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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.”

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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.

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17 June 2019
Public sector, Creative/Digital/Media, Education, Engineering, Construction & property, Banking/Financial services, Charity & not-for-profit, Legal, Industrial/Manufacturing, IT/Telecoms

NEW TO THE MARKET: 17-21 JUNE 2019

• Education and training providers from across the UK will soon be able to access tutorials and visual resources on spotting the signs of modern slavery and how to report suspicions to the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority.

The resources have been designed by staff and students at Boston College, Lincolnshire, who were involved in a pilot project where the GLAA has teamed up with the college to embed the subject of labour abuse across its range of academic and vocational courses.

The resources will soon be available on the GLAA's website.

• Job search engine Jobrapido is opening a UK office in London headed up by sales director for UK and Ireland Ryan Bridgman.

The firm is also opening its first office in Boston in the US next month, which will be headed up by Matthew Ferdenzi and will be specialise in artificial intelligence and machine learning roles. 

• Specialist provider of tech and cyber-security staffing solutions La Fosse Associates has launched a pro bono recruitment and advisory practice to help charities combat the threat of a cyber-attack on their organisations.

La Fosse Pro Bono will operate with charities throughout the UK.

• Public sector and charity staffing specialist Morgan Hunt has opened a second Scottish office, located in central Glasgow.

• Technology and software staffing specialist Understanding Recruitment is opening an office in St Albans, Hertfordshire, this week.

The new office is headed by founding directors Chris Jackson and Dale Swords.

• The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is running a series of roadshows, aimed at unemployed people and those wanting to get a better job and to explain what training courses are on offer in the West Midlands, as the WMCA takes control of the region’s £126m adult education budget.

The events, featuring staff from colleges, training providers and job advisors, will focus on the region’s fastest-growing economies, including digital, construction, advanced manufacturing and engineering, and on business and professional services. Roadshows are scheduled for June and July in Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

• Colchester-based SAP, Oracle and IT specialist recruiter Whitehall Resources has opened an office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The group says there is increased demand for its services in the region.

13 June 2019

Antal looks to establish bases in Uzbekistan and Ukraine

Goodwin, who spoke to Recruiter following a business trip to Uzbekistan and Ukraine last week, revealed the international recruiter is already operational in Tashkent, Uzbekistan through an ongoing recruitment project, and is exploring either opening offices there or at least making placements in the major Uzbek cities of Samarkand and Bukhara.

But the firm also plans on leveraging its existing branch network to give it a competitive advantage in expanding in the region.

“We have two people currently engaged full time on developing Uzbekistan, with the support and help of 160+ staff and resources in our offices in Moscow, St Petersburg and Almaty in Kazakhstan. We see a lot of synergistic advantages with our clients and candidates from already being present for 25 years in the region. We believe this will give us tremendous leverage into both countries from the client, candidates, brand and infrastructure point of view.”

Goodwin added the whole region is opening up and the group is encouraged by the firm’s success in Kazakhstan led by Anna Kovinskaya, who has established Antal in the region. 

“We believe that we can replicate this success in both Uzbekistan and Ukraine from Almaty… We will open our office for Ukraine in Kiev; this will receive a lot of support from Almaty.”

With populations of 32m in Uzbekistan and 50m in Ukraine, Goodwin contends both countries’ economies are ready and willing to open up to Western products and services.

“There is competition in both markets, particularly in Ukraine, with already at least 400 recruitment companies registered there. So, we are not expecting an easy exercise to take marketshare. We are going to have to be specialists and good at what we do rather than simply relying on our 25-year presence and branding.”

And while there are political challenges in the region that the firm needs to be alive to, such as the ongoing border conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Goodwin added: “That is where our knowledge, experience and brand will give us a distinct advantage from other potential Western entrants into the region.”

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11 June 2019
Retail, Engineering, Industrial/Manufacturing, IT/Telecoms, HR

NEW TO THE MARKET: 10-14 JUNE 2019

• Cordant Group division Cordant People has opened a new branch in Aberdeen based in the new Marischal Square Development on Broad Street. The branch will be managed by Claire Buchan, who joins Cordant People from independent HR and employment law firm LAW Empire where she was business development and recruitment manager.

• Bristol-based start-up SaveTrees has launched an updated version of its online service, which enables contractors, recruitment agencies and their clients to submit and approve timesheets. The web-based service is also available to companies with permanent employees who are looking for a simple way to log their hours. It can be white-labelled to the client’s own brand.

6 June 2019
Banking/Financial services, IT/Telecoms, Accounting/Finance

Metro Bank supports ex-prisoners into safe jobs

In a statement released this morning, the challenger bank revealed the initiative – StrongTomorrow – has been independently founded by Metro Bank’s chief commercial officer Paul Riseborough (pictured below) in partnership with UK charity Code 4000, which teaches prisoners to code.

Metro Bank further revealed it supporting the scheme by hiring at least one colleague trained via Code 4000 later this year.

Commenting on the bank’s involvement, chief people officer Danny Harmer said: “Metro Bank has a long track record of supporting social mobility initiatives – from the launch of our apprenticeship scheme in 2012 and signing up to the government’s social mobility pledge, to Metro Bank’s approach to ‘hiring for attitude and training for skill’ in customer facing roles. Our support for the Code 4000 and StrongTomorrow initiatives is another great example of this.”

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