New to Market

4 June 2025

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

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

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

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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6 July 2022

NEW TO THE MARKET: 4-8 JULY 2022

• Pub chain Greene King has responded to the skills crisis by launching ‘Expensable Lunches’, a new programme providing city workers with the ultimate pub lunch break but with a productive twist. In partnership with small business support platform Enterprise Nation, the pub chain is giving central London workers access to a variety of meaningful training modules during their weekday lunch hour, for a lunch break that swaps office desks for pub stools.

The 45-minute lunchtime learning modules are designed to encourage city workers to take time away from their desks to acquire new skills, with sessions covering five key topics – creating a social media plan, building your personal brand, mastering the art of public speaking, becoming a better leader, and building a growth mindset. Upon completion of the module and a tasty pub lunch, Zone 1 workers will leave the upskilling session with a formal certificate, as well as a VAT receipt, allowing them to expense lunch back to their employers.

The ‘Expensable Lunches’ training sessions will run every Wednesday for five weeks at select Central London locations. At £25 each, tickets include entry to the training session – hosted by an accredited trainer – along with a main course and drink of choice.

4 July 2022

Hays refreshes brand and repositions itself

As part of its brand refresh, Hays is consolidating its sub-brands, simplifying its structure and revamping its brand messaging. The move will connect all areas of its business to enable better sharing of knowledge, continual enhancement of the suite of services that are available to customers and deliver a more personalised experience, the company said in a statement. 

“The change is designed to make it seamless and straightforward to access any aspect of Hays’ services and easy to do business together,” the company said.

“During 2021, Hays undertook comprehensive research with external experts, speaking to clients, non-clients, and candidates globally to understand their perception of what Hays does well, where opportunities existed and what they really wanted and needed from their partners and the role Hays could play. Hays also looked at competitors in the market to understand how others in the industry were evolving their own approach to understand how to truly differentiate Hays’ services in the market,” the company said.

Hays’ new tagline “Working for your tomorrow” is about preparing organisations and people to be stronger tomorrow than they are today. It signals Hays’ intention to work alongside its customers to help them achieve their goals. (See more in the July-August issue of Recruiter magazine, out 12 July.)

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30 June 2022

NEW TO THE MARKET: 27 JUNE-1 JULY 2022

• International recruitment agency Aspire has launched a new office in Dubai as part of its growth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The new office will enable the recruiter to help businesses in the region gain access to its global talent pool. It will be led by Toma Indriulyte Sibly, who will head up Aspire’s MENA operations.

• Australian-based training and assessment software Cloud Assess has launched in the UK market for ‘deskless’ workers. The software provider says its learning management software offers the UK market a “much-needed” answer to close the skills gap with on-the-job training. It enables UK businesses to accelerate their rate of up-skilling and reduces admin tasks by more than 50%, allowing organisations to operate on a larger scale or with greater efficiency for the same level of resources.

• Digital transformation recruitment specialist Conexus has opened two new offices to serve its growing international client base. The digital recruiter has opened an office in Cardiff located at Anchor Court and another in Central Barcelona, Spain. Conexus was founded in 2020 by Yolk Recruitment founder Dale Williams and industry specialist Connor Wall.

• Online payroll and onboarding company Deel has launched a fully managed global payroll product for companies that hire employees using their entities and want to combine multiple regional payroll systems into one global platform. Deel has also partnered with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government to attract global talent and high-growth companies to its region. The UAE aims to become the global tech hub for remote workers by offering flexible visa categories for engineers, executives and remote workers.

• Lloyds Bank and space recruitment specialist EVONA have opened its second UK location in Spinningfields, Manchester. The new Manchester office will accommodate up to 10 new members of staff in Spinningfields and provide a second hub in addition to Bristol for remote staff all over the UK.

• Netherlands-based technical recruitment firm g2 Recruitment has relocated to a new office in the centre of Amsterdam. The move to the Spaces Herengracht building will allow the recruiter to provide more than 20 extra jobs to graduates who want to be a part of recruiting within emerging tech and engineering markets. g2 Recruitment has been providing hiring services since 2004 and now has nine offices across the UK and Europe.

Jobrapido has launched a smart subscription service allowing businesses to have unlimited postings and change job postings 24/7. The subscription is available in the UK with plans available for three, six and 12-month periods. The search engine firm says the service “will drastically reduce talent acquisition budgets and annual advertising costs for UK businesses”.

• Nash Squared company Spinks, a recruitment partner to the global start-up and scale-up community, has launched its Spinks on Site service in the Netherlands. Spinks on Site provides both start-ups and scale-ups with the most efficient routes to hire in-demand talent through a talent acquisition programme. Spinks on Site’s talent managers embed themselves into the organisation, its culture and values to attract the “very best” talent, something which it says is not possible to achieve with typical agency-style recruitment.

• Foreign exchange firm Travelex has announced it has created more than 1,200 new international jobs. In the UK, over 1,000 new positions are being created across retail, wholesale and head office operations following new contract wins. Across the ANZ region, Travelex is creating more than 100 retail and head office jobs. In Asia, Travelex is recruiting over 50 roles across Singapore and Malaysia as airport terminals re-open.

22 June 2022

Frank Recruitment Group opens its doors in Milan, Italy

The firm, which specialises in finding professionals for markets across various cloud technologies, now has 25 global hubs after opening its doors in Milan.

The office will initially focus on finding professionals to work with Microsoft Cloud, including Microsoft Dynamics and Azure, through the Nigel Frank brand, servicing Microsoft customers and partners across Italy.

Based in the heart of the city, the office will create a number of new jobs in Milan for people with a wide range of experience in recruitment, from graduates to experienced professionals.

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