Staff Intranet
Completed Staff Requisition Forms must be forwarded to
the Director with responsibility for Human Resources for
consideration. When a decision has been taken, a
signed copy will be returned to the line manager as a
record of the decision. Salaries will be determined in
accordance with the agreed pay, terms and conditions of
employment where this is appropriate to the post.
Staff Requisition Forms must be accompanied by a job
description, person specification and draft
advertisement for the post.
Authorisation of Staff Requisition Forms is formally the
responsibility of the Principal and Chief Executive in
consultation with the Director with responsibility for
Human Resources. Where the vacancy is for the post of
Principal and Chief Executive the decision to recruit will
be that of the Board of Management.
Advertising of posts or interviews must not take place
prior to authorisation being given.
Failure to ensure that the appropriate staffing
requisition is fully completed and subsequently
authorised, will result in a review of the non-
application of this policy.

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 Temporary Lecturing Staff
Staff Requisition Forms must also be completed before
any recruitment process is undertaken for temporary
staff. Following the recruitment process and prior to any
appointment under a temporary lecturing contract, a
Temporary Appointment Form must also be completed
by the Head of Department or Support Manager, giving
due consideration to budgetary implications. On
completion, this should be forwarded for authorisation to
the Director with responsibility for Human Resources. If
authorised, a copy will be retained with Human
Resources and the original returned to the Head of
Department or Support Manager.
Please note that the Temporary Appointment Form can only be
completed once consideration of skills available within
the College has been undertaken and any agreed
recruitment process has been completed.
Where a permanent member of staff has formally
indicated an interest in undertaking temporary hours in
addition to their substantive contract, the Head of
Department must demonstrate equality of opportunity in
accordance with College policy and where possible
ensure an equitable distribution of hours available to
those staff who have the requisite skills and experience
for the post(s).
Role Descriptions and Person Specifications
Role Descriptions and Person Specifications will be
available for all posts within the College and will be
focused on the responsibilities and competences
required of the postholder and the skills, qualifications
and experience required for the role.
These documents will also articulate the College’s
Mission, Vision and Values and will outline how the
particular role fits into the College organisational
structure.
Generic Role Descriptions and Person Specifications
have been created for posts where there is more than
one postholder, which are aviallble from Human
Resources.
It is the responsibility of the line manager to compile the
Role Description and amend/review those already in
existence to reflect current College requirements, with
support from Human Resources.

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 The person specification is the measure against which
candidates are evaluated and as such, the details must
be based on the Role Description and accurately reflect
the qualifications, experience, skills and personal
qualities necessary to effectively undertake the key
tasks of the post.
It is normal for the person specification to contain those
characteristics which are deemed essential criteria for
successful job performance and those which are
desirable.
Desirable requirements should not be unnecessarily
restrictive or contain requirements which exclude
particular groups since this may constitute unlawful
discrimination.
The person to whom the role is responsible will complete
the person specification, in conjunction with the line
manager. All related documentation must be processed
through Human Resources in accordance with these
procedures. Advice, assistance and support will be
available from Human Resources on any aspect of the
procedures or documentation required.
Human Resources staff can assist managers with
preparation of these accompanying documents.

Advertising of Posts
All approved staffing requests in excess of nine months
will be subject to competitive selection procedures.
It will be at the discretion of the person to whom the
post is accountable, in conjunction with the Director with
responsibility for Human Resources, whether posts are
advertised internally only or restricted to a particular
group of staff. Information on current vacancies is
displayed on Staff Notice Boards and may be accessed
through the College’s Website and Staff Intranet.
Details of recommended advertising media constitute
part of the Staffing Requisition Form and consideration
should be given to:
- local labour market information;
- untapped sources of labour;
- College policy;
- financial implications.

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 All advertising material must reflect the College image
and is subject to a house-style designed for both course
and employment advertising. All employment
advertising will be arranged through Human Resources.
The recruitment advertising budget will be controlled by
the Director with responsibility for Human Resources
who will monitor advertising response rates to ensure
the College recruitment advertising strategy is both
successful and cost-effective.
Temporary Lecturing Opportunities
It will not normally be practice to advertise individual
temporary lecturing opportunities. A block recruitment
advertisement may be placed to attract a pool of
potential temporary staff as required.
Details of potential temporary staff will be made
available to Heads of Department and Curriculum
Leaders responsible for the recruitment and selection of
temporary staff in consultation with Human Resources.

Application Method
A standard College Application Form has been designed
which requests only that information which is deemed
essential to the recruitment process.
All applicants will be required to complete a College
Application Form. It is the responsibility of Human
Resources to issue and collect all applications in
response to an advertised post. In addition, Human
Resources will be responsible for acknowledging all
responses to advertised vacancies, as well as
speculative applications.

