After more than a century as a foundational pillar in Canadian classrooms, Nelson Education is undergoing a profound metamorphosis, transforming from a traditional textbook publisher into a dynamic education technology company. This pivotal shift, essential for its continued relevance and growth in the 21st century learning landscape, is underpinned by a radical overhaul of its talent acquisition strategy. Crucially, the company has transitioned from a fully outsourced recruiting model to an entirely in-house function, achieving an impressive average time to hire of just 29 days, a feat largely attributed to the strategic implementation of Workable, a dedicated applicant tracking system. This internal transformation in hiring is not merely an operational adjustment; it is a strategic imperative that directly fuels Nelson’s ambition to innovate and lead in the burgeoning edtech sector.
A Legacy Reimagined: Nelson Education’s Journey into EdTech
Nelson Education stands as one of Canada’s most enduring and recognized names in learning. Founded nearly 115 years ago, the company has been an omnipresent fixture in Canadian K-12 classrooms for generations, its textbooks and educational resources deeply ingrained in the nation’s pedagogical fabric. For decades, its identity was synonymous with printed materials, curriculum development, and traditional publishing. However, recognizing the irreversible tide of digital transformation sweeping through education globally, Nelson embarked on a deliberate and ambitious shift over the past decade. This strategic pivot aims to reposition the venerable institution as a comprehensive education technology organization.
At the heart of this transformation is its flagship digital product, Edwin. Conceived as a "digital backpack," Edwin provides teachers and students with a rich ecosystem of curriculum-aligned resources, meticulously organized by grade, province, and subject. For students, it serves as an interactive and accessible learning tool, while educators seamlessly integrate it into their daily instruction, leveraging its vast capabilities to enhance classroom engagement and personalized learning. While Nelson still maintains a presence in textbook sales, its strategic focus, workforce planning, and, critically, its recruiting strategy, are now unequivocally aligned with its future as a full-service education technology provider. This requires a workforce adept not just in publishing, but in software development, data analytics, digital marketing, user experience design, and sophisticated customer support for tech platforms. Samara York Cazes, Senior Manager of People and Engagement, leads this critical recruiting effort as part of a lean yet highly capable HR team. Her purview encompasses talent acquisition, performance management, learning and development, and HR operations across the entire organization, placing her at the forefront of Nelson’s human capital evolution.
The Pre-Workable Era: A Disconnected and Costly Approach
Before the advent of Workable and the strategic decision to build an internal talent acquisition function, Nelson Education’s hiring landscape was starkly different. The company lacked an in-house recruiting department altogether, relying exclusively on external agencies for all its staffing needs. This outsourced model meant there was no centralized applicant tracking system (ATS), no standardized, structured pipeline for candidate progression, and a notable absence of consistent methodologies for evaluating or advancing applicants.
While external agencies occasionally delivered successful placements, this arrangement presented significant drawbacks that became increasingly untenable as Nelson accelerated its digital transformation. Financially, the reliance on agencies was expensive, incurring substantial fees for each hire. Operationally, it stripped Nelson of direct control over a crucial strategic function. Decisions regarding talent, the very lifeblood of an evolving technology company, were made at arm’s length, disconnected from the intricate nuances of Nelson’s developing culture, its specific technological requirements, and its overarching strategic direction. This lack of integration often resulted in hires that, while skilled, sometimes lacked the deep cultural fit or contextual understanding necessary for navigating a company in the midst of such a significant pivot. The consensus within the organization was clear: a more integrated, culturally aware, and cost-effective approach was urgently needed to secure the specialized talent required for its edtech future. As one internal stakeholder noted, reflecting on the shift, "Having a person who is in house, who really knows the culture of the company, who really understands the dynamics and structure in depth, is very valuable." This sentiment underscored the growing recognition that talent acquisition could no longer be a peripheral function but needed to be a core strategic pillar, intimately linked to the company’s mission and values.
The Strategic Pivot: Embracing Workable for Internal Talent Acquisition
The decision to bring recruiting in-house coincided serendipitously with the implementation of Workable. Nelson’s Vice President, drawing upon direct and positive experiences with the platform from a previous professional role, championed its adoption. When Samara York Cazes joined the team and assumed ownership of the talent acquisition portfolio, Workable was already in place, poised to be built out to its full capacity.
