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New to Market

28 April 2025
Life sciences, Engineering

NEW TO THE MARKET: 28 APRIL-2 MAY 2025

• STEM recruitment specialist Matchtech has launched STEM Futures, a free, on-demand employability platform aimed at helping young people break into engineering and technology careers. The programme includes expert-led sessions on job search strategies, CV writing, interviews and personal development, and is part of Matchtech’s broader initiative to address the STEM skills gap and support emerging talent.

In addition, Matchtech has awarded the first two grants from its Materna Fund, a £2,500 bursary created to support engineering students facing financial hardship. The inaugural recipients, Sergio Carreno Vargas and David Sarembock from the University of Portsmouth, are using the funds to focus on their studies and development without the added pressure of financial strain.

• Jobmatch Sweden, a leader in occupational psychological testing, is expanding in Norway through a new partnership with consulting firm Sund Raad. Sund Raad, which focuses on enhancing employee engagement for small and medium-sized businesses, will integrate Jobmatch’s DNV-certified Talent test into its services. This marks Jobmatch’s second partnership in Norway, following its 2022 collaboration with Hapro Jobb og Karriere. Jobmatch Talent is a scientifically validated tool used for recruitment and employee development, according to the company press release.

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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12 March 2020
Rec-to-rec

Start-up of the Month: Douglas John Recruitment

Founder Douglas told Recruiter that, while her new agency recruits for roles ranging from researcher to director level for agencies, it also places a special emphasis on at-home remote working positions.

“I worked from home for a recruitment agency as a rec-to-rec for the past two years. I was paid a salary and had all the usual benefits that you would expect to receive in an office-based role. I suddenly realised that other people were doing it, too. I really enjoyed it and I wanted other people to be able to have access to that as well. If you’re an experienced recruiter and you can work autonomously, there’s no reason why you can’t work remotely.”

Douglas explains that part of the job is communicating to agencies the benefits of employing remote staff, one of which is that an agency will incur fewer outgoings as those working from home meet their own internet costs, for example. On the other hand, recruiters occasionally contact her, explaining while they are allowed to work from home one to two days a week, they would like more flexibility.

Looking ahead, Douglas explains that while she is seeking to grow her client base, she is not looking to expand. “I’m aiming to remain a sole trader. I don’t want to employ any staff. I just want it to be me.”

10 March 2020
Construction & property, Executive search

NEW TO THE MARKET: 9-13 MARCH 2020

• Tom McNally, former global commercial real estate services organisation Colliers International and CBRE recruitment director, has launched real estate executive search business Madison Lincoln, with the support and backing of Madison Berkeley, a property recruitment company.

2 March 2020
Public sector, Transport & logistics, Education, Executive search, IT/Telecoms, Hospitality/Leisure

NEW TO THE MARKET: 2-6 MARCH 2020

• Leah Blanchard has been appointed branch manager of logistics and professional & executive recruiter Aligra’s new Andover branch.

• Staffing and recruitment company ApTask has launched an Amazon Alexa Skill and Google Assistant Action titled ‘Jobs Near Me’. This app helps candidates optimise their job search using the power of voice by receiving a customised list of opportunities in less than 60 seconds. Currently, the app is available for use only in the US.

• Education recruitment consultancy Clarus Education has launched a new website.

• Leicester-based recruiter Daniel Connor has launched DC Personnel in a joint venture with The Recruit Venture Group.

• Marketing automation platform Force24 has expanded into the Dutch market through a partnership with Netherland-based recruitment software specialist Ruben Lamont, who has launched a new business, Recruiter24.

• Mitchells & Butlers, which operates restaurants, bars and pubs running across 1,784 locations and whose brands include All Bar One, Browns, Harvester, O’Neill’s and Toby Carvery, have launched a new careers site. The site, designed and built by Attrax, features a more streamlined and modern design, a total search function and artificial intelligence to help candidates find the correct roles, aimed at driving engagement and applications.

• Search firm Norman Broadbent has opened an office in Cheshire. The office will provide a local team to serve clients across the North, as well as in Scotland.

27 February 2020
Retail, Transport & logistics, Executive search

NEW TO THE MARKET: 24-28 FEBRUARY 2020

• Nationwide recruiter Acorn Group has launched new specialist division VORSOR Facilities Services. The division has been created as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Acorn following continued expansion in the delivery of facility services and management contracts to a range of blue-chip clients.

• Global talent mobility specialist Topia has launched the Global Talent Mobility Assessment framework. The framework, which evaluates enterprise readiness to deploy and manage talent around the world, scores organisations in four key areas – operational efficiency, data maturity, compliance management and employee experience – providing insight on their current state and recommendations on how to drive improvements in strategy and process.

Recruiter Magazine

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