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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.

12 July 2023
Life sciences, Creative/Digital/Media, Engineering, Banking/Financial services, Executive search, Interim recruitment, IT/Telecoms, HR, Healthcare/Medical

NEW TO THE MARKET: 10-14 JULY 2023

• Global talent acquisition partner Cielo has launched targeted products and services to help companies maximise their impact in a competitive talent market. The product expansions – TA Optimizers, Consulting and Search – offer businesses more options to flex and scale their TA processes to continue meeting the demands of a fluctuating economy.

• Digital staffing platform Coople has created an AI-based tool that can write job description drafts based on a simple prompt. It will save companies time and help them create content designed to attract candidates. The tool has been developed by using a form of training known as ‘deep learning’. This has allowed the tool to pick up on job description commonalities and formatting standards. Using this knowledge, the tool is able to generate new text based on what it has learned.

• Edison, a provider of recruitment solutions for the industry 4.0 movement, has changed its name from Edison Search to Edison Smart. The company says it has rebranded to better reflect its areas of expertise within the emerging ‘Smart Technology’ scene. In conjunction with the rebrand, Edison Smart has announced the opening of a new office in Dubai led by Ross Porter. The Dubai office will enable Edison to better serve its clients in the Middle East and APAC regions.

• Hays, a global leader in workforce solutions and specialist recruitment, has launched its Talent Advisory Services to help address the challenges of its clients. Hays has expanded its range of services beyond recruitment and is helping to find and shape the people organisations that need to build a resilient and high-performing team that helps to drive success.

• IGA Talent Solutions, a specialist recruitment firm founded by ex-Dragons’ Den and British entrepreneur James Caan CBE, has opened a new office in Zurich, Switzerland. The launch of the Swiss office is part of the business’s growth strategy, which sees Caan’s wider global portfolio of recruitment brands reach 100 staff across five countries by 2026. A statement says the move is a “natural” next step for the firm, which partners with several clients in the professional and financial services sectors with a presence in Switzerland.

Patrick Schulz has been appointed managing director and co-founder of IGA Talent Solutions Switzerland. He brings 14 years’ experience in recruiting technology, IT and finance professionals within banking and finance, insurance, IT services, engineering, MedTech and pharma in Switzerland. Schulz will be responsible for growing a team out of Zurich to deliver consultative recruitment services for a range of Swiss-based businesses.

• Acorn by Synergie has launched new brand S&You, which will focus on the specialist permanent recruitment of high-calibre permanent and interim talent. Its new offering will sit alongside the UK recruiter’s existing services. S&You will focus predominantly on permanent specialist recruitment, as a specialist team of dedicated consultants sourcing talent for businesses looking for high-level employees.

6 July 2023
Engineering, Construction & property, Industrial/Manufacturing

Acorn helps ex-prisoners rebuild work relationships in construction

Acorn by Synergie is asking construction businesses in Wales and the South-West to help people with convictions turn their lives around – and tackle their own skills shortages at the same time.

The recruiter has launched a new scheme in partnership with three Welsh prisons and HMP Bristol to offer those nearing the end of their sentence the potential to secure meaningful employment in the construction industry.

The Reconstruct Programme supports people in the last 12 weeks of their sentence, who have shown willingness and an interest in securing a construction role, to equip themselves with the motivation and practical skills they need to re-enter the world of work.

The brainchild of Lawrence Beach, client development director for Acorn, the new scheme already has the backing of UK construction companies including Bouygues UK, Willmott Dixon, ISG and BAM Construction, alongside support from homeless charity The Wallich.

Monthly visits from the Acorn by Synergie team to HMP Swansea, HMP Cardiff, HMP Prescoed and HMP Bristol will take the form of face-to-face sessions establishing the skills, motivations and geographical areas relevant to individuals attending the Reconstruct Programme ahead of their release.

Businesses looking to play their part in the scheme are invited to do so at no cost and without any obligation to employ anyone via Acorn by Synergie, as part of the UK recruiter’s commitment to further supporting sustainable job opportunities for under-represented groups through its Acorn Building Services division.

The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS), which provides proof individuals have the correct training in place for the work they will be doing, is now also being delivered within prisons, meaning candidates looking to get into construction are leaving with a full qualification in place.

Acorn by Synergie is trading name of Acorn Recruitment. Established in 1992, Acorn by Synergie rebranded in January this year. It has more than 30 branches and on-site locations across Wales, the South-West, the Midlands and the North-West of England, as well as Australia.

