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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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26 February 2020

Pilot programme aims to get over-50 jobseekers back to work

This is due to the Greater Manchester Employment Support for Over-50s pilot scheme. Jointly launched by The Centre for Ageing Better, Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Department of Work & Pensions, the programme is aimed at improving support models for older people.

Research by the Centre for Ageing Better last year found that older jobseekers would benefit from personalised support that could be flexible around caring commitments and health needs.

The pilot will focus on providing employment support that works for older jobseekers, trialling a range of approaches with the aim of finding a successful model that can inform national government policy.

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17 February 2020
Creative/Digital/Media, Engineering, Commercial & office support, Executive search, Interim recruitment, IT/Telecoms

NEW TO THE MARKET: 17-21 FEBRUARY 2020

• Sustainability and safety recruitment and talent development specialist Acre has opened an office in Amsterdam. Harco Leertouwer joins the company as managing director for Benelux.

• Back-office to boardroom recruitment specialist Camino Partners has launched an interim recruitment division. The division will be led by experienced senior interim finance recruitment consultant Jack Stuart.

• Global strategic resourcing consultancy Hortor has expanded its office in San José, Costa Rica. Spanish-speaking business development manager Florencia Prato has recently been appointed to lead a team of resourcing experts in the capital city. “With an educated workforce and growing economy, we believe scaling up Hortor’s consultative approach [in Coast Rica] will deliver greater results for companies in this relatively untapped marketplace,” Prato said.

• Stanton House has opened a new office in Singapore, its second in the Asia-Pacific region. Laura Taylor has joined the recruiter to build and lead the technology and transformation team in Singapore.

• Staffordshire recruiter Vantage Consulting has rebranded. The rebrand involves the launch of the agency’s four brands, each providing recruitment services across technology, engineering, engineering technology and executive search, as part of the Vantage Group.

• The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is funding a pilot scheme to help the region’s screen industry discover new talent, or to encourage people from other careers to switch to the television industry.

It is working in partnership with Create Central – the new industry-led body set up to turbo-charge the region’s film, TV and games industries. Solihull College & University Centre and Screen Central will provide the skills training.
 

13 February 2020
Transport & logistics, Industrial/Manufacturing

Start-up of the Month: J&J Recruitment

Davies says the agency plans to stand out in the market by providing a “risk-free” recruitment process.

This includes a ‘free replacement service’, which means if a placement does not work out for whatever reason within the first six months, the agency will find the client a replacement free of charge.

“We also adopt the attitude that ‘one size does not fit all’. Therefore, all our packages are tailored to each individual client with a full understanding of their requirements. Our aim is to provide recruitment support that allows our clients to remain in full control of the process without the typical recruitment issues, allowing them to save time and money. We believe our process eliminates all the stresses many companies experience when recruiting. We do the leg work, so you don’t have to.”

While the future is unknown as a new start-up, looking ahead Davies adds: “Our aim over the next 12 months is to remain consistent in what we do to ensure our long-term goals prosper.”

11 February 2020
Marketing & Sales, Engineering, Construction & property, IT/Telecoms, HR

Gi Group launches Grafton Recruitment brand in UK

The move follows the firm’s 2018 acquisition of Grafton Recruitment Europe back in 2018. The Irish arm of the company was acquired by Stafflline last summer.

The new organisation will focus on permanent recruitment solutions in the corporate, HR, IT, construction, procurement, sales & marketing, engineering and business change sectors. It will absorb the business of Gi Professional and build on its success in existing markets.

Seven nationwide hubs will support the firm’s operations with offices in Hatfield, Portsmouth, Milton Keynes, Hull, Leeds, Leicester and Peterborough.

Commenting on the move, country manager Gi Group UK & Ireland Paulo Canoa, who recently succeeded Bev White, said: “We’re delighted to launch the Grafton brand, building on its strong reputation and sustained success in Europe. We’ve assembled a highly-skilled team, which will embody the Grafton spirit – innovation, hard work, professionalism and customer service excellence.”

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