Eliesha has extensive experience designing and delivering successful Assessment & Development Centre services to public and private sector organisations throughout the UK. Within our Centres, Occupational Psychologists and specialist facilitators use a combination of psychometric tools, proven exercises and competency-based interviewing to ensure consistent and positive outcomes.
What are Assessment & Development Centres?
Put simply, a method of structured evaluation used to assess and/or develop groups of people in a defined period of time. Typically, they involve a combination of exercises, simulations and interviews, some of which are conducted in randomly assigned teams, illuminating certain competencies and skills, as well as assessing more nuanced factors such as personality, confidence and potential. They usually measure against a profile of behaviours and traits that has been defined in advance.
Organisations often run Assessment Centres to help them make objective recruitment decisions (such as selecting candidates for their graduate programme) or informed decisions about future leaders (such as choosing participants for talent management schemes). They often include psychometric tests, role play exercises, group tasks (e.g. problem solving, idea generation), interviews and presentations.
Development Centres focus on participants’ growth, rather than selection, identifying strengths and development areas in order to inform impactful personal development plans. They often include 360-degree feedback exercises, coaching, self-reflection and targeted skills development.
These exercises can be run consecutively, i.e. an organisation may choose to use an Assessment Centre in order to select the participants for a Development Centre.
By working with an experienced provider, such as Eliesha, you can make sure that your Centre enables informed, qualified and transparent decision-making based on industry best practice.
Tools, techniques & planning
We have designed, facilitated and evaluated a wide variety of methods for assessing and developing people, both in advance of their attendance at a Centre and at the Centre itself.
Some popular methods can be found below – whilst they represent effective examples, our experienced Occupational Psychologists will advise on suitability, combination and order, creating a final plan tailored to your delegates and priorities. As all our Centre plans are unique, we can factor in any specific methods or tools which are particularly suitable for your sector or organisation.
Psychometric testing: Personality tests (e.g. MBTI) and talent assessments (e.g. Quintax) provide objective insights into candidates and rich data for selection decisions. These are typically offered online ahead of a Centre, but can be facilitated on the day itself.
Reasoning ability tests: Numerical, verbal and abstract reasoning tests are common methods to measure broad cognitive ability and are often completed prior to attendance at a Centre. For sector Centres (e.g. Engineering) we can provide tests targeted at more specific abilities, such as mechanical reasoning. We can also provide testing relevant to the participants’ career status (e.g. graduate specific tests).
Group work simulations: Group exercises with or without pre-assigned roles are an ideal way to observe people interacting and working together. We recommend exercises which require candidates to share information and work together, without having to role play or act.
360 Degree Feedback: Suitable for Development Centres, anonymous feedback from an individual’s reports (if applicable), leaders and peers informs a report highlighting their strengths and areas for improvement. Care is always taken to deliver developmental feedback in a psychologically safe manner.
Situational Judgement Tests (SJT): Case studies and scenarios are used to create an environment within which a candidate must think on their feet or make decisions in ambiguous situations. The individual’s ability to make challenging choices under pressure is assessed, rather than their ability to land on the ‘right’ answer.
Individual interactive presentations: Presentations can either be designed in advance by the candidate as part of their Centre preparation or written on the day itself. We can provide a brief designed for your organisation or sector, or this can be generic.
Written exercises: Popular for Assessment and Development Centres alike, these can be easily adapted to your own context and are effective at measuring reading comprehension, level of analysis and the ability to write in a clear, compelling and concise way.
Interviews: We design bespoke interviews for customers, which can be carried out face-to-face as part of a panel or over video conference/telephone calls. We recommend competency-based interviews as evidence suggests these are the most predictive and fairest forms of interview design.
Competency-based testing: All tools and methods above can be adjusted to measure against a specific set of competencies – either generic models or any pre-existing competency framework your organisation has.
Reflection exercises: Participants will often learn a lot about themselves during a Centre, and so it can be informative to ask them to reflect on their performance and to provide a self-assessment or reflection on their performance.
Design approach
From the beginning of the design stage, we are already working to ensure your Centre’s practicalities are appropriately pitched at the relevant outcomes and audience. For example, with executives and senior leaders, it is reasonable to expect that candidates have more experience, upon which a more rigorous range of assessments can draw. Graduate assessment centres, however, need to give candidates the opportunity to show potential as well as demonstrate what they have gained from their degree and time as a student.
What is vital, is that we understand the outcomes that you require from the Centre. This might be assessing your leadership capability at a certain level within your organisation, selecting people for targeted investment or creating a pool of candidates capable of joining your organisation. When we understand your need, we can use our experience, your knowledge and our combined insights to create a Centre that delivers for you.
Eliesha’s Assessment & Development Centres
The most important thing to remember about our design and delivery of Assessment & Development Centres is that they always account for the unique nature of you, your organisation and your delegates.
Our fees are competitive and comprehensive, always including design, reporting and the appropriate amount of experienced facilitation (e.g., assessors, interviewers, actors, assistants, etc.). We can also arrange convenient, accessible venues and catering – passed on at cost. Our experienced team of facilitators and Occupational Psychologists will advise on industry best-practice that will enable you to make informed, transparent decisions about your development choices.
Case Studies
UK Civil Service
Positive Action Pathway (PAP) Development Centres
- As a senior supplier supporting the UK Civil Service as a member of KPMG’s consortium of learning specialists, we worked with Civil Service Learning to design and deliver a talent development scheme for civil servants from underrepresented groups.
- Participants were supported to increase skills, knowledge and confidence in order to compete on an equal footing for promotion. Entry was competitive and merit-based.
- Eliesha delivered 40-50 Centre events annually across a three year span, providing facilitators (i.e., Occupational Psychologists, coaches and assessors), as well as venues, materials, questionnaires, feedback and reporting, as well as making reasonable adjustments.
Health & Safety Executive
Development Programme Selection Centres
- Eliesha was commissioned to deliver a career development programme identifying and supporting ethnically diverse talent with the potential to be promoted by two or more grades.
- Stage One’s Situational Judgement Test examined interpersonal judgement, approach to work and analytical judgement and Stage Two’s Assessment Centre was a one-day event attended by 12 candidates, consisting of four exercises and an interview.
- Selected delegates then progressed through a 24-month positive action management development programme (also designed and delivered by Eliesha.)
NHS Wales Finance Academy
Graduate Recruitment Assessment Centres
- For more than six years and to date, Eliesha runs NHSWFA’s annual Graduate Recruitment Assessment Centre.
- Assessments include an SHL ‘Job Focused Assessment’ test specifically aimed at graduates, group exercises and a panel interview with bespoke questions, all informing comprehensive candidate reports.
- Design, facilitation and writing of the above is conducted by a Chartered Occupational Psychologist.
Department for Work & Pensions (DWP)
Leadership Excellence Action Programme Assessment Centre
- As part of a comprehensive “high potentials” development programme, Eliesha designed and assessment services for a number of Senior Civil Servants.
- Assessment methods included completion of a 360-degree feedback exercise, creation of an MBTI personality profile and reports informed by the Leadership Dimensions questionnaire.
To find out more about our Assessment & Development Centres,
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