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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.

21 August 2017
Education, Banking/Financial services, Legal, Accounting/Finance

NEW TO THE MARKET: 21-24 AUGUST 2017

• Global recruiter Antal International is to open a Hong Kong office, with Philip Hutchinson appointed as country general manager for Hong Kong.

The office will initially focus on banking, finance and technology roles.

• Law firm Exello Law has launched its 2017 recruitment campaign.

Based on feedback from the group’s 80 partners, this year’s campaign is themed on the key benefits the group’s lawyers enjoy of “freedom, flexibility and control” from smarter ways of working, giving them back the time to focus 100% on their clients’ needs without the burden of billable hours and office politics.

• Talent management consultancy IDEX Consulting is to open its first European office this September.

The firm says that this new office, located in the heart of Dublin, will serve many of its clients that are reviewing their trading platforms and considering establishing hubs in Dublin and elsewhere across Europe in order to continue trading with their European partners following the UK’s decision to leave the EU.

• Online supply teachers portal The Supply Register has moved to a new headquarters in Stoke-on-Trent. Located less than a mile from Stoke’s central railway station, the HQ sits alongside existing operations in Skipton and London.

15 August 2017
Hospitality/Leisure

Start-up of the Month: Hesketh James

Toby Holt and Amanda Hesketh, two former directors of multi-discipline recruiter Kellan Group, have joined forces to launch Manchester-based hospitality recruitment agency Hesketh James.

Holt was previously operations director at Kellan Group recruiter Berkeley Scott, while Hesketh is a former head of HR and recruitment at Kellan.

Explaining why the duo has chosen to work together again, Holt says it’s because they like each other and get on well. “That’s important. Not only that but our skills complement one another’s and we respect each other’s achievements.”

In terms of standing out in the market, Holt adds they will resist claiming to do anything differently but will seek to do recruitment properly – “the right way, not the easy way”. 

“Hospitality and recruitment is what makes us tick,” Holt explains. “When we talk about hospitality recruitment, the conversation doesn’t stop at CVs and job adverts. We also give back to the industry through our work with both Springboard and Hospitality Action [charities], also career coaching to school leavers and mentoring programmes.”

Over the next year, the pair say they will explore new locations. “Our most recent addition to the team, Sarah Lindley, will be establishing our accountancy business in the North-West. 2018 will see us develop the South-West business and take Hesketh James into new locations and markets. Watch this space.

14 August 2017
Oil & gas/Energy, Transport & logistics, Engineering, Construction & property, Industrial/Manufacturing, Accounting/Finance

NEW TO THE MARKET: 14-18 AUGUST 2017

• Transport and distribution recruitment specialist Bluestones Logistics has launched a ‘refer a friend’ scheme to reward its drivers and logistics personnel.

Every current candidate of Bluestones Logistics who refers a friend to the agency will receive £50 for themselves and £50 for their friend. Referred candidates need only work a minimum of 40 shifts for them and their friend to be eligible for the referral fee.

• Intelligent information management specialist M-Files has launched M-Files HR, a solution aimed at streamlining management of HR-related documents and information.

The solution aims to help recruiters keep tabs on the various candidates in their care, by storing documents such as CVs, cover letters and background information in a way that makes finding and managing these documents much more efficient and intuitive than a traditional folder-based system.

• Flexible working specialist Flexology has launched a returnship programme supporting professionals who have taken a career break.

The firm says it is looking to work with professionals with a background in accountancy, law, project or relationship management, marketing or HR who have had at least one year off from paid work, whether the career break was due to having children, ill health or taking on carer responsibilities.

These professionals will be offered a three-month Flexology Returnship placement, in which they will be able refresh their skills, gain confidence and develop recent experience for their CV in order to re-enter the workforce. Both the returnship and any subsequent role will be offered on a flexible basis.

• Opus Professional Services Group is expanding into new offices in the Spinning Fields area of Manchester. The new office will the group’s sixth.

Director Richard Thexton has been appointed to head up the new office after building and managing a number of successful teams at SThree.

• International recruiter Pure Search has appointed Warwick Pearmund to lead its new financial and emerging technologies practice. The firm already operates within financial services, commerce and industry and professional services.

• Following part relocation by a major client to Northampton, Kent-based recruitment company Red Eagle has opened a new office in Corby. Keen to retain their working relationship, Red Eagle says the new location will help with on-site assistance and also present new opportunities with businesses in the area.

Red Eagle has already compiled a database of local workers and is strong on food processing and logistics, which are significant sectors of the economy in the Corby area.

• Spencer Ogden has moved to a new location in Houston. The global energy, engineering and infrastructure recruiter has tripled the size of its Houston office and has relocated to the GreenStreet district in Downtown Houston at 1201 Fannin St.

10 August 2017
HR

Contractor market attracting tech start-ups

That is the evidence suggested by a recent HRTechTank London event, in which two HR tech start-ups highlighted the opportunities in the freelance sector as they presented in front of potential investors and experts. 

“The concept of a liquid workforce and the growth of a new organisational structure, which has a small core team and a disparate population of independent talent around that is now widely accepted. We feel this huge growth is going to be a massive part of the future of work,” said Jonny Dunning, CEO of TalonFMS, an automated freelancer management system, which has been actively marketed since April.

Dunning said projections that 30% of the UK workforce will be freelance by 2020 and “more like 50% of the US workforce” represented “fantastic opportunities, but also challenges”. He added the rapid rise in the availability and choice of talent and the speed at which the market operated driven by technology, as well as the compliance and regulatory challenges such as changes to IR35, meant that employers “could no longer ignore this part of their workforce anymore”.

Dunning went on to explain that the TalonFMS automated freelancer management system allows companies to interact with approved on-boarded compliant individuals, to contact them directly, to send out details of projects to matched relevant people and to create talent pools. Dunning said ultimately, it helped employers with large contractor workforces to maximise talent, control costs and reduce risk.

Mark Lee, CEO and founder of ContractElite, a start-up sourcing platform that allows contractors and employers to connect directly, said that the UK’s 2m-strong contractor workforce, increasing at around 5% a year, made this an attractive market.

Lee explained that ContractElite provides employers with data points based on “key criteria that were important in the hiring of contractors”. He said the most important of these were, “the contractor is available when I want them, where I want them, and for the right price”. The platform also allows employers to access contractors on the basis of their experience and on ratings by their peers.

Lee emphasised that the intention was purely to provide “the connectivity to allow clients to source contractors” and not for ContractElite to recruit them themselves. ContractElite is in the pre-revenue stage, with an initial aim of having 2,000 contractors signed up by September. 

• Want to comment on this story? Email us at [email protected] or tweet us below to tell us your thoughts. We will run comments online in a round-up at the end of the week.

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