1. News
  2. New to Market

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.

19 April 2021
IT/Telecoms

BHI aims to develop a modern, agile labour market

The Better Hiring Institute (BHI) says it will drive development of “a modern, agile UK labour market” and “accelerate the post-Covid economic recovery”.

Part of the purpose of the BHI is “to represent hiring in the UK labour market to government”, organisers say. 

Other elements of BHI’s purpose are to implement digital pathways to modernise hiring, promote safeguarding across all hiring, to develop standards and best practice “to simplify the issue for hirers and workers as well as improvements where necessary” and to offer support and advice to all organisations.

“The absence of an overriding organisation setting standards for hiring across the UK labour market has meant that there is no singular driving force for change to modernise the system and eliminate waste, inefficiency and poor productivity within the labour market,” a BHI statement said.

“Without one unifying voice, a multitude of sector specific, industry level and trade body voices have unintentionally created confusion, crossover and inefficiency within hiring,” the statement went on to say. “This has prevented the UK developing a truly dynamic and modern labour market underpinned by digital technology, best practice and flexibility.”

Governed by an advisory board, the BHI is aimed at serving employers across all sectors, with involvement possible through sectoral subcommittees. There is no fee for the services.

The advisory board consists of Keith Rosser, director of pre-employment vetting business Reed Screening; Mike Haley, CEO of fraud-sharing data base Cifas; Jon Hall, senior academic at the Open University specialising in digital, IT, security and education; and Dr Suzanne Smith, executive director of barring and safeguarding, DBS.

Secretariat is being run by Stacey Wright, also an employee of Reed Screening.

Organisers said BHI will be a non-profit social enterprise. Asked by Recruiter about the legal relationship between BHI and Reed, Rosser said: “The best way I can characterise this is, Reed agreed during the conversations with [the UK government] to support getting the BHI off the ground and provide the secretariat in the short term. The BHI will become a social enterprise, and this is a key part of the advisory board’s early focus – that and the governance of the organisation. Organisations and parts of [UK government] have committed to providing time and content on a voluntary basis.”

The advisory board is working on future funding opportunities, Rosser said. “The BHI already have commitment from organisations and [UK government] to give their time and expertise on the projects and campaigns listed on the web site.”

The projects listed include Fairer Recruitment, Validating Documents Safely, Protecting Work Seekers, A Framework for Social Media Screening and Better Referencing Digital Identity.

Ophelia King, head of market development in the Department of Culture, Media and Sport digital identity team, spoke at the launch, noting that DCMS has taken on “a sort of overarching role in… enabling the digital identity marketing to come into fruition”.

When contacted for their thoughts on the BHI’s creation, recruitment trade bodies the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) and the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) both said they welcomed it for aligning with their goals of raising standards and worker protection.

For more information, visit the BHI at betterhiringinstitute.co.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.

19 April 2021
Social care, Transport & logistics, Life sciences, Industrial/Manufacturing, Hospitality/Leisure

Gi Group opens Birmingham branch to help Midlands expansion

The new branch is located on Hastingwood Business Park, Wood Lane, Birmingham. The company said this location places Gi Group “at the heart of an area of key strategic importance for the business”.

Gi Group Birmingham is actively recruiting for over 150 roles ranging from highly skilled positions directly involved in the delivery of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games – for which Gi Group is the official recruitment partner – to logistic roles supporting the increase in demand for online retail, as well as a series of opportunities in the care sector.

Branch manager Andrew Page will oversee the new location. 

Gi Group’s Birmingham-area clients include Royal Mail, Parcelforce and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. It also provides temporary and permanent staff to a series of major West Midlands-based logistics, automotive, food, pharma, care sector and manufacturing organisations. 

• 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.

19 April 2021
Creative/Digital/Media, IT/Telecoms

NEW TO THE MARKET: 19-23 APRIL 2021

• Digital 51 is a talent partnership within the digital space, partnering with businesses and people who work across product, creative and technology throughout the UK. Digital 51 is a team of five people, founded by Simon Brown in conjunction with co-founders Alex Hall and Adrienne Howlett.

13 April 2021
Public sector, Transport & logistics, Education, Commercial & office support, HR, Hospitality/Leisure, Healthcare/Medical

SSGC launches WLTS to deliver ex-service personnel to businesses

Swindon-based SSGC, which has mobilised military veterans to staff Covid-19 test centres and provide testing support at under-pressure schools across the UK, has already secured a £40m contract for its start-up business WLTS to provide personnel to Comensura, which manages supplies of temporary, permanent and contract labour. 

According to the company, WLTS specialises in handling complex vetting requirements such as DBS checks, BPSS, the government baseline security standard, and BS7858, the security benchmark approved by the British Standards Institute (BSI), through its bespoke automated solution.

A signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant (AFC), an agreement to support veterans getting back into ‘civvy street’, WLTS will provide instant frontline services as Britain slowly emerges from lockdown.

David Stubbs, managing director of SSGC, said WLTS was part of the post-pandemic ‘normalisation’ process: “As the national requirements have changed, so has our offering, which is why the services provided by WLTS are focused on helping Britain get back to work. It specialises in trusted and rapid mobilisation of personnel that goes beyond testing for Covid-19 to the heart of what the nation needs to return to a form of normality.”

Stubbs explained that businesses in the hospitality, conference and events market will be needing experienced and vetted marshalling and stewarding personnel, and with the explosion in online sales to corporates upscaling temporary drivers, cleaners and administrators as they reopen, “the WLTS service can provide everything from the background checks to the actual feet on the ground” as the UK reopens.

Pictured above (l-r): David Stubbs, Demelza Staples and Andy McInnes from SSGC, which has launched WLTS

• 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.

Recruiter Magazine

SUBSCRIBE TO PRINT
VIEW PAST ISSUES
Top