Shortlisting
All applicants are given equal consideration, and
selection for interview is based on objective job-related
criteria as defined by the Role Description and Person
Specification..
The short-listing process will be achieved by means of a
shortlisting form (Appendix B) which enables each
applicant to be considered against the agreed criteria.
Shortlisting will be carried out by a panel, normally
comprising of three people. This will include the person
to whom the role is responsible, the person to whom the
Revised Appt Policy/CES/HR/March 2009
 role is accountable and a member of Human Resources.
In some cases where additional specialist knowledge
could aid the shortlisting process, or where a number of
posts are available across the College, other staff may
be involved, at the discretion of the Director with
responsibility for Human Resources. However,
shortlisting panels will not usually exceed four members.
The most senior member of the panel will act as Chair of
the Shortlisting Panel.
Human Resources will be responsible for the collation of
application forms for dissemination to the shortlisting
panel. The information made available to the panel will
only include details of an applicant’s Education,
Qualifications, Work Experience and the Additional
Information, which contains an applicant’s statement in
support of his or her application. Managers will not
receive any personal information in relation to
individuals (e.g. names, sex, age, marital status, school
attended etc) in order to ensure a fair and effective
selection process.
It is the responsibility of all members of the Shortlisting
Panel to complete the screening and shortlisting
process. In the event that the panel cannot agree, the
Chair of the Shortlisting Panel will determine the final
shortlist.
Once the shortlisting process has been completed the
members of the Shortlisting Panel will normally become
the Appointment Panel and will be involved in the
selection process for candidates.

Selection Method
The determination of selection method will be the
responsibility of the person to whom the post is
accountable, in conjunction with Human Resources.
Normally this will be a selection interview or a selection
interview following a relevant presentation, simulation
exercise or assessment.
A member of the Senior Executive Team (SET) will
normally chair Appointment Panels and when the
Director with responsibility for Human Resources is not a
panel member, a member of the Human Resources team
will attend. Panel members will normally also include
the person to whom the post is responsible and the
person to whom the post is accountable. The member
of SET may as appropriate delegate his/her authority to

Revised Appt Policy/CES/HR/March 2009

 another manager to chair the Appointment Panel.
Representation may also be present from the
appropriate Committee of the Board of Management.
For temporary opportunities, responsibility for selection
is delegated by the Principal and Chief Executive to
Heads of Department or Support Managers as
appropriate, in consultation with Human Resources. For
these posts, selection will involve a formal interview
conducted by the appropriate Head of Department or
Support Manager, with a member of Human Resources
present.
It will be the responsibility of Human Resources to
ensure that candidate qualifications are viewed and
verified as those claimed on the application form.
Prior to interviews, members of the Appointment Panel
will have discussed the interview format and agreed
questions with the Chair of the Appointment Panel. All
interviews should be conducted in a professional manner
with due regard to the wording of potentially
discriminatory areas of questioning.
Staff involved in recruitment and selection procedures
will be given staff development in all aspects of the
process. Advice, assistance and support will be available
on these issues from Human Resources.
Positive About Disability Scheme
The College is an accredited user of the Positive About
Disability ‘Two Ticks’ symbol, which is granted by
Jobcentre plus in recognition that, as an employer, the
College has agreed to make certain positive
commitments regarding the employment, retention,
training and career development of people with
disabilities.
As a participant in this initiative, the College will:
• interview all applicants with disabilities, who meet
the minimum criteria for a job vacancy and consider
them on their abilities;
• ensure there is a mechanism in place to discuss with
members of staff with disabilities, what both parties
can do to make sure that their abilities are
developed and utilised. This can happen at any
time, but at least once a year;
• make every effort when members of staff become
disabled to make sure they stay in employment

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 • take action to ensure that all members of staff
develop the appropriate level of disability awareness
needed to make sure these commitments work
• review these commitments each year and assess
what has been achieved, plan ways to improve on
them and let employees and Jobcentre Plus know
about progress and future plans
For more information, please contact Human Resources
or your local Jobcentre Plus.
Interview Assessment Record
An Interview Assessment Record (Appendix D) will be
prepared and completed for each candidate, by each
member of the Appointment Panel. The purpose of the
record is to provide an aid to final selection, including an
overall record of assessment of selection decisions
should this be required.
Where possible, immediately following the interview of
the final candidate, the appointment panel will discuss
their views and will aim to reach a consensus or majority
on the most suitable candidate for the post. In the event
that this position cannot be reached the Chair of the
Appointment Panel will liaise with the Director with
responsibility for Human Resources to determine what
action will be taken.
For unsuccessful candidates, interview assessment
records will be retained within Human Resources for one
year following the date of the interview and on the
personal file of the successful candidate for the duration
of their employment at the College. This is in
accordance with the College Data Protection Policy.
It is the responsibility of the Chair of the Appointment
Panel to record the decision for each candidate on
conclusion of the interviews. This should be done on the
interview schedule and signed by the Chair of the
Appointment Panel.
Interview Expenses
Candidates invited for interview will be eligible for
reimbursement of expenses necessarily incurred in
travelling to the interview in accordance with College
Policy. An Interview Travelling Expenses Claim Form
(Appendix C) will accompany each interview letter. A
mileage allowance up to a maximum of 200 miles will be
granted in accordance with the college mileage rates.
Thereafter, the cost of public transport will be

