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New to Market

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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20 May 2025
Oil & gas/Energy, Transport & logistics

International manufacturer invests £170m in North Wales facility

The UK and Welsh governments have welcomed the investment into a new facility from the international manufacturer.

The announcement comes as the UK and EU hold a summit to discuss future opportunities to boost economic growth.

The landmark development will produce more than 100,000 tonnes of non-combustible rock mineral wool insulation per year and create around 140 direct jobs, with more in local supply chains.

The announcement coincides with the UK-EU Summit that took place on Monday [19 May 2025].

Secretary of state for Wales Jo Stevens said: “This £170m investment by Knauf Insulation is fantastic news for North Wales and our UK government mission to drive economic growth.”

Using UK-First Submerged Arc Furnace technology, the new factory will produce non-combustible, low embodied carbon, recyclable rock mineral wool insulation to support the need for safer, more energy efficient and sustainable buildings.

The UK and Welsh government-backed North Wales Growth Deal and the Flintshire and Wrexham Investment Zone collectively support the decision by Knauf Insulation to lo-cate a second plant in the area.

As leaders in the production of sustainable building materials, Knauf Insulation’s expansion further supports the growing advanced manufacturing cluster in North Wales.

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20 May 2025
Creative/Digital/Media, IT/Telecoms

Human skills as important as ‘oven-ready’ tech skills

So says the CEO of the CIPD, the UK’s professional body for HR, learning & development, Peter Cheese.

Speaking last Friday [16 May 2025] at the Houses of Parliament launch of the UK Hiring Taskforce, Cheese told the 200 attendees that at the same time, however, instead of filling skills gaps, employers are also looking for potential in applicants through characteristics such as “attitude, aptitude to learn human skills like collaboration and communication, and critical thinking. The more we debate the future of work, the more we debate about AI impacting jobs and skills in the future, the more we are coming back to these core skills”.

Humanities knowledge is part of building such capabilities into organisations, Cheese said: “People talk now about the half-life of job skills is somewhere between three and four years. In other words, every three or four years, we’re going to have to retrain half of our workforce.”

Access to and retention of talent are a top issue for business leaders around the world, with “almost every organisation saying they can’t find all the skills. But then you question them on that, they say yes, we’ve been getting too focused on hiring what I’ve often described as ‘oven-ready employees’ and they don’t exist – partly because we are changing the nature of jobs at an ever-increasing rate”, Cheese said. “So, the reality of how we approach recruiting has got to be expanded from the point of view of the employers as well.”

He asked the audience: “So why do we seem to be reverting back to saying ‘I just want tech skills’? We know the world is not, unfortunately, going to be a better place if all we have are a lot of tech people. Frankly, we need humanity to work alongside that as well.”

Cheese has been appointed to the UK Hiring Taskforce steering committee.

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10 November 2023
IT/Telecoms, HR

Institute of Job Aggregators launches to support global industry

At the event in Central London, Mike Wall (pictured), chair of the IJA, said: “Having now spoken to many aggregators and experts in the recruitment sector it is great to see there is an appetite for an institute to allow credible players to work together and ensure the industry continues to thrive.”

The inspiration behind the IJA was to ensure jobseeker traffic, “in a world of ever-advancing AI and bots running rampant across the internet”, was validated and the quality monitored, Wall explained.

According to the IJA, the job aggregator industry is a multi-billion-pound industry and a key part of global recruitment. The institute plans to help protect the industry by validating the credible players and giving them a platform to discuss and manage issues that are impacting the industry. 

Wall added that the institute plans to help “streamline multi-used technology to help standardise usage and settings, and it will facilitate issues like bad debtors and action to halt traffic across all platforms and retrieve the debt.

“We are here to support, grow and drive change in the global job aggregator industry and to do this we need our member's expertise, knowledge and support.

“We are now aiming to form a committee of leading industry people and to help them set the agenda of the institute based on common issues and goals.”

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10 November 2023
Creative/Digital/Media, Engineering, Legal, IT/Telecoms

The City Recruiter expands global reach with US recruitment

The City Recruiter’s strategic move opens new avenues for jobseekers and employers on both sides of the Atlantic, according to a company statement.

Heading up the firm’s US division is head of US recruitment Kyle Wilding (pictured), who will be recruiting for both private sector and government roles, based in the Manchester headquarters.

His main focus is on positions that require security clearance. Some of the roles the firm is recruiting for include cybersecurity analysts, cybersecurity engineers, system administrators and incident management teams. 

