KPMG to double number of school leavers on paid-for degree scheme

KPMG is set to double the number of school leavers it puts through its own paid-for degree programme as of  September 2012, while John Lewis has unveiled a three-year graduate employment scheme. The Big Four accountancy firm has vowed to recruit twice the number of 18 year-olds as last year onto its six-year degree scheme […]

Talent Spot: Michael Stirrup, head of HR at Waterstons

Stepping into an HR director’s shoes for the first time is a steep learning curve for anyone, but for Michael Stirrup, it has been more precipitous than most. For this is his first HR position and it supplements his usual day job of finance director.   Over the five years that Stirrup has been employed […]

Engineering suffers from lack of jobs not skills, says study

Claims that there is a shortage of graduates with the engineering skills required to drive economic growth may be overstated, according to research from Birmingham University. Researchers at the institution say that fewer than half of graduates who leave university with a degree in engineering are actually still working in the field six months later. […]

Sponsoring A level leavers – finders, keepers?

The latest round of A-level results last week highlighted a growing trend. Employers are progressively not only ‘acquiring’ talent among A-level students, but also influencing the content of some degree courses. So what can they do to ensure that they are in the best position to attract – and retain – this talent that has […]

Identifying the leaders of tomorrow

It’s that time of year again. The process of graduate recruitment begins and, once again, we find ourselves with mountains of CVs from the would-be leaders of tomorrow, professing great interest in a career in…oh the virtues of the Find & Replace function! With more graduates on the market than ever before, all with a […]

Graduates focus on money, not idealism

Contrary to conventional wisdom, salary and other financial considerations are now top of the list for graduates when making their career choice, with idealism apparently having gone out of the window with the recession.  According to a study undertaken by talent management consultancy Hay Group, a huge 93% of university leavers now see base pay […]

Lifting the lid on the reality of the workplace for graduates

Dr. Carina Paine Schofield, Research Fellow, Ashridge Business School explains their latest research on the gap between graduate expectations and the modern workplace. Ashridge Business School and the Institute of Leadership & Management have undertaken research into Generation Y graduates and their managers, which reveals a clear and compelling picture of the similarities and differences […]

Uni courses with poor employability to be named and shamed

The coalition government plans to shake-up the English higher education sector by opening it up to increased private sector competition and introducing a new ranking system to ‘name and shame’ degree courses with poor job prospects.  Under proposals put forward in the long-awaited higher education White Paper, which is due to unveiled today, universities will […]

Employability skills – graduates and beyond

The recruiting unconference, truLondon, welcomed delegates from all over the world. One of the issues facing us all is youth unemployment, whether graduates or not. This live streamed video hosted by Alan Whitford starred our very own Charlie Duff along with some bright talent to dicsuss the next generation and their stories. Damon Klotz, aka […]

Graduate unemployment at 15 year high

Graduate unemployment is now at a 15-year high, with one in five university leavers who entered the job market last year failing to get a job, according to official figures.  Data from the Office of National Statics revealed that the number of graduates who are available for work but unable to find any has nearly […]

Milkround still valued by graduates

Graduate recruiters should not dismiss the value of the traditional ‘milk round’ as two thirds of final year students intend to use the experience to help make up their minds as to which employer to go for.  According to a survey among 915 students that are about to graduate undertaken by recruitment outsourcers TMP Worldwide, […]

There is no graduate oversupply, claims Work Foundation

Contrary to popular belief, the UK does not have too many graduates to underpin future economic growth – just the wrong type, according to a report from the Work Foundation.  While the recession has exacerbated the number of job losses among manual, administrative and unskilled workers, the country still required expertise in managerial, professional, associate […]

Employing graduates: Easy as 1,2,3?

A continuing high level of unemployment among graduates, where 10% of the total graduate population failed to find any form of work last year, provokes the question: are universities adequately equipping students with the transferable skills required for the workplace? ‘Traditional degrees’ have been under fire for not properly preparing young people for the world […]

UK may face technology skills gap

In advance of this week’s A-Level and next week’s GCSE results, the UK’s business organisation the CBI claims not enough British pupils in state education and engaging in the kinds of subjects that will lead to jobs in technology.  ‘Insufficient numbers’ are studying science, technology, engineering and maths  despite them leading to better job prospects […]

It’s competitive, but graduate jobs are out there

Graduate recruitment has increased substantially this year following 24 months of swingeing cuts, but competition remains fierce with an average of 45 candidates applying for each position.  According to a poll undertaken among 100 top employers by High Fliers Research, organisations plan to take on 17.9% more graduates this year than they did last, restoring […]

Loreal creates virtual reality for recruits

Cosmetics giant L’Oreal is piloting an online virtual reality game to help it with graduate recruitment and instil it with the ‘cool’ factor at the same time.  The new game called Reveal requires students and graduates to assume the guise of avatars. Their aim is to work on virtual projects and undertake problem-solving tasks across […]

Graduates: Less is more

An HR body has called on the government to review its “over-promotion” of university education and to focus more on providing vocationally-based diplomas at a time when nearly six out of ten graduates are unable to find suitable employment. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has warned that government targets desiring 75% of […]

The graduate talent pool: A guide to internships

Internships are often a good way for individuals to gain experience in business and for the business community to benefit from talent. In most cases, internships are intended to be short periods of work experience, usually for students or graduates. Recently, the Government launched the Graduate Talent Pool, which is intended to match employers with […]

Graduates? No thanks!

Neither school leavers nor university graduates are providing employers with what they need due to basic problems with literacy, numeracy and attitude, a Tesco executive said today.  The broadside came only days after university union, the UCU, slammed the business community for failing to “make a proper contribution” to funding for higher education, despite being […]

Brain drain – 1/3 of grads plan to leave UK

A lack of suitable job opportunities in this country is driving a third of recent UK graduates and final year students to consider moving abroad for work, warns a new report. The survey undertaken among 1,085 current and former university students by student and employer matchmaking web site Studentgems.com, indicated that most respondents had applied […]