Revised Appt Policy/CES/HR/March 2009

 reimbursed (i.e. standard class rail or bus fare) if
supported by receipts).
Statutory Checks and Verification of Identity
In addition to verification of qualifications, the College will also
undertake a number of other checks that are required by law.
Disclosure Scotland – Criminal Record Check
Under the provision of the Protection of Children (Scotland) Act
2003, the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007
and other relevant legislation, all posts within the College are
considered as ‘childcare’ positions.
This means that management must ensure that individuals to
whom the College wishes to offer employment are not
disqualified from working within such an environment. The
College must also take steps to safeguard learners and will
therefore require all appointees to submit to a Disclosure
Scotland check at the Enhanced Level. The College considers this
to be proportionate and relevant to our organisation.
All applicants for employment will be made aware of the requirement
to undergo a Disclosure Scotland check as part of the standard
recruitment pack.
For more information on the Disclosure Scotland process and
how the College will use this information, please refer to the
College’s Disclosure Policy and Procedure, copies of which ar
available from Human Resources on request.
Verification of Eligibility to Work in the United Kingdom
As an employer, the College has a responsibility under Sections
15 – 25 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, to
prevent illegal migrant working.
To meet these responsibilities, the College must, before
confirming an offer of employment, ensure that all persons)
whom the College wishes to appoint have the right to work in the
UK.
To do so the College will, as part of its recruitment process,
require all candidates attending for interview to provide certain
documents or other information, which have been identified by
the UK Government as meeting these requirements. These must
be originals and Human Resources will ensure that copies of
these are made.
Details of the College’s responsibilities and the documents that
can be submitted as proof of the right to work in the UK will be
made available to all applicants for employment with the College
as part of the standard recruitment pack.

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 Further information is available from the UK Border Agency at
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk.

Offers of Employment
Successful applicants will normally be informed verbally within three
working days by the Chair of the Appointment Panel or a
member of Human Resources, following completion of all
selection procedures. Conditional offers will be made unless all
of the following are received and are deemed satisfactory by
College management::
(i) An Enhanced Disclosure Scotland Check;
(ii) Receipt of two satisfactory references;
(iii) Receipt of satisfactory proof of citizenship or proof of
eligibility to work within the United Kingdom;
(iv) Verification of qualifications;
(v) Occupational Health clearance including the result of a
medical Examination (where appropriate).
Where a conditional offer is made, this must be made clear to
the candidate at the time of the offer. All appointments are
subject to a probationary period of six months in accordance
with the College’s Procedure for the Management of
Probationary Periods.
This offer will be confirmed in writing by Human Resources,
where possible within three working days of a verbal offer.
An individual will not normally commence employment until all
of the above information has been received and verified by
Human Resources. The College reserves the right to withdraw
any conditional offers of employment if the information required
is not provided to the satisfaction of management.
All appointments must be made through Human Resources. Any
deviation from the procedure must have the prior approval of
the Principal and Chief Executive, and the Director with
responsibility for Human Resources, who will have advised and
taken notice of comments of all interested parties.
Temporary Lecturing Opportunities
Successful completion of selection procedures in respect of
temporary staff will qualify candidates for employment and/or
inclusion in the pool of potential temporary staff.
The majority of temporary appointments will be made at the
start of each learning session for all or part of that academic
session only. Temporary appointment forms should be lodged
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 with Human Resources prior to the new session or as soon as
departmental staffing requirements are known. The issue of a
temporary contract of employment will normally be on a
separate basis from and independent of any other appointment.
All new temporary lecturing staff will be required to attend the
College induction programme. Where possible, this will be
undertaken prior to commencement of temporary employment.
The appointment of temporary lecturing staff is subject to
particular staffing or course requirements. Where the reason for
the creation of a temporary appointment no longer exists, the
temporary appointment may no longer be required and
appropriate notice may be given to end the temporary contract
on or before its stated date of expiry.
It is the responsibility of the Head of Department to liaise in
advance with Human Resources on any additions or alterations
to their temporary staff complement. Such information must be
timeously supplied to facilitate alterations or variations to the
hours of existing temporary staff prior to these taking effect.
References
Two references will be requested for short-listed candidates.
References are normally requested once a conditional offer of
employment is made.
Referees will be provided with a copy of the Role Description and
Person Specification for the post and will be asked to comment
on the applicant’s suitability for the post for which they have
applied, in terms of his or her skills, knowledge and abilities.
Written Statement of Terms and Conditions of Employment
Human Resources is responsible for the issue of all appointment
letters and the preparation of Written Statements of Terms and
Conditions of Employment, to comply with the Employment
Rights Act 1996 and other legislation.
Human Resources will advise on appropriate salary/remuneration
levels and associated terms and conditions.
Written Statements will be provided on acceptance of the post
and once the relevant vetting and verification checks outlined in
Section 4.1.11 have been completed.

