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New to Market

25 April 2025
Construction & property, Graduates/Apprentices/School leavers

National student lettings agency launches apprenticeship scheme

In a bid to support young people and grow skilled and knowledgeable individuals for the student lettings sector, loc8me recently launched its 18-month programme, which is open to anyone aged 16-18. The scheme will offer hands-on experience, mentorship and the opportunity to engage in paid work.

Raffaele Russo, founder of loc8me, said: “We’re thrilled to launch this apprenticeship programme, giving young professionals a real chance to learn, grow and begin building a career in an exciting industry.

“Now more than ever, young people are seeking opportunities, guidance and goals to pursue. With this programme, we’re investing in their future – and in the future of the lettings sector.”

Apprentices will have the chance to study the theoretical and practical elements of the lettings industry, and on starting, they will be given a mentor from the loc8me team to support their development via regular meetings throughout the course.

loc8me now operates in 13 major university cities across the UK, including Loughborough, Durham, Nottingham, Manchester, Leeds, Cardiff, Newcastle, Birmingham, Liverpool, Leicester, Hull, Bath and Bristol.

Freya Watson-Russo, academy co-ordinator, said: "At loc8me, we’re committed to nurturing the next generation of letting agents. … We’re giving young people the chance to build a future, gain confidence and carve their own path.”

Founded in 2008 by Russo, loc8me manages more than 2,500 properties and employs more than 75 staff members.

(L-r) Apprentice Ollie Coe, loc8me's marketing assistant and academy co-ordinator Freya Watson-Russo and apprentice Isabel Tebbutt ©loc8me

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14 April 2025
Creative/Digital/Media, Engineering

NEW TO THE MARKET: 14-18 APRIL 2025

• Manufacturing and engineering specialist Busy Bee Recruitment has relaunched its website. The refreshed online platform has a modern design and enhanced user functionality, offering an intuitive browsing experience that makes it easier than ever to explore current vacancies, submit CVs quickly and securely, access expert recruitment advice via a blog and submit vacancies directly online.

• Deel, a global payroll and HR provider, has launched a suite of AI-driven products to help companies hire, manage, and pay international teams. Deel will offer an all-in-one global workforce platform integrating payroll, HR, and IT, designed to support compliant operations across borders. Key updates include: Real-Time Payroll in over 53 markets (expanding to 130+ by 2027), offering instant calculations and faster processing; Deel PEO for offering top-tier benefits without enterprise-level costs; Benefits Admin for simplified, compliant benefits management across countries; Deel Talent for streamlined recruitment via trusted agency networks; Workforce Planning, Compensation, and Engage tools – powered by AI – for smarter headcount strategy, global pay management, and employee development; IT Lifecycle Management features like MDM, IAM, and EPP, supporting global device and security control.

11 April 2025
Creative/Digital/Media, IT/Telecoms

Spotted Zebra merges Interview Intelligence and Assessment in one platform

This is technology that transcribes, analyses and evaluates conversations through an AI-powered lens. The merger connects assessment results with interview data, addressing the growing challenge enterprise talent leaders face: making confident, objective hiring decisions when candidate information can be fragmented across multiple tools.

In a statement, Spotted Zebra says that enterprise talent acquisition teams are facing twin pressures from AI-generated candidate applications and deepening skills shortages. 

The launch responds to a critical market challenge, the statement continues; while more than three in four businesses report widening skills gaps, employers are inundated with applications with around half of all jobseekers using AI tools to apply for roles. Current solutions force companies to choose between expensive, disconnected systems or compromise on either assessment breadth and depth, or a scalable interview process and structure.

“We’ve integrated Interview Intelligence with Assessment because our enterprise customers are facing unprecedented challenges in talent acquisition,” said Ian Monk, co-founder and CEO of Spotted Zebra. “By unifying these previously siloed technologies, we’re enabling talent teams to make data-informed decisions based on a complete picture of each candidate’s capabilities.”

Unlike standard Interview Intelligence tools that primarily transcribe conversations, Spotted Zebra’s implementation establishes a data framework that truly connects skill measurements across different evaluation methods:

  • Real-time skill evidence mapping: Comprehensive role skills profiles are automatically created thanks to AI-powered intake meetings between recruiters and hiring managers. 
  • AI-assisted interview questioning technology: The AI-powered Interview Guides automatically generate targeted question paths for specific role skills profiles and each candidate.
  • Consolidated hiring evidence dashboard: The Decision Kit combines summarised skill data from both assessment scores and interview evidence, weighting each source appropriately based on predictive validity for specific skill types. 

According to the company statement, AI in Spotted Zebra enhances human decision-making, ensuring the final call on a candidate’s suitability for a role is objective, data-backed and always in the hands of the hiring team.

Headquartered in the UK, Spotted Zebra was launched in 2020 by Monk and co-founder and chief commercial officer Nick Shaw.

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10 April 2025
Creative/Digital/Media, Executive search

NEW TO THE MARKET: 7-11 APRIL 2025

• UK recruitment firm HRGO has launched ‘Betty’, an AI agent tackling recruitment ghosting by ensuring all job applicants receive feedback. Since its December 2024 launch, Betty has provided personalised insights to over 40,000 candidates. A survey of 1,000 users found 90% valued the feedback, addressing a major frustration in the hiring process at scale. Betty was named after Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Parkinson, the founder of HRGO back in 1957.

