Propel Tech & ECC launch industry-first AI platform for higher education

Bespoke software consultancy Propel Tech has successfully partnered with ECC, a leading provider of job evaluation software for universities and colleges, to design and deliver an AI-assisted role scoring solution embedded directly within its existing SaaS platform.

Used across the higher and further education sector, ECC’s platform supports organisations in evaluating job roles and determining pay grades through a structured assessment process. The outcomes play an important role in ensuring consistency and fairness across institutions and are subject to significant scrutiny from stakeholders, including academic unions.

Recognising the growing opportunity for artificial intelligence to support professional decision-making, ECC sought to explore how AI could assist role analysts without compromising the integrity of the evaluation process. The organisation required a trusted technology partner to transform an academic research concept into a commercially viable, production-ready solution suitable for a highly regulated environment.

Propel Tech, which is headquartered in Wakefield, worked closely with ECC to design, build and integrate an AI assistant directly into the existing platform. The solution enables role analysts to upload a job description and receive AI-generated recommendations and supporting rationale for each of the 50 structured evaluation questions used throughout the scoring process. Rather than replacing human expertise, the technology is designed to support faster, more informed decision-making while ensuring analysts retain full control over the final outcome.

The project began with a rapid proof of concept, with Propel Tech delivering a working AI integration within days. Following successful validation, the solution was expanded and integrated into ECC’s existing workflows, ensuring AI-generated recommendations aligned seamlessly with the platform’s proprietary scoring framework and established processes.

Built on AWS Bedrock, the solution underwent extensive testing and model evaluation before Propel Tech selected Anthropic’s Claude model to power the final deployment. Significant effort was invested in prompt engineering, model assessment and performance testing to achieve the levels of consistency and accuracy required for such a sensitive use case.

A core principle of the project was maintaining human oversight throughout the process. The AI assistant never creates or submits scores independently, with all recommendations remaining subject to review and approval by qualified role analysts. This approach ensures trust, transparency and accountability while helping organisations benefit from advances in AI technology.

The resulting platform represents a first-to-market capability for the higher and further education job evaluation sector, providing a commercially deployed AI-assisted solution specifically designed to support job evaluation and pay grading processes.

Nicholas Johnston, Chief Executive of ECC, said: “We have a responsibility to keep innovating for our members and exploring how new technologies can help them work more effectively. The feedback from testing has been extremely encouraging, with more than 70% of participants saying they would like to use the tool as part of the job evaluation process going forward, and users overwhelmingly finding it easy to use.

“Working with Propel Tech, we have combined sector expertise with innovative technology to create a solution that supports professional judgement rather than replacing it. The potential to streamline elements of the job evaluation process while maintaining trust is significant, and we believe this will deliver real benefits for our members.”

Wil Jones, Technology & Solutions Director at Propel Tech, said: “This project demonstrates how AI can be introduced responsibly into complex business processes where accuracy, transparency and trust are critical. By combining rapid prototyping, AI expertise and deep integration with ECC’s existing platform, we were able to deliver a practical solution that supports users, enhances consistency and creates a foundation for future innovation.”

Propel Tech specialises in bespoke software development, working with organisations to design, build and support tailored digital solutions that connect complex systems, improve data quality and enable sustainable, long-term growth.