What New Directions does

New Directions is a privately held UK recruitment and training group headquartered in Cardiff, Wales, operating since 1994 under New Directions Holdings Ltd. The group organises its revenue around three core recruitment divisions: New Directions Education (supply and permanent staffing for primary, secondary, FE and ALN settings across Wales and North West England), New Directions Health and Social Care (24/7 placement of support workers, care assistants and nurses across residential, community and domiciliary care settings), and New Directions Commercial (UK-wide professional and industrial recruitment, recently expanded into Manufacturing, Engineering and Technical sectors). Ancillary subsidiaries include ND Care & Support (domiciliary care delivery), Checks Direct (vetting and background checking), and Lambourne House (office and event space in Cardiff).

The company monetises through transaction-based placement fees, with pay rates for education supply staff ranging from £83 to £225 per day depending on role and seniority. New Directions holds preferred supplier status across all 22 Welsh local authorities under the Welsh Government National Procurement Service framework, providing a regulated procurement channel into Welsh public sector education staffing. Digital distribution is delivered via NDConnect, a mobile app launched in November 2025 (iOS and Android) that enables education supply staff to self-manage availability and accept roles in real time. Scale markers include 250,000+ annual job registrations across schools, colleges and universities, eight UK branch offices (Cardiff, Wrexham, Swansea, Manchester, Liverpool, Warrington, Leeds, Abertillery), and 251-500 employees group-wide.

The go-to-market combines sales-led account management at the branch level with product-led self-service via NDConnect, complemented by community engagement (Head Teachers' Conferences, Santa's Grotto events, Giving Back Days). Complementary revenue streams include paid training services (free CPD for candidates, safeguarding and sign language training, 253 client partnerships in 2025 covering 901 staff upskilled) and ancillary services through group subsidiaries. Leadership includes CEO Gary Williams and Regional Directors Kelly Storer (Wales, since 2009) and Kieran Mulqueen (North West England, since 2023).

Name

New Directions

Legal name

New Directions Professional Ltd

Website

https://new-directions.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

New Directions is a privately held UK recruitment and training group headquartered in Cardiff, Wales, placing education supply staff, health and social care workers, and commercial professionals across the UK, with preferred supplier status to all 22 Welsh local authorities and operations spanning Wales and North West England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Staffing and Recruitment Services

NAICS

All Other Business Support Services (561499), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Regional Generalist Staffing Agencies (BPACACAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry) (BPACAFAA)

Keywords

• Education recruitment services
• Social care staffing
• Commercial recruitment agency
• Supply teacher placement
• Candidate vetting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cardiff

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Education Recruitment Placement Fees: Placement fees for filling education roles including teachers, teaching assistants, cover supervisors, and ALN specialists across primary, secondary, FE, and SEN settings in schools throughout Wales and England.
2. Health and Social Care Recruitment: Recruitment services placing support workers, care assistants, nurses, and social workers across residential, community, and domiciliary care settings, operating 365 days a year, 24/7.
3. Commercial and Professional Recruitment: Recruitment services placing candidates across commercial sectors including accountancy, marketing, engineering, IT, HR, legal, procurement, facilities, and industrial roles throughout the UK.
4. Training Services: Provides training to both candidates and clients, including free CPD for candidates, sign language training, safeguarding training, and upskilling programmes for education and care sector staff. Delivered 253 client partnerships in 2025 and trained over 430 education candidates plus 100+ care workers.
5. Community and CSR Services: Community-facing activities including free Santa's Grotto events and Giving Back Days that reinforce brand reputation and client relationships in local communities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

New Directions is a UK recruitment and training group placing supply and permanent staff across education, health and social care, and commercial sectors. The group operates dedicated divisions (New Directions Education, Health & Social Care, and Commercial) supported by vetting (Checks Direct), domiciliary care (ND Care & Support), the NDConnect mobile app for candidate-job matching, and Lambourne House office/event space. Services span short-notice supply cover, long-term and permanent placements, and free CPD training for candidates.

Product overview

New Directions is a multi-brand recruitment and training services group consisting of distinct operating divisions. The core portfolio includes New Directions Education (supply and permanent staff for education sectors), New Directions Health and Social Care (health and social care recruitment), and New Directions Commercial (professional/commercial sector recruitment). Supporting services include NDConnect (mobile app for education recruitment scheduling and job management), ND Care & Support (domiciliary care services), Checks Direct (background checking), and Lambourne House (office/event space). The company also provides training services through its divisions, including free CPD for education candidates and tailored training for clients. Established in 1994, the group serves clients across Wales and the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NDConnect: Mobile app developed by Digital Services team to support supply staff and schools with flexible, responsive ways of working, featuring instant notifications, availability control, one-tap job responses, and real-time scheduling
• Lambourne House
• NDConnect Portal

