Background
Bradford Council operates Prospects Online, a recruitment and careers platform serving the education sector and wider local authority recruitment needs. The platform supports job seekers, schools, academies, and internal council teams, handling thousands of listings and applications across the district. As digital expectations evolved and legacy systems became increasingly limiting, the Council recognised the need to rebuild the platform from the ground up — prioritising security, performance, and custom functionality over generic design templates or off-the-shelf tools.
To make this transformation possible, Bradford Council engaged 6B as their technical partner, with a clear focus on bespoke software development tailored to complex user needs, multi-level access control, and ongoing scalability.
The Need
Bradford Council’s existing recruitment systems were no longer fit for purpose. Built on outdated infrastructure and dependent on manual data processing, the platform lacked flexibility, speed, and the kind of secure data architecture needed for modern recruitment activity.
The Council required a robust, future-proof platform that could support two entirely different user journeys: an external-facing portal for schools and job seekers to manage recruitment activity, and a private, internal portal for council administrators to oversee the entire operation. These user groups had different needs, permissions, and responsibilities — making it difficult, if not impossible, for standardised recruitment platforms to handle both effectively.
Data security and compliance were also high priorities. The system needed to store and process sensitive personal information, including job applications, school contacts, and HR activity — all of which had to be encrypted, access-controlled, and auditable. Additionally, the solution needed to reduce dependency on email-based workflows, speed up vacancy publishing, and enable a more professional user experience across all touchpoints. It was clear that only a bespoke solution could offer the flexibility and reliability required to meet these challenges.
The Solution
6B designed and developed two secure, fully bespoke PHP portals — one for external users such as school HR teams and job seekers, and another for Bradford Council’s internal staff. Both systems operate on a shared backend infrastructure but offer distinct, role-specific functionality and user experiences.
The external portal enables schools and academies to log in, advertise vacancies, review applications, and manage recruitment directly through their own dashboard. For job seekers, the platform provides account creation, real-time search and filtering, application submission, and status tracking — all within a clean, responsive interface. This removed the need for third-party platforms or fragmented workflows and offered schools a direct, professional channel for managing education sector recruitment.
The internal Council portal provides administrators with powerful tools to oversee the entire platform. Staff can create and edit job listings, moderate content, manage user access, and generate reports on platform activity. The system includes granular role-based permissions, full activity logging, and an integrated audit trail to support compliance and governance.
Security and performance were core considerations. 6B implemented robust encryption standards, secure authentication mechanisms, and ongoing vulnerability testing across the application. The modular PHP architecture ensures the platform remains extensible, allowing future functionality — such as candidate shortlisting tools or multi-academy trust dashboards — to be added without disrupting existing systems.
Throughout the project, 6B worked closely with Council stakeholders to validate requirements and shape the product roadmap. User feedback played a central role, with iterative development cycles enabling rapid refinements and continuous improvement.
The Impact
Since launching the new platform, Bradford Council has significantly improved its recruitment workflows across both internal and external users. Administrative processes that once took days are now completed in hours. Schools benefit from a self-service system that gives them control over their own recruitment activity, while job seekers enjoy a faster, clearer application experience.
Internally, the Council now has far greater visibility over recruitment across the district, with real-time reporting, enhanced security, and significantly reduced dependency on manual processes. By choosing a bespoke software development approach over a one-size-fits-all solution, Bradford Council has gained a modern, secure platform built to evolve with their needs and support long-term digital transformation in public sector hiring.