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New to Market

6 May 2025
Public sector, Creative/Digital/Media

NEW TO THE MARKET: 5-9 MAY 2025

• Heidrick & Struggles has launched a new Government & Defense Tech Practice, aimed at serving the growing demand for technology leadership within public sector organisations. With governments estimated to account for 10% of global technology and IT services spending, the firm sees this as a significant market opportunity. The practice consolidates the company’s experience from over 200 engagements to provide leadership solutions for organisations delivering technology to national, state and local governments worldwide.

The new practice will support clients by offering leadership search, development and organisational effectiveness services. It brings together more than 30 experienced partners across sectors such as IT services, aerospace and defence, energy and private equity, operating globally across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. The initiative addresses the increasing reliance of governments on advanced technologies like AI, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity and robotics.

• Workforce management solutions firm Matrix has supported more than 10,000 individuals across the UK into employment between March 2024 and April 2025 through its Social Value team. The efforts focused on a wide range of community initiatives, including employability workshops, career guidance and volunteering opportunities. These programmes were designed to help students, jobseekers and public sector employees gain essential skills and access new career pathways.

• UK start-up Project Brains has launched ProdigyPB, an AI-powered platform designed to revolutionise job description creation and recruitment. Tailored for SMEs, growing businesses, and HR teams, ProdigyPB helps define precise hiring needs by aligning job roles with specific business challenges. The tool generates clear, bias-free job descriptions in seconds and enables users to engage with vetted fractional specialists from Project Brains’ talent pool, according to a company statement. ProdigyPB is currently available in Beta across the UK.

28 April 2025
Life sciences, Engineering

NEW TO THE MARKET: 28 APRIL-2 MAY 2025

• Jobmatch Sweden, a leader in occupational psychological testing, is expanding in Norway through a new partnership with consulting firm Sund Raad. Sund Raad, which focuses on enhancing employee engagement for small and medium-sized businesses, will integrate Jobmatch’s DNV-certified Talent test into its services. This marks Jobmatch’s second partnership in Norway, following its 2022 collaboration with Hapro Jobb og Karriere. Jobmatch Talent is a scientifically validated tool used for recruitment and employee development, according to the company press release.

• STEM recruitment specialist Matchtech has launched STEM Futures, a free, on-demand employability platform aimed at helping young people break into engineering and technology careers. The programme includes expert-led sessions on job search strategies, CV writing, interviews and personal development, and is part of Matchtech’s broader initiative to address the STEM skills gap and support emerging talent.

In addition, Matchtech has awarded the first two grants from its Materna Fund, a £2.5k bursary created to support engineering students facing financial hardship. The inaugural recipients, Sergio Carreno Vargas and David Sarembock from the University of Portsmouth, are using the funds to focus on their studies and development without the added pressure of financial strain.

• Meet Life Sciences has launched Synergy, a new standalone service designed to tackle people capability challenges in the life sciences sector that go beyond recruitment. As part of Meet’s evolution into a full-service talent solutions partner, Synergy offers tailored support in areas like workforce planning, leadership development, skills mapping, culture embedding and organisational design. Led by vice-president Kirsty Wilson, the service is built specifically for the life sciences industry and is focused on delivering measurable, outcome-driven solutions. Unlike traditional consulting, Synergy provides hands-on support from design through to implementation, helping clients build the capability needed to grow, adapt and lead in a competitive global market.

• Right Management, part of ManpowerGroup, has launched a refreshed brand strategy called ‘The Right Way’. It’s a human-centred, data-backed framework that aligns workforce development with business strategy. The new identity centres on ‘The Right Way loop’, a distinctive visual element with modern colours and typography that will be used across all brand touchpoints.

25 April 2025
Construction & property, Graduates/Apprentices/School leavers

National student lettings agency launches apprenticeship scheme

In a bid to support young people and grow skilled and knowledgeable individuals for the student lettings sector, loc8me recently launched its 18-month programme, which is open to anyone aged 16-18. The scheme will offer hands-on experience, mentorship and the opportunity to engage in paid work.