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5 July 2023
Recruitment Process Outsourcing, Oil & gas/Energy, Transport & logistics, Creative/Digital/Media, Engineering, Executive search, IT/Telecoms, HR

NEW TO THE MARKET: 3-7 JULY 2023

• 11 Investments, a group of boutique recruitment brands, has announced that the 11 Investments Group, and all its subsequent recruitment brands, have been certified B Corp. 11 Investments is a group of specialist recruitment brands, established by Joe Curtis, Andy Sellers and Charlie Rawstron in 2014. Founding marketing and digital recruitment agency 3Search, the trio invested in other, like-minded recruitment businesses via the formation of 11 Investments. Encapsulating their growth has also been an ambition to thrive within a socially responsible environment.

• Global talent solutions business AMS has launched AMS One – a proprietary RPO operating system. AMS One is a digital platform, built to optimise the delivery of RPO talent solutions for AMS clients. With a focus on client, hiring manager and candidate experience. It is a flexible operating system with the ability to provide an end-to-end experience for users, or integrate with a client’s existing technology stack.

• Talent acquisition and retention solutions provider AtlasJobs, a subsidiary of Pod Network in the US, has launched the platform’s People Map feature, a tool designed to transform how companies discover and connect with talent within their organisations. People Map acts as a supplement to AtlasJobs’ talent platform, enabling companies and recruiters to locate and connect with potential candidates and existing employees across the organisation.

• City & Guilds Foundation has launched the Recognise Strengths Engagement Tool (Re:SET), which aims to boost the employment prospects of applicants from marginalised and challenging social backgrounds such as refugees. The Re:SET toolkit is designed to support job applicants from marginalised backgrounds into employment. When recruiting staff, Re:SET encourages employers to look beyond candidates’ previous work experience and academic qualifications to place equal value on the skills their life has equipped them with.

• Distribution company CitySprint has announced that it is looking for 300 additional couriers across the UK, with the business focusing primarily on those with small and large vans, as well as zero emission vehicles in larger areas. The new couriers will be added to the pool of over 2,500 vans, bikes and cars, as CitySprint continues to grow its business and win new clients. They will provide support across all areas of the business, with a focus on supporting growth in retail sectors.

• Diversifying Group (formerly BAME Recruitment) has achieved certification as a B Corporation (or B Corp), joining a growing group of companies reinventing business by pursuing purpose as well as profit. It has met rigorous social and environmental standards, which represent its commitment to goals outside of shareholder profit.

• ID-Pal, global provider of digital identity verification solutions, has launched its PEPs (Politically Exposed Persons) and Sanctions screening solution, designed to transform the recruitment sector. This technology offers recruiters an efficient and reliable way to streamline their candidate screening processes while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. By cross-referencing against comprehensive databases of global PEPs and sanctioned individuals, ID-Pal’s platform instantly flags any potential risks or compliance issues. This enables recruitment agencies or professionals to make informed decisions on the candidate and maintain regulatory compliance.

• Keystream, a leader in DDaT (digital, data and technology) recruitment solutions for the public sector, has announced a brand refresh and the launch of new service offerings in data analytics, digital infrastructure, EPR integration and training.

• Environmental and advisory solutions firm SLR Consulting has launched its returners programme for the second time. Last year, the global consultancy firm offered a STEM Returners programme at sites in Bristol, Nottingham, Exeter and London. The firm has added four new roles, including opportunities within their geotechnical engineering and also hydrology and hydrogeology teams.

The new 12-week, paid, STEM Returners programme is open to people who have had a career break, and acts as a ‘returnship’, allowing candidates to be reintegrated into an inclusive environment upon their return to STEM. STEM Returners sources the candidates and provides them with additional support including advice, career coaching and mentoring, ensuring applicants are ready and confident to return to work.

27 June 2023
Banking/Financial services, IT/Telecoms, Accounting/Finance

Sonovate heads to Amsterdam with expansion plans

Amsterdam was chosen for the company’s first overseas office, thanks to the Netherlands’ flexible working environment. The country ranks second in Europe after the UK in terms of contingent workers per capita, according to the Staffing Industry Analysts.

Sonovate’s funding activity will focus on supporting mid-size and large recruitment businesses, consultancies and online labour marketplaces. 

“With flexibility now a business norm, unlocking access to embedded payments is vital to allow businesses to thrive in an increasingly competitive landscape,” said Richard Prime, co-founder and co-CEO.

“The recruitment industry in the Netherlands is growing at pace so having an in-country presence is vital to ensure that Sonovate remains at the forefront of the Fintech and lending industries.”

With more than 20 years’ banking and B2B lending and financial services, Tjalle Kujit, Sonovate’s first country manager, will oversee the new operation.

The invoice financing operator recently significantly enhanced its funding technology platform to enable it to better serve large, multinational recruitment businesses and launch new lines of products in the future as it continues to grow and expand its customer base.

Sonovate also recently partnered with HR platform Deel to better serve its global customer base. 

Since it started funding in 2014, Sonovate has lent more than £3.5bn to 3,300 businesses and 40,000 workers in 44 countries, and increased its revenue by over 51% from 2021 to 2022, according to the company.

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