• Recruitment firm Sowena Group has moved into new headquarters in Manchester city centre. Perran Cooke launched Sowena Group last summer after more than a decade in the recruitment industry, including roles as regional MD for the North at executive search company PSD Group and as a director at Axon Moore. Sowena now has a team of five and has taken office space at The Tootal Buildings on Oxford Street. The company statement says Sowena Group is expected to deliver more than £650k in revenue this year.

Senior recruitment consultants Dave Kreitz and Mackenzie Harrop have joined Sowena in recent weeks, along with Leah Allen as head of marketing and Megan Buckley as marketing executive. Cooke said he expects the team to grow to 10 by the end of this year, creating roles for recruitment consultants, back office and support staff, market research specialists and a non-executive director. Sowena Group focuses on senior finance posts in high-growth and private equity and venture capital-backed businesses across the North-West and beyond.

21 August 2023
Social care, Healthcare/Medical

Public sector collaboration in London to boost social worker recruitment

The first-of-its kind regional framework in partnership with London Councils and the London Innovation & Improvement Alliance (LIIA) – Framework for London in Permanent Children’s Social Work Recruitment (FLiP) – aims to improve compliant access to permanent children’s social workers for all London local authorities.

The YPO framework provides authorities with a consistent route to 16 specialist children’s social care service suppliers, including a range of national and local suppliers to support regional requirements.

FLiP has been created on behalf of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ALDCS) following the implementation of the London Pledge. This has enabled closer and consistent engagement with the agency market to support improvements that respond to challenges the sector faces in recruiting and retaining permanent staff.

This YPO framework guarantees uniformity in price structure, stable costs, a single point of contact for recruitment, and a standard of service through pre-agreed terms and conditions. YPO’s FLiP is valued at £20m and will provide both “full” and “reduced” service offerings for London local authorities.

Jonathan Williams, speaking on behalf of the association of London directors of Children’s Services (ALDCS) pan-London Workforce Steering Group, added: “The recruitment and retention of children’s social workers is an ongoing issue for the sector.”

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21 August 2023
Social care, Healthcare/Medical

Danforth Care Group creates 250+ jobs in care sector

According to online news organisation Bdaily, the eight care homes have been opened all over the country, from Lancashire to Norwich. 

Opening a new care home doesn’t come without challenges, from regulation sign off, to recruitment and gaining admissions. For the care homes opened so far this year, Danforth has faced these challenges head on.

Hiring staff who are completely in line with Danforth’s values is a must for the group. The first care home openings have been a success and have prompted positive reviews, but the main thing for Danforth is the longevity of excellence. Staff will have constant training and will always be held to Danforth’s high standards and values.

Jessica Blythe, chief of staff at Danforth Care, says “when it comes to overcoming challenges such as meeting building completion deadlines, a good knowledge for the local area has been imperative. Having the support of a good team and a home manager who can be on board from the start of the commissioning process is also very helpful”.

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7 August 2023
Creative/Digital/Media, Engineering, Construction & property, Commercial & office support, Industrial/Manufacturing, IT/Telecoms

NEW TO THE MARKET: 7-11 AUGUST 2023

• Technology recruitment firm SPG Resourcing has announced its international expansion plans and aims to create 10 new jobs over the coming year. The company says it plans to build on its current bases of Leeds and Newcastle with offices in London and the US.

• Recruitment firm Swift Temps has opened a new office in Preston Technology Centre to facilitate continued growth. The company’s new Preston office specialises in placing workers in industrial, construction, engineering and commercial sectors. Having previously only supported workers and businesses with temporary work placements, the branch has established a new permanent placements division from its Preston hub.

• Rec-tech scale-up Willo has announced that the firm is set to upgrade to its video interview technology. Willo’s new integrations mean users can enable integrations without developer support or any technical knowledge. Other benefits recently introduced include automated ID and Right to Work checks to streamline the hiring process and make the hiring experience at scale more frictionless for customers and candidates.

25 July 2023
Engineering, Construction & property, IT/Telecoms

National Space Council relaunches as UK space sector takes off

The applications will be aimed at the 12th cohort, also known as Mission 12. 

Through the programme, the cohort will have the opportunity to develop key relationships with “some of the world’s leading” corporates and agencies operating in the space sector as the start-ups look to raise capital to commercialise their technology.

The cohort will join an “impressive” alumni of over 100 SpaceTech companies, who have collectively raised more than $2.2bn (around £1.7bn) in funding and have an enterprise value of more than $10bn (£7.7bn).

This sponsorship brings added benefit to the “pioneering” companies taking part in Mission 12. The accelerator is a three-month programme that supports SpaceTech companies from inception to IPO.

The UK intends to become a true space superpower and fulfil the country’s ambition to become Europe’s leading provider of small commercial launches by 2030. 

This builds on the growth of the UK space sector, which employs almost 49,000 people and generates an income of £17.5bn.

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