Hire smarter. Compete bigger. Grow faster.
REACH (Research, Evidence & Approaches for Competitive Hiring) is built for SMEs who don’t have time, teams, or budget to waste on hiring that doesn’t work.
Launching summer 2026, REACH will equip paricipating businesses with practical, proven ways to attract better talent and fill tech roles faster.
REACH — Research, Evidence & Approaches for Competitive Hiring is a UK-wide programme helping small and mid-size businesses compete more effectively for talent.
Delivered by The Inclusion Initiative at the London School of Economics in partnership with Be the Business, and supported by the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, REACH combines rigorous research with hands-on support to identify what really works in SME recruitment.
Participating businesses will attract higher-quality candidates, reduce time-to-hire, tap into broader and more diverse talent pools, improve employee retention, and strengthen their ability to compete with larger employers.
REACH will work with 120 SMEs navigating a tight labour market where hiring is slower, riskier, and more resource‑intensive than for larger firms. With limited HR capacity, rising costs, and strong competition for tech and data talent, many small businesses struggle to recruit effectively.
The challenge is significant: 76% of UK firms report recruitment difficulties, 90% of SMEs expect skills gaps, and three‑quarters lack the capability or resources to hire and develop talent effectively. In technical fields, over three‑quarters of employers struggle to fill roles—leaving SMEs with persistent vacancies and constrained growth.
REACH addresses this by helping SMEs build stronger, broader talent pipelines—particularly in tech and data—through practical, evidence-based approaches to inclusive recruitment that work within real business constraints.
Many SMEs face persistent hiring challenges: limited brand recognition, smaller HR teams, and less capacity to compete with larger employers. At the same time, many businesses are missing out on wider and often overlooked talent pools.
REACH is designed to help SMEs respond to these challenges with evidence-backed approaches that improve attraction, hiring, and retention, creating stronger teams and better long-term business resilience.
The programme also contributes to a stronger evidence base for how smaller businesses can hire more competitively across the UK economy.
UK-based SMEs that rely on technology as a core part of their operations (this can be tech firms or businesses integrating digital tools into their everyday processes)
Businesses who have experience with hiring or are looking to hire in the next 6-12 months
Businesses interested in taking part in research
Businesses interested in accessing the Competitive Hiring Toolkit to be shared as part of REACH
Businesses who have a minimum of 10 employees
Businesses taking part in REACH will benefit from:
Practical hiring tools and tailored resources
Expert guidance and structured support
Peer learning and access to networks
Support to access wider and often overlooked talent pools
REACH marketing badging to demonstrate commitment and participation
Launching in summer 2026, REACH is a three-year programme designed to help SMEs strengthen hiring now and build capability for the future.
Stay informed and secure early opportunities to take part.
Sign up for updates and early access to REACH (launching summer 2026), backed by LSE, with recognised programme badging for participants.
A select group of 30 UK Tech businesses (tech businesses in a traditional sense or businesses integrating digital tools into everyday processes) will have an exclusive opportunity to take part in this initiative. Participants will:
Join a community of practice
Collaborate with a curated group of peer organisations facing similar recruitment challenges
Contribute to collective problem-solving and shared learning
Shape new approaches to early careers talent
Play a direct role in exploring and unlocking new talent pools for early-career digital opportunities
Help influence future inclusive hiring interventions and solutions at scale
Take part in an in-depth research conversation
Participate in a 1:1 qualitative interview with LSE TII and BtB
Share insights, experiences, and challenges related to recruitment and skills needs
Gain visibility and recognition
Be recognised as a “Research Participant”
Access PR and national / regional profiling opportunities
Receive a participant badge for use on your website and email communications
REACH stands for Research, Evidence and Approaches to Competitive Hiring. The programme name is designed to encapsulate the robust academic research that backs the programme, as well as its practical aim: to improve access to talent and hiring practices for UK businesses.
Phase 1 will run for approximately 6 months, for example from 1 July to 31 December 2026.
This initiative is designed for SMEs that rely on technology as a core part of their operations. This includes both:
Traditional technology companies
Businesses integrating digital tools into their everyday processes
Together, these are referred to as “Tech SMEs.”
A Tech SME is any small or medium-sized enterprise that depends on technology to operate, innovate, or deliver services—either as a primary offering or as an embedded part of their business processes.
The programme is open to Tech SMEs across the UK.
The programme will consist of 1:1 qualitative interviews designed to gather in-depth insights regarding current hiring practices.
A total of 30 qualitative interviews will be completed during Phase 1.
Interviews may be conducted either in person or online, depending on what best supports achieving high-quality outcomes.
The interviews will be carried out by LSE TII (London School of Economics, The Inclusion Initiative) in collaboration with BtB.
Participating organisations may receive:
Exclusive early access to competitive hiring best practices
inclusive A financial incentive (£)
PR and visibility opportunities
A “Research Participant” badge for use on their website and email signatures
Success will be defined by an increased understanding of the recruitment challenges faced by Tech SMEs, providing valuable insights to inform future programme phases.
The Inclusion Initiative (TII) at LSE is a research centre at the London School of Economics focused on inclusion, behavioural science, and what works in practice. For REACH, it brings rigorous evidence and insight to help shape effective, scalable recruitment approaches for SMEs.
The JPMorgan Chase Foundation supports inclusive growth by backing workforce development and small business success. Its support for REACH helps SMEs unlock talent, compete more effectively, and build stronger, more resilient businesses.
Be the Business is a charity helping UK SMEs improve productivity and growth through practical tools, support, and networks. In REACH, it brings delivery expertise and hands-on support to help businesses strengthen hiring and compete more effectively.