York Cazes brought a critical perspective, having previously managed HR and ATS functions using systems like BambooHR. While BambooHR served its purpose as an all-in-one HR suite, it was not a dedicated ATS. Her introduction to Workable marked a paradigm shift in her understanding of specialized recruiting technology. She quickly recognized the profound difference a purpose-built system could make. "My world was expanded when I realized the setup of the pipeline and how you could set up different pipelines for different roles, all the automations," York Cazes recounted. "I found all of that to be really easy to use and to figure out and learn." Her rapid proficiency—operating the platform at a professional level within a mere week or two—underscored Workable’s intuitive design and user-friendliness.
For a small HR team tasked with managing the comprehensive hiring needs of an entire organization undergoing a monumental business transformation, the combination of Workable’s deep customization capabilities and its genuine ease of use proved to be an ideal fit. The platform offered the flexibility to tailor workflows for diverse roles, from highly specialized software engineers to customer support specialists, while remaining accessible to all users, regardless of their technical acumen. This dual advantage was crucial for Nelson, enabling the HR team to exert granular control over the recruiting process without becoming bogged down by complex system management. York Cazes emphatically recommends the platform, stating, "It’s so customizable and user friendly. I would recommend it to anyone in a small to mid-size organization." This endorsement highlights Workable’s role not just as a tool, but as a strategic enabler for organizations navigating rapid change and growth with limited resources.
Transforming Hiring: Six Pillars of Workable’s Impact at Nelson Education
The integration of Workable catalyzed a comprehensive transformation of Nelson Education’s hiring practices, establishing a robust, efficient, and candidate-centric talent acquisition function.
1. Unprecedented Visibility and Candidate Pipeline Management:
One of the most immediate and impactful changes York Cazes observed was the ability to maintain real-time, granular visibility into the status of every candidate across all active roles. The intuitive jobs view within Workable displays each search, its various pipeline stages, and the precise number of candidates at each step. This transparency ensures that "nothing disappears," eliminating the previous opacity of outsourced recruiting. York Cazes highlighted this as a seemingly obvious yet profoundly effective feature: "The quick overview of where candidates are all the time is incredibly helpful. It kind of sounds obvious because it’s so straightforward, but just having that view makes sure that no candidate gets forgotten about or left behind." This constant, clear overview is critical for maintaining momentum, preventing bottlenecks, and ensuring a consistent and fair process for all applicants.
2. Architecting Automation for a Superior Candidate Experience:
As a self-professed "technology enthusiast," York Cazes meticulously built an automation architecture within Workable that streamlines candidate communication and elevates the overall experience. Every application triggers an automated action, initiating a consistent and timely first touchpoint. As candidates progress through the pipeline stages, personalized emails are automatically dispatched. Following a first-round interview, candidates receive a tailored thank-you note outlining next steps. A second-round interview prompts a similar communication, often with additional context or specific feedback. Even rejection notifications are thoughtfully templated in three distinct versions, calibrated to reflect how far a candidate advanced in the process, ensuring the message always acknowledges the investment of time and effort made by the applicant. This philosophy is encapsulated by York Cazes’s deliberate approach: "If we assume they will thank us, we make sure to thank them."
This commitment to consistent, empathetic communication has not gone unnoticed by candidates, who frequently comment on the ease of application and the clarity of communication throughout the hiring journey. The careers site, powered by Workable, further contributes to this positive perception. York Cazes exercised full control over its customization, notably removing the cover letter requirement entirely. This seemingly small decision is, in her view, an immediate and powerful signal to candidates about the modern, streamlined, and candidate-friendly experience they can expect from Nelson.
3. Streamlined Offer Management: A Seamless Conclusion to Hiring:
The process of managing offer letters, historically a point of friction and administrative burden, has been entirely integrated and simplified within Workable. By bringing this critical final stage into the platform, Nelson has removed the scattered, disorganized approach that once characterized the end of the hiring process. "Having that entire functionality in Workable has made it way more organized and less scattered and just more seamless for us and for the candidate receiving the offer," York Cazes explained. This integration ensures that the final step of extending an offer feels like a natural and efficient continuation of the carefully managed process, rather than a jarring handoff to a disparate system, thereby enhancing both internal efficiency and the candidate’s final impression.