Raffaele Russo, founder of loc8me, said: “We’re thrilled to launch this apprenticeship programme, giving young professionals a real chance to learn, grow and begin building a career in an exciting industry.

“Now more than ever, young people are seeking opportunities, guidance and goals to pursue. With this programme, we’re investing in their future – and in the future of the lettings sector.”

Apprentices will have the chance to study the theoretical and practical elements of the lettings industry, and on starting, they will be given a mentor from the loc8me team to support their development via regular meetings throughout the course.

loc8me now operates in 13 major university cities across the UK, including Loughborough, Durham, Nottingham, Manchester, Leeds, Cardiff, Newcastle, Birmingham, Liverpool, Leicester, Hull, Bath and Bristol.

Freya Watson-Russo, academy co-ordinator, said: "At loc8me, we’re committed to nurturing the next generation of letting agents. … We’re giving young people the chance to build a future, gain confidence and carve their own path.”

Founded in 2008 by Russo, loc8me manages more than 2,500 properties and employs more than 75 staff members.

(L-r) Apprentice Ollie Coe, loc8me's marketing assistant and academy co-ordinator Freya Watson-Russo and apprentice Isabel Tebbutt ©loc8me

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14 April 2025
Creative/Digital/Media, Engineering

NEW TO THE MARKET: 14-18 APRIL 2025

• Manufacturing and engineering specialist Busy Bee Recruitment has relaunched its website. The refreshed online platform has a modern design and enhanced user functionality, offering an intuitive browsing experience that makes it easier than ever to explore current vacancies, submit CVs quickly and securely, access expert recruitment advice via a blog and submit vacancies directly online.

• Deel, a global payroll and HR provider, has launched a suite of AI-driven products to help companies hire, manage, and pay international teams. Deel will offer an all-in-one global workforce platform integrating payroll, HR, and IT, designed to support compliant operations across borders. Key updates include: Real-Time Payroll in over 53 markets (expanding to 130+ by 2027), offering instant calculations and faster processing; Deel PEO for offering top-tier benefits without enterprise-level costs; Benefits Admin for simplified, compliant benefits management across countries; Deel Talent for streamlined recruitment via trusted agency networks; Workforce Planning, Compensation, and Engage tools – powered by AI – for smarter headcount strategy, global pay management, and employee development; IT Lifecycle Management features like MDM, IAM, and EPP, supporting global device and security control.

5 March 2018
Oil & gas/Energy, Creative/Digital/Media, Engineering, Construction & property, Banking/Financial services, IT/Telecoms, HR, Graduates/Apprentices/School leavers, Apprentices/Grads/School leavers

NEW TO THE MARKET: 5-9 MARCH 2018

• Global workforce solutions provider Airswift is to open two further offices in Latin America.

A new office in Mexico, located in Mexico City, will aim to provide local clients with in-country recruitment, mobility and immigration services needed to support their own services and growth, while a new Guyanese office, located in Georgetown, will help facilitate recruitment for local projects, sourcing and mobilising candidates from across the globe.

Sam Cross will oversee these new offices in a new role as senior vice president Americas, having previously served as Airswift’s senior VP of North America, supported by VP Latin America Damir Tomicic.

Airswift now has six Latin American offices in Brazil, Columbia, Trinidad, Argentina, Mexico and Guyana.

• Specialist recruitment agency Appointments Personnel has launched a new advert check service that sees an experienced and qualified recruitment specialist carry out a check of appropriate language and terminology in line with the current UK legislation.

Adverts will be screened to ensure they do not exclude protected characteristics, while advice will be offered on any areas that need to be revisited to avoid any form of direct discrimination.

• Recruitment software provider Erecruit, previously known as Bond International Software, has relocated its UK head office to a new, larger office space in Worthing from its Courtlands listed building on the outskirts of the town following its recent rebrand.

