Mitie, a FTSE 250 facilities and justice-services leader, partnered with Gaia to reach underrepresented talent for prison custody jobs. Gaia delivered 55% racially diverse Operational Support Grade hires versus a 20% target and lifted ex-Forces hires to 9% against a 2.5% goal, while filling more than 250 frontline roles.

Introduction ‍

Diversity is not a “nice to have” for Ministry of Justice contracts. It is a contractual key performance indicator that suppliers must hit quarter after quarter. When Mitie won the secure-justice brief, they inherited tough inclusion targets and an immediate hiring demand for prison custody staff.

Legacy job boards brought in the same overlapping talent pools. Veterans and ethnic minority applicants were scarce, and many dropped out long before assessment day. Missing the target would threaten service levels and contract penalties.

Mitie needed fresh reach, real-time data and proof that inclusive hiring could scale without blowing the budget. That is where Gaia came in.

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The problem

Before Gaia’s involvement the attraction funnel was leaking diverse talent at three points:

• Reach. Conventional job boards and search ads rarely surfaced ethnic minority or ex-Forces candidates.
• Retention. Many candidates who did click fell away during the multi-stage process, so diversity percentages fell further down the funnel.
• Reporting. The recruitment team lacked live data to reassure MoJ stakeholders that representation KPIs would be met.

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Gaia’s solution

Gaia and Mitie rebuilt the funnel around four pillars.

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1. Audience modelling

Using performance data from thousands of campaigns, GaiaAttract predicted where diverse and veteran communities spend time online. The engine selected Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, X and LinkedIn, weighting spend to the channels that converted best each day.

2. Inclusive storytelling

Creative showcased real Mitie employees and clear narratives about pay, purpose and career progression. Veterans saw how their service skills transferred. Ethnic minority audiences saw visible role models and a culture of belonging.

3. Dynamic optimisation

Gaia’s AI shifted budget in real-time to the highest performing ad groups. Cross-channel retargeting nudged warm prospects until they clicked apply, reducing drop-off.

4. Live transparency

A shared dashboard displayed diversity mix, engagement rates, and KPIs in real time all in one place. Mitie could brief the MoJ weekly with confidence rather than scrambling spreadsheets.

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Results

The campaign ran for nine months and delivered measurable progress on every inclusion metric.

The ripple effect went beyond percentages:

• 250+ hires were completed on schedule, securing contract mobilisation.
• Cost per hire remained £240, up to eight times cheaper than traditional suppliers.
• Quality held firm. Assessment pass rate reached 40% versus a historic 20%, and attendance climbed to 82%. Diverse does not mean lower calibre; Gaia delivered both.

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Impact for hiring managers

Hitting the targets early removed compliance pressure. Recruiters reported richer shortlists, faster panel scheduling and stronger cultural fit. Weekly reporting time halved because the dashboard replaced manual tracker spreadsheets.

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What is next

Mitie is rolling the diversity blueprint into defence and logistics contracts. The team will test new creative themes, fine-tune veteran messaging and expand into Scottish regions. Gaia’s model is now the standard for any project that requires audited, inclusive hiring at scale.