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New to Market

12 June 2025
Creative/Digital/Media, IT/Telecoms

NEW TO THE MARKET: 9-13 JUNE 2025

• Lattice has announced its next generation of AI agent functionalities aimed at streamlining HR operations and improving workplace productivity. Key updates include voice input for hands-free interaction, automated 1:1 meeting summaries, and a dashboard delivering proactive management insights. A new ‘Coach’ feature offers real-time guidance to managers and employees, while expanded integrations bring the AI Agent into tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams. Overlaying these new functions, Lattice’s new AI Agent Platform allows companies to build their own agents. Employees will be able to create their own AI agents that can be customised to their data, roles and systems.

• IT blog makethehire.com has launched to explore and share insights on how tech is shaping the recruitment world – from applicant tracking systems and AI tools to sourcing automation and candidate experience platforms.

4 June 2025
Oil & gas/Energy, Life sciences

Green energy firm aims to bring skilled jobs to Kent

Hydrogen TE (UK) is seeking planning permission from Kent County Council to build the UK’s first waste-to-hydrogen base at a 10-acre site in Manston, near Ramsgate. The project aims to convert household and commercial waste into clean hydrogen, significantly cutting landfill and carbon emissions.

According to a report from news site BDaily, bosses say the jobs would include skilled and graduate roles, alongside a training centre to foster local talent. The hydrogen produced will supply commercial heavy vehicle fleets and waste management operations, helping meet UK net-zero targets.

Michael Engsted, Hydrogen TE managing director, says: “This area of Kent has seen a huge depletion in jobs over the past few decades, which has forced many skilled workers and graduates to relocate.

“We are determined to help revitalise the local community by giving talented individuals a reason for staying here. We are committed to prioritising local recruitment for positions including finance, engineering and science.”

According to BDaily, the company also has plans to expand with a second plant near Newport, Wales. Joint MD Jeremy Parkin adds: “We are keen to establish the standard for plants like this, which will one day become a familiar sight across the UK.”

• Comment below on this story. Or let us know what you think by emailing us at [email protected] or tweet us to tell us your thoughts or share this story with a friend.

27 May 2025
Creative/Digital/Media, Industrial/Manufacturing

NEW TO THE MARKET: 27-30 MAY 2025

• Aston University has announced a new initiative, guaranteeing all full-time master’s students a professional internship as part of their studies. Launching in September 2025, the Postgraduate Guaranteed Internship Scheme will be available to students enrolled in MSc, MA and MBA programmes at both the Birmingham and London campuses.

This scheme is designed to enhance employability by providing high-quality industry placements lasting between one and six months. These internships may be conducted in-person, remotely, or in a hybrid format, and will be facilitated through Aston’s global network of employers. The initiative is available to both UK and international students.

• Worcestershire-based Four Squared Recruitment has launched its new Recruitment Academy, a strategic initiative aimed at developing early careers and entry-level talent. The Academy supports new entrants with structured training, mentorship, and hands-on experience to prepare them for the demands of a competitive job market. Three new team members have also joined Four Squared as a result of the programme. The initiative helps close the gap between emerging candidates and evolving industry needs.

• Gi Group UK, part of global company Gi Group Holding, is strengthening its position in the recruitment and HR sector by delivering forklift and material handling equipment (MHE) training. With warehouse operative roles in high demand across the UK, the company provides essential upskilling opportunities to meet the growing needs of the logistics sector. The MHE training programme supports up to three candidates daily and is RTITB-approved, ensuring high standards of safety, compliance and operational efficiency.

• Technology recruitment provider itris has launched itris X, a cloud-based CRM and applicant tracking system (ATS) built specifically for recruitment agencies and staffing professionals. The new platform is designed to streamline the entire talent acquisition process with a focus on automation, scalability, and ease of use. itris X addresses core operational challenges in recruitment by offering AI-powered automation to reduce repetitive tasks, advanced reporting tools for performance insights, and personalised candidate communication features. The system is accessible across devices and integrates with a wide range of recruitment tools and platforms. Key features include lead and marketing management, user-friendly design and comprehensive customer support. itris X is scalable for use by both small agencies and large global firms, maintaining performance and usability regardless of company size.

