IT recruitment business set for northern expansion following acquisition

Estio Technology Recruitment, the Halifax-headquartered recruitment business, has been acquired by the directors of its former training division.

With offices also in Manchester and London and soon to be Leeds, the business will now provide an integrated IT offering across the north of England and London.

As a direct response to the skills shortage in the professional IT sector in 2014, Estio Training started supplying and training IT apprentices as a trading division of its larger recruitment parent company.

Due to its rapid growth, Estio Training was demerged under separate management and ownership, and incorporated as a business entity in its own right.

Estio Training now has offices in Halifax, Manchester and London, employs more than 50 staff, and plans to launch a new Leeds office for the summer of 2016.

The principal aim of the company is to provide bespoke, tailored IT apprenticeship programmes, alongside more traditional professional recruitment services.

This acquisition was facilitated by a financial support package from Yorkshire Bank, and delivered by Anthony Cope, relationship manager at the Bank’s Business and Private Banking Centre in Bradford.

Robert Turner, managing director for Estio Training, said: “The forthcoming introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy in April 2017 will mean that businesses no longer see their IT apprenticeship programmes working in isolation, but as an integral and vital part of their overall recruitment strategy.

“With this acquisition, Estio Training is now uniquely positioned to offer a complete recruitment and training solution to its growing client base.”

Estio Training has provided more than 350 IT apprentices to companies across the UK since its launch. Working with SMEs through to multinationals, the company specialises in providing network infrastructure engineers, software engineers, digital and web developers.

Robert added: “We are fully bought-in to the vision of ‘The Northern Powerhouse’ and have ambitions to grow significantly in the two ‘capitals’ of the north, Manchester and Leeds, as well as the capital itself, London.”

Andy Davidson, head of business and private banking for Yorkshire Bank in Bradford, also commented: “Estio Training is a prime example of a strong northern company providing essential services across the UK. The skills agenda is a Government priority and Estio Training is helping ensure that the region remains competitive and equipped to deal with the shortage.

“The team has ambitious growth plans for the business and we look forward to helping them reach those goals.”

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