In the future, The City Recruiter plans to open offices in Washington and Florida to further strengthen its US footprint.

The firm has also unveiled a slew of job opportunities, including positions within the US division.

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6 November 2023
Public sector, Social care, Creative/Digital/Media, Legal, Executive search, IT/Telecoms, Hospitality/Leisure, Graduates/Apprentices/School leavers, Healthcare/Medical, Accounting/Finance

NEW TO THE MARKET: 6-10 NOVEMBER 2023

• Cloud Assess, a provider of digital training and assessment solutions for ‘deskless’ workers, has launched free accredited level training courses to help employers grow and retain talent. The company says the courses have been designed to upskill staff in core competencies quickly, effectively, and at scale, with learning content and practical assessments for all industries and job roles. Courses include health & safety, marketing & sales to softer skills like time management, communication and empathy.

• Nash Squared, a global provider of technology and talent solutions, has expanded its technology and digital talent recruitment brand Harvey Nash into Canada. The launch of Harvey Nash in Canada allows organisations to benefit from Harvey Nash’s 35 years’ experience in connecting businesses with diverse technology talent.

• Specialist recruiter Reed has launched an AI-powered interview question generator tool to help with the lack of guidance on which questions to ask, according to research by Reed. The free tool uses a “unique" algorithm based on custom criteria to identify interview questions for any role in any sector to meet the individual skill requirements for a business.

• Recruitment Funding Solutions (RFS), a provider of specialist recruitment funding support, has launched its funding solution, RFS Evolve. Designed primarily to cater to larger and more well-established recruitment agencies, RFS Evolve empowers agencies to take on greater risk and debt management while getting support and competitive pricing. RFS Evolve is tailored to address the specific challenges and opportunities faced by larger agencies, providing them with the tools they need to effectively manage risk and debt, and to fuel their growth.

• Stockport Council is holding a recruitment day for Stockport residents next week. The council is looking for home support workers who are a vital part of the community helping some of the borough’s most vulnerable adults to live happy and healthy lives independently in their own homes. The event is on 13 November at Stockport Central Library, on Wellington Road, Stockport from 11am to 3pm.

• The City Recruiter has added multiple new law firms to its roster alongside new job opportunities. Over the next six months, the Manchester-based recruitment firm intends to onboard 10 specialist legal recruiters after partnering with multiple law firms, including Barings Law and Veritas Solicitors.

• Travelodge has launched a new dual-locations student recruitment programme that provides the flexibility of a role at a Travelodge close to the student’s university and in their hometown during the holiday periods. The group is offering more than 400 positions to students. Available positions include reception team member, bar café team member, housekeeping team member and linen porter.

• Recruitment consultancy WorkFolk has developed technology for referrals to be what it calls “the number one way” for people to find jobs. Through WorkFolk, candidates will receive job roles directly in their inbox, all from referrals by individuals within their network. All candidates need to do is to review the role and tick a box to consent to the referral.

• YunoJuno, a freelance management provider, has launched a global expansion across more than 150 countries. With this expansion, YunoJuno says it is set to redefine the way businesses and freelancers collaborate, offering a compliant management platform that now operates on a global scale.

3 November 2023
Creative/Digital/Media, Commercial & office support, Industrial/Manufacturing, IT/Telecoms, HR, Accounting/Finance

NEW TO THE MARKET: 30 OCTOBER-3 NOVEMBER 2023

• Portsmouth-based technical recruitment specialists Astute has announced its expansion into North America. The company, which was founded by Terry Buckel in 2006, will base its US operations in Charlotte, North Carolina.

• HR tech platform RAMP Global has integrated with SmartRecruiters, the enterprise hiring platform, to transform the way employers source, manage and pay recruitment agencies across the globe. The integration means RAMP Global can provide SmartRecruiters customers with a fully integrated agency management solution within the SmartRecruiters platform, allowing enterprises such as Visa, LinkedIn and Bosch to manage all agency activity in one place. This new functionality will enable customers to source, procure, engage and pay agencies anywhere in the world, ensuring the best terms, complete visibility, and control through a truly streamlined process.

• Chester-based invoice finance and back office support provider Zodeq has launched a campaign that addresses tech recruitment agencies and their cashflow. Working directly with tech recruiters to identify their needs and goals, the invoice finance service provided by Zodeq is bespoke to provide clients with their most appropriate and flexible solution. Benefits include cross-border credit protection, multi-currency facilities, international credit control and up to 100% funding or prepayment. Zodeq can also provide working capital to support agency growth.

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