4. Empowering Hiring Managers with Customized Tools:
Nelson’s hiring needs span a broad and diverse range of functions, from highly specialized software engineers and QA analysts to professionals in marketing, finance, and customer support. Each role demands a unique set of evaluation criteria and a distinct lens for assessment. Workable’s flexibility allows York Cazes to build thorough application questions and customized scorecards tailored to the specific requirements of each position. Hiring managers are seamlessly tagged into candidate profiles, enabling them to leave comments, provide structured feedback, and complete evaluations directly within the platform. Most managers have embraced the system enthusiastically, with some even utilizing the platform to schedule their own interviews, further decentralizing and streamlining the process. York Cazes offers a telling indicator of Workable’s successful adoption: "The fact that they’ve never complained about it is probably the leading indicator." This silent endorsement from busy hiring managers underscores the platform’s intuitive design and its ability to integrate smoothly into existing workflows.
5. Expanding Inclusive Reach for Diverse Talent Pools:
As a company whose mission is deeply rooted in education and access, Nelson Education extends its commitment to inclusivity into its talent acquisition practices. Through Workable’s extensive distribution network, Nelson actively posts job openings to Indigenous job boards and platforms specifically focused on candidates with disabilities. This proactive approach ensures that reaching underrepresented candidate pools is not an afterthought but a core, intentional component of how York Cazes approaches each search. This strategy not only aligns with Nelson’s foundational educational mission but also enriches its workforce with diverse perspectives and talents, fostering a more innovative and representative organization. This conscious effort to expand access to opportunities reinforces Nelson’s brand as a socially responsible and forward-thinking employer.
6. Data-Driven Accountability and Continuous Improvement:
A cornerstone of any modern, effective talent acquisition function is robust data tracking and reporting. York Cazes diligently tracks key metrics such as time to hire, time to fill, and candidate source data through Workable’s comprehensive reporting tools. These reports are designed to be accessible, highly useful, and genuinely easy to interpret, providing actionable insights into the efficiency and effectiveness of the recruiting process. Maintaining an average time to hire at or below the internal target of 29 days is a concrete goal, and Workable’s reporting capabilities provide the necessary validation and accountability. This data-driven approach supports strategic planning, identifies areas for continuous improvement, and ensures that the talent acquisition function remains agile and responsive to Nelson’s evolving business needs.
The Enduring Business Impact: A Transformed Nelson Education
The strategic insourcing of talent acquisition, powered by Workable, has yielded significant and measurable business impact for Nelson Education. A small, dedicated HR team now efficiently manages an impressive annual hiring volume of 135 individuals, achieving an average time to hire of just 29 days. This remarkable efficiency is sustained even as the company navigates one of the most consequential business transformations in its history, moving decisively into the competitive education technology landscape.
Where Nelson once outsourced every hire, relinquishing control and cultural alignment, it now boasts a robust internal recruiting function. This function is built on a deep, intrinsic understanding of the company’s unique culture and strategic direction, operated by a team led by Samara York Cazes, who describes herself as a resounding fan of the platform she uses to drive this critical operation.
The tangible benefits extend beyond mere metrics. Automation has reclaimed countless hours that were previously consumed by manual candidate communication, allowing the HR team to focus on more strategic initiatives. The integration of offer letters into Workable has eliminated friction at the crucial final stage, ensuring a smooth and professional conclusion to the hiring process. Crucially, every candidate, regardless of whether they ultimately receive an offer, moves through a process that reflects the same care, professionalism, and transparent communication that Nelson applies to its esteemed educational products. This consistent, positive candidate experience reinforces Nelson’s employer brand, making it an attractive destination for top talent in the competitive edtech market.
This transformation of talent acquisition is more than just an operational upgrade; it is a strategic enabler. By building a highly efficient, culturally attuned, and data-driven hiring engine, Nelson Education has fortified its capacity to attract, assess, and onboard the specialized talent essential for its sustained growth and innovation in the digital age. The successful implementation of Workable has not only streamlined processes but has fundamentally empowered Nelson to shape its future workforce, ensuring it remains a leading force in Canadian education for another century and beyond.
