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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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4 October 2023
IT/Telecoms

LinkedIn rolls out AI-assisted Recruiter 2024 as AI job posts double

Job posts mentioning AI or generative AI have more than doubled globally in the last two years, with LinkedIn’s ‘Global Talent Trends Report’ finding that applications for these posts have grown 17% faster compared to those that don’t mention AI or generative AI. LinkedIn’s research finds that 89% of professionals globally are excited to use AI at work, and more than half (57%) want to learn more about it.

In response, LinkedIn is rolling out new generative AI tools, including Recruiter 2024. According to the professional networking firm, its new AI-assisted recruiting experience makes hiring more efficient and easy, so talent leaders can focus on strategic, people-centric work. 

A version of Recruiter 2024 is being tested with a small handful of LinkedIn’s Recruiter customers, with plans to roll it out globally later this year.

Olivier Sabella, vice president, EMEA & LATAM, LinkedIn Talent Solutions, says: “AI is ushering in a new world of work, and the technology is already reshaping jobs, businesses and industries. Everyone from customer service representatives and sales professionals to teachers, will be able to use the technology to remove some of the drudgery of everyday tasks so they can focus on valuable people-centric work.”

LinkedIn is also testing out real-time advice in two of most in-demand skills that apply across all types of jobs: leadership and management. LinkedIn Learning’s AI-powered coaching will be available to a handful of customers from yesterday [3 October], with plans to roll out globally to LinkedIn Learning Hub customers throughout the year. 

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28 September 2023
Marketing, Charity & not-for-profit, IT/Telecoms, HR, Accounting/Finance

NEW TO THE MARKET: 25-29 SEPTEMBER 2023

• Braver, a new talent and DE&I consultancy, has launched to challenge marketing and communications companies to be more “courageous” with workplace and employment practices by placing an emphasis on potential, rather than hiring on experience.

Founded by brothers Sheeraz Gulsher and Darain Faraz of not-for-profit People Like Us, along with the co-creator of the industry’s gender and ethnicity pay gap report, Mike Levaggi, Braver seeks to make the recruitment industry more inclusive.

The company aims to help businesses attract, find, retain and grow talent. It will offer evaluation services and consultancy on workplace policies and practices. In addition it will provide tailored recruitment services using its skills, personality and perspectives profiling system that aims to unlock talent from different backgrounds and other industries.

• Management and recruitment consultancy Campbell Tickell (CT) has been certified as a B Corporation. CT says its mission is to support its clients’ excellence in governance, resilience, performance and compliance. This enables the better delivery of clients’ social objectives for the people, communities and organisations they serve. CT provides its consultancy services primarily to charitable, not-for-profit and public sector organisations.

• JobHoller has rebranded to become Holler. JobHoller was founded in 2016, specialising in recruitment marketing. As part of the rebrand, Holler will divide services across key sectors, including employer branding, content and social and talent attraction. Holler is also launching two new service specialisms: Corporate Branding and Personal Branding.

• NorthStar People has expanded to provide HR, finance and learning & development (L&D) advisory services to recruitment leaders and owners. The new advisory service lines will be headed up by industry experts who have worked within the recruitment sector for many years: Tina Holt (HR director), Nives Feely (finance director) and L&D specialist James Gage.

By expanding its services, the firm says it is able to offer a ‘one-stop-shop’ for owners and leaders seeking external advice or support from industry experts to accelerate their personal development or help achieve “operational excellence” and sustainable growth.

• HR software firm for SMEs, Personio has opened its first office in the US in Soho, New York. The office will serve as a home to existing US-based employees and as a key talent hub as it continues to recruit technology experts in the world.

21 September 2023
Construction & property, Industrial/Manufacturing

Construction firm coalition unites to tackle diversity in the industry

The Construction Inclusion Coalition (CIC) has been established by CEOs at organisations including Aliaxis, Baxi, Bradfords, Highbourne Group, Ibstock, Knauf, Travis Perkins, Wavin, Wolseley, the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) and the National Merchant Buying Society, to raise sector standards on equity, diversity & inclusion (EDI), with an immediate focus on gender representation in its first year.

The Coalition is being launched alongside new polling which shows that only one third (36%) of British people would feel confident that their female family or friends would be safe and respected if they joined the construction industry. The research of over 2,000 adults also outlines the opportunity for the sector, with nearly half of people (46%) saying they’d be more likely to actively seek out employment opportunities in the construction industry if it demonstrated a stronger commitment to diversity & inclusion.

Recruiter’s Investing in Talent Awards is also highlighting those recruitment companies – not just in construction – who are leading the field in attracting, recruiting and retaining diverse talent.

Construction Inclusion Coalition chairperson and Toolstation managing director Angela Rushforth says: “There is no doubt that the future of our industry is at risk if we don’t create an environment where all our colleagues feel safe, empowered and confident. I want all young women to see the construction sector as I do – full of opportunity.”

“We aren’t attracting and retaining from a diverse pool of talent, because many think the construction sector is not for them. These are industry-wide challenges that require industry-wide solutions, which is why the Construction Inclusion Coalition has been set up to improve EDI. We are calling on businesses across the sector – no matter how big or small – to join our Coalition and commit to taking action in their organisations.”

The construction sector has one of the most rapidly ageing workforces in the UK, with research showing that close to 1m construction workers – around a third of the UK’s total workforce – are set to retire in the next 10 years. Despite this, the industry is currently only made up of 15% women and 6% from ethnic minority backgrounds, and faces challenges attracting and recruiting from a diverse pool of talent.”

The organisations involved are urging businesses across the industry to join the initiative and take the Built on Better Pledge. The pledge covers seven areas members commit to working on.

Organisations will work together to enhance the impact of their individual EDI initiatives, by fostering collaboration and establishing a network to share knowledge and resources across the industry and co-creating solutions that will make a difference. Progress will be tracked annually and shared in a public report.

The Coalition has been endorsed by the Construction Leadership Council, the body that draws together business leaders from across the construction sector and links them with the UK government.

The Coalition was launched in front of hundreds of businesses across the construction sector at the Builders Merchant’s Federation annual conference at the Birmingham NEC on 21 September 2023.

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20 September 2023
Agriculture, Banking/Financial services, Executive search, Industrial/Manufacturing, Accounting/Finance

NEW TO THE MARKET: 18-22 SEPTEMBER 2023

• London-based specialist recruiter and executive search consultancy Camino Group has opened its new central London office near Liverpool Street Station. Camino had previously been located in Cowcross Street, near Farringdon Station. Established in 2011, Camino Group operates two recruitment brands: Camino Search, which specialises in international financial, private equity and M&A markets; and Camino Partners, which supports other recruitment companies non-sales professionals.

• Telford-based recruitment firm Swift Temps has announced its move to a new office following ongoing growth. The firm specialises in placing temporary workers in agricultural and industrial roles across the region.

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