A LARGE rise in demand for permanent staff has seen a Black Country recruitment specialist press the button on a second office at the Waterfront in Brierley Hill.

MET Recruitment, which is on course to hit £9m turnover by the end of the financial year, has invested more than £300,000 into launching a dedicated hub that will help companies tackle the severe recruitment shortage they are currently facing.

Commercial director Nella Share will head up the new operation alongside Stella Wakeham and Sarah Nicholson, bringing with them more than 30 years’ experience in placing commercial and skilled/technical staff, with the trio set to be shortly joined by three new members of staff.

L-r - Nella Share, Sarah Nicholson and Stella Wakeham of MET Recruitment

L-r - Nella Share, Sarah Nicholson and Stella Wakeham of MET Recruitment

The team will look to increase the number of people it places in permanent roles from 80 to 200, with a specialist focus to be placed initially on finance, HR and IT.

Nella said: “Following the easing of lockdown, we have seen a surge in the number of companies growing and taking on staff, necessitating the need for more permanent staff.

“We have been supporting our clients to ease their recruitment issues but felt that an even more concerted approach was needed and investment in our new Permanent Staffing Hub proves that."

She said the new hub will be "a shared space where our experts can collaborate and bring together a key set of people and skills under one roof" and she added: "We chose the Waterfront because it is a prime location for access to other local businesses, as well as being accessible for the consultants on a day-to-day basis.

L-r – Stella Wakeham, Nella Share and Sarah Nicholson

L-r – Stella Wakeham, Nella Share and Sarah Nicholson

“There is also an abundance of free parking, excellent facilities on the doorstep and a picturesque view. All of the above means we are creating a fantastic place to work for the current and new team members, but also an ideal location for clients to visit and attend meetings.”

MET Recruitment was originally set up to supply staff to the mechanical and electrical trades and has gone from three people in a small office on the Pensnett Trading Estate to a 20-strong agency operating from a dedicated head office on Wolverhampton Street in Dudley.