.Unsuccessful Candidates
It will be the responsibility of Human Resources to advise, in
writing, unsuccessful candidates who attended for interview,
within five working days of an offer of employment being
accepted by a successful candidate. On request, unsuccessful
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 candidates will be provided with post-interview feedback. This
will normally be provided by the Chair of the Appointment Panel.
Failure to Appoint
Where the Appointment Panel fails to reach a majority
agreement on a suitable candidate for the post, or an
advertisement fails to yield a satisfactory number or level of
candidates, the panel may repeat the selection process by re-
advertising the post. Where the Staff Requisition Form has
expired, the whole process must recommence.
Use of Specialist Recruitment Agencies
It is recognised that it may be appropriate for the College to
access temporary staff through specialist recruitment agencies.
Heads of Department or Support Managers who wish to engage
with a specialist recruitment agency should follow the Staff
Requisition Process outlined in Section 4.1.1. The costs of using
any agency workers will be met from departmental staffing
budgets.
When engagement of a temporary worker via a specialist agency
is authorised, provision for this must be arranged through
Human Resources.
Work Placements
There may be opportunities to offer salaried or unsalaried
learner placements or work experience and departments are
required to follow the same Staffing Requisition procedure with
Human Resources issuing formal offers of placement.
For work experience opportunities for school pupils, departments
must liaise with the Education Liaison Manager. Once arranged,
Human Resources will issue a formal confirmation of work
experience arrangements.
Induction
All successful candidates will be required to attend an induction
session, delivered by Human Resources, within two months of
appointment. This provides a general introduction to the College
and its context, with an overview of key elements of the
College’s Health and Safety policies.
For temporary staff and staff who attend induction outwith
normal working hours, appropriate payment will be made.
The College also provides a range of induction material on the
Staff Intranet, which can be accessed at www.motherwell.co.uk.

Revised Appt Policy/CES/HR/March 2009

 Probationary Periods
For all substantive members of staff of the College the first six
months of employment will constitute a Probationary Period.
During this period, suitability for the position to which the
member of staff has been appointed will be assessed. The
College reserves the right to extend Probationary Periods up to a
maximum of three months if, in its opinion, circumstances so
require. During probationary periods, employment may be
terminated by the College on giving four weeks’ notice in writing.

New members of staff who do not currently hold the European

Computer Driving Licence / Internet Core Computing (IC3)
qualification and any other specific requirements of their role
(e.g. achievement of ‘A’ units by Workbase Assessors) will be
expected to complete these within their Probationary Period. If
this is not successfully completed within this time, the
Probationary Period may be extended up to 3 months. New
members of staff will also be expected to achieve an appropriate
Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) award within
their Probationary Period.

Probationary periods may also be required for temporary posts,

where these are expected to last for more than six months.

Further information on probationary periods is available in the

Procedure for the Management of Probationary periods, which
can be accessed on the Staff Intranet or from Human Resources,
on request.

Speculative Enquiries
Where Human Resources receives a speculative enquiry or
curriculum vitae for work within the College, Human Resources
will acknowledge receipt of any written enquiry and forward a
copy of the information to the relevant Head of Department for
their consideration. This information will be kept on file in a
secure place within Human Resources for a period for six months
in accordance with the College Data Protection Policy. After this
period has elapsed, information will be confidentially destroyed.
RECORDS
5.1 All appointment related documentation will be held within the
personal file of the member of staff to which it relates, within
Human Resources in accordance with the College Data
Protection Policy.
5.2 All appointment related documentation for unsuccessful
candidates will be retained within Human Resources for one
year, after which time it will be confidentially destroyed.
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MONITORING AND REVIEW
Motherwell College will continue to examine and review existing
appointment procedures to reflect the needs of the College on the
basis of experience, identified good practice and statutory
obligations as necessary.

POLICY INFORMATION -
Date of origin: Date of last review: Proposed date of
review:
2000 May 2009 April 2011

Revised Appt Policy/CES/HR/March 2009