The most successful global investor in start-up to mid-sized recruitment businesses, Recruitment Entrepreneur has partnered with Urban Connect, to launch their business and website www.urban-connect.co.uk.
Focusing on architecture, M&E, structural and civil engineering, project and cost management, the firm combines technical engineering expertise with efficient and savvy recruitment practice.
Urban Connect is based in the booming business district of Manchester’s Spinningfields, and is set to help those working in these sectors secure new roles, alongside supporting clients to hire across the UK.
Urban Connect's new website: www.urban-connect.co.uk[/caption]
Chairman James Caan CBE said, “With Manchester set to become the UK’s best performing city in 2020, according to an EY economic report, there’s no better time to invest in the North West. The city’s entrepreneurial spirit and availability of talent is renowned. As a city of engineers, it’s the perfect location for Urban Connect to launch. The company’s founder, Andrew, is exceptionally talented and a pleasure to work with. I’m incredibly excited about this being Recruitment Entrepreneur’s first joint venture with headquarters in Manchester”.
It’s not hard to see why Urban Connect is particularly focused on the buoyant commercial, residential and rail sectors. Manchester’s infrastructural landscape is rapidly changing as the northern powerhouse grows, creating a wealth of job opportunities within the technical engineering sector.
Worth upwards of £3billion and employing roughly 50,000 people, the construction sector makes up 6.8% of Greater Manchester’s economy. As the conurbation’s economy swells – it’s the fastest growing economy outside of London, with 5% growth in 2015-16 – demand for construction and technical engineering expertise will only increase.
Andrew Kerr celebrates Urban Connect's website launch[/caption]
Manchester’s economic growth is matched by a forecasted population increase of 15.1% over the next 15 years, so there should be no skills shortage. The combined student populations of Greater Manchester’s four universities alone is 100,000, with 14,000 studying engineering or other STEM courses. This gives companies access to an ever-changing, qualified talent pool.
Recent projects have cemented Manchester as a booming hub of engineering and innovation. The ongoing £1billion Airport City project at Manchester Airport is a huge development, encompassing 5 million sq ft of commercial property space. The partnership with Beijing Construction Engineering Group International (BCEGI) means it is “the first major infrastructure project in the UK with the involvement of a Chinese company in the form of equity investment” (Chinese President XI Jinping). Similarly, the £12.7m Manchester Museum project, undertaken by transnational Purcell, and the transformation of Manchester Victoria station as part of the £1billion North Hub project are further evidence of the city’s evolution. Manchester’s increasing foothold in the UK market and the technical engineering sector makes the city an incredibly exciting and prosperous incubator for Urban Connect.
The son of a Northern Irish vicar, Founding Director, Andrew Kerr has over seven years’ experience at two leading specialist construction and engineering recruitment firms. Having worked his way up through the ranks, he was ready for the next challenge of launching his own business. Commenting on his new venture, Andrew said:
“This has been a fantastic experience. It’s always been a dream of mine to set up on my own. I’ve now been able to realise this by starting my own business and launching a company website, thanks to the support from Recruitment Entrepreneur and James. So many people from my professional network have wished me well and many of them want to work with me, which has been both brilliant and reassuring. The overwhelming positive response has made me realise I made the right decision. The only regret I may have is not doing it sooner”.
On the new partnership, Recruitment Entrepreneur’s CEO, Abid Hamid, commented, “Andrew is an energetic and focused leader. He has in-depth market knowledge and is a great guy to work with. His business has already demonstrated exceptional success by working with big brand industry clients, and the website now effectively represents their world class offering.”.
The Urban Connect team with Sam Proctor and Greg Hollis from RE.[/caption]
Steve Merridew, Engineering Director at BDP, works closely with Urban Connect in sourcing people for his team, said “Andrew at Urban Connect stands out from his competitors, as he takes the time to understand BDP and our culture. He carefully identifies candidates who would fit into our Manchester studio culture and thrive. We have a mature professional relationship built on integrity and trust. When Andrew recommends a candidate to us more often than not we make an offer. Importantly for me Andrew represents the best interests of both BDP and the candidates he represents”.
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