Products and services

• New Directions Education Recruitment and training division placing supply and permanent education staff — teachers, teaching assistants, cover supervisors, ECTs, and ALN/SEN specialists — into primary, secondary, further education, and Additional Learning Needs settings across Wales and the UK. Includes free CPD, ECT/NQT support programmes, and Welsh-language teacher sourcing.
• New Directions Health and Social Care Recruitment and training provider placing support workers, care assistants, nursery nurses, social workers, and registered managers in residential, community, and domiciliary care settings across Wales, with 24/7 operational coverage and partnerships such as The Priory (25,000+ patients) and Hafod.
• New Directions Commercial Professional and commercial recruitment placing candidates across accountancy, finance, marketing, communications, executive search, sales, office support, engineering, IT, HR, legal, procurement, facilities, and industrial/manufacturing roles throughout the UK.
• NDConnect Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android that enables education supply staff and schools to manage availability, receive instant job notifications, accept or decline assignments with one tap, and access placement details including start times, locations, and role requirements.
• ND Care & Support Domiciliary care service offering complex care, home care, and live-in care support for vulnerable individuals across Wales.
• Checks Direct Vetting and background checking service for candidates, supporting compliance and safer recruitment processes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 250,000+ jobs registered annually across schools, colleges and universities
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• TrafalgarminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Sponsor of New Directions' annual Santa's Grotto community event, which has grown from 178 children in 2022 to over 700 in 2024.
• Blend TelecomminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Sponsor of New Directions' annual Santa's Grotto community event in Cardiff and Abertillery.
• Phil Hanlon Life & Business CoachminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Sponsor of New Directions' annual Santa's Grotto community event, enabling the free family event to remain accessible to all.
• Jubilee ScoutsminorOthers · 1 January 2025Local community organisation at a campsite hosting Single Parent Festivals for families of children with additional needs. New Directions' facilities team volunteered on a Giving Back Day, planting trees and building facilities.
• The PriorymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2022New Directions Health & Social Care provides ongoing staffing support to The Priory, continuing to support over 25,000 patients through the partnership.
• HafodmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2022New Hafod partnership established to support vulnerable people across Wales through domiciliary and community care staffing.
• Welsh Government - National Procurement ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Directions Education is named as a preferred supplier of staff to the education sector across Wales as part of the Welsh Government's National Procurement Service framework. This provides preferred supplier access to all 22 local authorities in Wales.
• Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC)coreOthersLong-term member of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), demonstrating commitment to responsible recruitment procedures and compliance standards.
• ND Care & SupportcoreOthersPart of New Directions Group of Companies providing domiciliary care services. Co-located with Abertillery office serving vulnerable care recipients.
• Checks DirectcoreOthersPart of New Directions Group of Companies providing vetting and background checking services to support the recruitment process.
• Lambourne HouseminorOthersPart of New Directions Group providing office and event space, including the Harlech Suite conference facilities and venue for Santa's Grotto.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Reed Specialist Recruitment: One of the largest UK staffing firms with a dedicated education recruitment division. Comparable in that both operate multi-vertical UK staffing with education as a core vertical, though Reed is national and significantly larger.
• Pertemps: Largest UK-owned staffing firm offering education, healthcare and commercial recruitment. Comparable multi-vertical UK staffing model with education and social-care divisions; large national footprint vs New Directions' regional focus.
• Randstad Education: UK arm of global staffing firm Randstad, with dedicated education recruitment. Comparable in serving UK schools with supply and permanent placements, part of a broader workforce-solutions portfolio.
• Hays Education: UK division of Hays, the global staffing group, with a dedicated Education recruitment vertical. Comparable because both serve UK schools with supply and permanent teacher placements; Hays is a much larger incumbent with a broader sector portfolio.

Direct peers

• Protocol Education: UK-focused education recruitment specialist placing teachers, TAs and support staff into schools. Closest direct peer to New Directions Education given same supply-teacher model, day-rate placement structure, and UK schools customer base.
• Teaching Personnel: One of the UK's largest education recruitment agencies placing teachers and support staff into primary and secondary schools nationally. Highly comparable in product, customer (schools) and placement-fee revenue model.
• Sugarman Health & Wellbeing: UK health and social care staffing specialist placing support workers, nurses and care assistants. Closest direct peer to New Directions Health & Social Care given similar 24/7 care staffing model and UK provider customer base.

Emerging players

• Totaljobs / StepStone UK: Large UK job-board and recruitment-platform operator competing for employer branding and candidate-flow share. Comparable as a digital channel through which schools and care providers increasingly source candidates.

Regional players

• Care UK (Recruitment): Major UK social care provider with internal recruitment; relevant as a UK care-sector employer comparable to the ND Care & Support subsidiary and to clients served by New Directions Health & Social Care.

Others

• Voted Vereint: Specialist staffing consultancy in European markets. Listed as an adjacent player in the HR/staffing ecosystem relevant to the broader UK staffing competitive set; weaker direct comparability so marked as other.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NDGroup_
• Facebookfacebook.com/ndteach
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-directions-holdings-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about New Directions