Staffs Skills Hub

Project Overview

Client

Staffs Skills Hub

Creating a platform for Staffs Skills Hub that allows businesses to access training that actually fits their needs.

Who is Skills Hub?

The place to go in Staffordshire for businesses if you’re looking for training. It’s where local training providers list their courses whilst also offering funding information, levy sharing and support that makes upskilling more affordable, providing guidance and offering skills reviews to businesses. If you’re a business trying to grow your team’s skills or a provider trying to reach more people, Skills Hub is where to go.

So what did they need from Yellow Circle? Their connection to their users was slow. So, from the beginning, we rebuilt everything with the user at the centre. By incorporating key areas such as industry, training needs and even team size, along with people looking for apprenticeships and training for a career change, we were able to understand their need for a website that could be a one-size-fits-all platform.

Staff Skills Hub Case Study - Yellow Circle Case Studies

The Challenge

At first glance their website was trying to do a lot, but the execution held it back. The info was all there but no clear journey through it. Their target audience couldn’t quickly find courses that were relevant to them, and the Skills Hub team found the upload process for new courses a little frustrating. They needed a complete redevelopment from the ground up, one that works just as well for users browsing the site as it does for the team managing everything behind the scenes.

We started by looking at the user journey through the eyes of employers. Right at the top of the homepage: “start your search for new skills.” One clear statement, so you know where to start as soon as you land on the site. And directly underneath? A search box with “Search for the training you need to upskill internally.” Straight to the point.

But we didn’t stop there. We know businesses often want to explore their options before committing, so we placed the newest funded courses directly on the homepage. Making sure each course has clear tags such as sector, duration, delivery method, and provider, with a bold “Apply now” button to take action. It instantly made the platform feel alive and current.

The Solution

One of the biggest pain points for users was finding courses that were actually nearby. A course might look perfect until you realise it’s 80 miles away, a defeating experience when you think you’ve found the perfect one. So we created a bespoke location-based search tool that lets users narrow courses by how many miles they are from their location.

And on the backend? We made it easier for the Skills Hub team to manage the courses and upload new ones. We rebuilt the dashboard so they could easily add courses, include detailed information (such as duration, location, level, and sector), and update them without needing technical support. Every detail meant better search results, end result being? More applications.

Search by category. Search by level. Search by delivery type. Or just search by keyword. The platform was now transformed into something that actually worked like a hub.

We Built Trust

Let’s make this feel proven and not just a directory. Starting by elevating their “Skills Hub Success Stories” section, instead of hiding it deep in a menu, it showed businesses that had benefited directly from Skills Hub support. Each story is now social proof and a case study that shows what’s possible. The website went from not just telling you how it works to showing you how.

The Result

Now the site feels credible and modern and most importantly easy to navigate. Businesses can find training they actually want. And the Skills Hub team can upload courses without friction. The target audience can filter by location and know whether funding is available. The home page reassures and the structure informs, with the search guiding. This platform now delivers. A hub finally built to do what a hub is meant to do, connect the right people to the right opportunities.

Need a Platform That Actually Works for Your Users?

Let’s build it properly.

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