• ManpowerGroup has launched the Work Intelligence Lab, a new global initiative designed to help employers and workers understand and adapt to the impact of AI on jobs and skills. With over half of employers (53%) already using AI in hiring and onboarding, the Lab provides real-time insights into how automation is transforming the labour market. The Lab leverages Manpower Group’s workforce data, drawn from millions of placements over 70 countries, and integrates real-time hiring trends, employer demand and worker sentiment. It aims to give organisations clearer visibility into emerging skill requirements, role changes and workforce dynamics.

27 May 2025
Oil & gas/Energy, Engineering

Energy recruitment firm launches in Aberdeen

Founded by Alan Golightly (pictured), an experienced recruitment professional with more than 27 years in the industry, the company targets small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) requiring tailored support for complex hiring needs. 

The firm provides permanent recruitment solutions for technical and engineering roles, as well as short-term internal recruitment assistance to help businesses manage hiring fluctuations without increasing fixed costs. Agilient also offers custom recruitment strategies that align with clients’ specific values and growth plans.

Golightly previously worked for, among other oil & gas recruiters, NES Fircroft, and launches Agilient from global energy recruiter Simpson Booth.

• Comment below on this story. Or let us know what you think by emailing us at [email protected] or tweet us to tell us your thoughts or share this story with a friend.

23 July 2019
Retail, Industrial/Manufacturing, IT/Telecoms, HR, Apprentices/Grads/School leavers

NEW TO THE MARKET: 22-26 JULY 2019

• Background check and drug screening solutions provider First Advantage has launched RightID, an identity verification solution that allows property managers and employers to mitigate the risk of fraud with real-time artificial intelligence-based identity corroboration. The AI-based ID verification product will launch this August.

• Multi-sector recruiter Meridian Business Support has launched a new division called MBS Response, which will focus solely on high volume recruitment accounts in the food and distribution sectors.

• US cloud-based software company Salesforce has announced new capabilities to its Salesforce Essentials product. The changes will enable small and medium-sized businesses to communicate with customers on their preferred conversation channels, from Facebook Messenger, Instagram, YouTube and web chat to one-click inbound and outbound phone capabilities, without leaving the Salesforce platform.

• Pre-hire assessment specialist ThriveMap has developed a new cost of bad hires calculator. Based on data from Office for National Statistics, global forecasting and quantitative analysis Oxford Economics, leadership training and research firm Leadership IQ and HR trade body the CIPD, the calculator provides an indication of how much bad hires could be costing businesses.

• The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has launched a summer campaign offering opportunities and activities to school leavers and young people most at risk of falling into crime and anti-social behaviour.

Supported by partners including South and City College, youth engagement specialists from First Class Legacy and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, the #wmstrong campaign will provide teenagers with advice and information on a wide range of activities from employment training to sports and arts clubs.

They can also play football with coaches from Aston Villa and Birmingham City or gain batting and bowling tips from Warwickshire County Cricket Club’s experts.

Launched on social media as #wmstrong, the campaign is timed to coincide with the beginning of school summer holidays across the region. Already, campaign staff have been to Dale End in Birmingham city centre, an area where there have been incidents of anti-social behaviour and disorder involving large groups of young people.

As well as a variety of activities, young people were also handed information cards or pointed towards courses or opportunities, while campaign staff gathered information on young people about their current status and attitudes to training.

15 July 2019
Legal, IT/Telecoms, HR, Accounting/Finance

NEW TO THE MARKET: 15-19 JULY 2019

• Cheltenham-based employment law and HR specialist Eight Legal has launched HR Mate, an app that aims to enable HR freelancers to secure new business at the touch of a button. The app is free to download and is available from the App Store for iOS devices and Google play for Android.

• Global IT recruiter Frank Recruitment Group has opened a new US office in Park Tower, on the border of Irvine and Costa Mesa in Orange County. The office is headed up by business manager Taylor Jones.