The new office at Ridgeworth House, Liverpool Gardens, has undergone an refurbishment ahead of the move, which took place earlier this week, and features a training suite created to deliver the company’s training courses on its Adapt recruitment software – previously known as AdaptUX. The suite will also be used for training of Erecruit’s own teams.

• Midlands & Thames Valley recruitment firm Gleeson Recruitment Group has launched a built environment division led by divisional manager Stephen Brandsma and business partner Maria McElvenney.

• Edinburgh-based recruiter Head Resourcing is opening an office in the Spinningfields area of Manchester, headed by regional director Jon Musgrave.

• Graduate careers specialist Prospects has launched Luminate, an online resource for school leaver, student and graduate employment market information. The service – featuring analysis, research, advice, views and trends – is aimed at careers advisers, recruiters, employers and anyone interested in labour market information.

• National training provider Solvo Vir has this week launched a higher-level management qualification for the recruitment sector. The new ILM-accredited management training will be looking at management theory, skills and processes through the lens of a manager in the recruitment industry, with industry-relevant examples, tasks and scenarios.

Ian Knowlson will be leading many of the workshops, which will be run in Manchester and London, and businesses will be able to access funding to pay for all or part of the training.

• HR company Uptree has launched. Uptree connects young people in education (aged 16-20) with employers and professionals for events, work experience and apprenticeships. The new professional network and careers platform aims at giving young people the opportunity to make numerous professional connections before leaving school.

1 March 2018
HR, Apprentices/Grads/School leavers

NEW TO THE MARKET: 26 FEBRUARY-2 MARCH 2018

• The Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) is to launch a practical guide later this year, developed with charities BITC, Nacro and Unlock, to help agencies with the recruitment of people with criminal records. The guide will outline steps they can take to ensure their processes are compliant, fair and inclusive.

The move follows the recruitment trade body signing up to the Ban the Box campaign, committing to fair recruitment for people with criminal records. As a result, the REC will not ask questions about criminal records at the application stage of the recruitment process, but will ask the questions at a later stage.

• Skills minister Anne Milton has given final approval for the funding band for the new Master’s degree apprenticeship in leadership and management, meaning it is now ready for delivery.

The Senior Leader Master’s Degree Apprenticeship was first approved in August 2017 by the Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA) but both employers and their providers had been waiting for the levy funding band – now agreed at £18k for the two-year programme – to be approved before funded-delivery could start.

The minister’s approval now means more than 900 executive-level apprentices will be able now to start their Master’s degree apprenticeships, while employers can now use the Apprenticeship Levy to pay for executive skills development.

20 February 2018
IT/Telecoms

NEW TO THE MARKET: 19-23 FEBRUARY 2018

• Enterprise cloud applications provider Workday is launching a new office in Johannesburg, South Africa.

13 February 2018
Creative/Digital/Media, IT/Telecoms

Start-up of the Month: Talentful

When founders and co-CEOs Chris Abbass and Philip Blaydes launched tech sector recruitment agency Talentful, their aim was to solve the recruitment issues both were experiencing in their respective in-house recruitment roles.

According to Abbass, who previously worked in-house at Shazam and Amazon, he and Blaydes, who worked in-house at several digital agencies, saw a gap in the market for an agency that could offer tech companies a flexible recruitment solution whereby their consultants work onsite and clients are charged a flat fee to recruit for roles across the organisation rather than commission.

“They get a partner, which can really represent the brand, which can contact the teams and really understand the business and the culture, making the process of attracting candidates, finding them and getting them onboard a lot more efficient,” Abbass told Recruiter. “We find that is our big USP [unique selling proposition], and the fact that all of our people come from recruitment backgrounds – in some of the fastest growing tech companies in the world. They’ve got the agency experience but they’ve got the in-house experience as well.”

Looking ahead, Abbass said the firm has one eye on expanding beyond its London and Manchester operations.

“We’re focused on growing our presence in Manchester and London, and then we’re looking further afield to places such as Los Angeles, San Francisco – the West Coast of the US. 

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