• Business and financial adviser Grant Thornton UK has launched a new ‘Off-Payroll Workers’ (OPW) client solution aimed at helping firms prepare for the extension of off-payroll rules into the private sector. The assessment solution uses artificial intelligence, enabled by the firm’s technical knowledge and experience, to carry out IR35 status assessments of workers.

• Personality assessment solutions specialist Hogan Assessments has launched General Employability in Europe. This is a new streamlined assessment tool that aims to help companies recruit the right people by identifying the personality characteristics that predict employability across a range of jobs.

15 July 2019
Executive search

Start-up of the Month: Elite Talent Resourcing

De-Lara, who has worked as an internal recruiter, talent acquisition executive and headhunter, told Recruiter the decision to set up her own business followed on from her realisation that in previous roles she built up a loyal client following which had bought into her personally.

“The companies I worked for have given me a safety net that I felt I needed, with a guaranteed income each month, but I know that I can make this work alone and, hopefully, reap the rewards too,” she said.

In terms of standing out in the market, the headhunter revealed 90% of her roles are filled by passive candidates, who are not actively looking for a role. She added she prides herself on being a consultative and honest recruiter, who is straight with clients if they have unrealistic expectations of candidates or if they are paying below market rate, and equally straight with candidates who are asking for remuneration that is not in line with their skills.

De-Lara, who has two children, added that while most of her recent roles have offered some flexibility to do school runs, she wants to be able to be at home in the holidays or when her children are poorly. She added that as the business grows and expands, she wants to offer that flexibility to new staff.

“We have got off to a great start so far, making our first placement in our first month of trading. I need to keep up the momentum.”

10 July 2019
Retail, Oil & gas/Energy, Transport & logistics, Creative/Digital/Media, Engineering, Industrial/Manufacturing, IT/Telecoms, HR, Hospitality/Leisure, Accounting/Finance

NEW TO THE MARKET: 8-12 JULY 2019

• Applied, a recruitment platform that centres around the prospect of blind hiring, has launched. The platform, launched by founders Kate Glazebrook and Rich Marr, can be linked with applicant tracking systems and HR systems for hiring management and enables recruiters and companies to draw on its questions library. 

The platform also employs a job description analyser, which encourages the use of gender-neutral language to attract a representative pool of candidates and an analytics platform, which aims to help recruiters and companies assess the diversity of their candidate pool. 

• Global engineering services, workforce management solutions and consulting services provider Fircroft Group has launched Fircroft Oilfield Services.

Located in Houma, Los Angeles in the US, the new division will provide a range of marine services, including rigging crews, transport, lifting, loading and cargo handling services for offshore E&P projects, throughout the Gulf of Mexico and North America. Planned service expansions in the pipeline include HSSE, training and inspection services.

Judd Bamford has been appointed as managing director of the business.

• Data and analytics recruiter Harnham has opened an office in Berlin, led by senior manager Peter Schroeter, under the guidance of Harnham’s director of Europe, Alex Hutchings.

• Holiday Staff, an online jobs board for seasonal staff and holiday job vacancies, has been launched. Devon-based Lucy Baker-Kind designed the online platform, which lists seasonal vacancies across the UK and Europe through which advertisers receive applications direct from interested jobseekers. Users of the platform can also upload their own vacancy details, along with company profile and branding.

• Technology, software and digital staffing consultancy Understanding Recruitment, has opened its first US office in Boston, Massachusetts, led by consultant Matthew Ferdenzi.

• Wren Kitchens is launching an IT academy to attract 50 new employees to support the expansion of its in-house IT function. The 12-week initiative is aimed at graduates with IT degrees or motivated individuals looking to diversify into the industry. 

The first-phase of the quarterly programme will see 12 graduates (six PHP developers and six JavaScript developers) start on 5 August based at The Nest, Wren’s contemporary headquarters. However, Wren is also looking to recruit 10 new senior PHP and JavaScript developers with at least three years’ experience in either field.

Recruiter Magazine

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