A major new report has revealed that graduate recruitment is set to rise in 2014, with the University of Leeds among the top ten UK universities most targeted by Britain's top employers.
The Graduate Market in 2014 – a study of graduate vacancies and starting salaries at the country’s one hundred leading employers – shows that employers are stepping up their graduate intake by 8.7% in 2014, the biggest annual rise in recruitment for four years.
Conducted by High Fliers Research in December 2013, the report shows that employers in eleven out of thirteen major employment areas are preparing to take on more new graduates in 2014. The biggest increases in recruitment are with public sector employers, accounting & professional services firms, City investment banks, retailers and engineering & industrial companies.
Bob Gilworth, Director of the Careers Service at the University of Leeds said: “This is fantastic news for our students, who now have more opportunities than ever to gain valuable, paid work experience with Britain’s leading employers. And we are well placed to help our students shine – we are a Russell Group leader for year-in industry placements and excel at shorter internships, working with blue chip organisations, SMEs, charities and the university to ensure our students make the most of their time here at Leeds.”
Professor Viv Jones, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Student Education, said: “It’s really great to see that the quality of University of Leeds students is recognised by top employers and that we have not only maintained our position in the UK top ten, but improved it.
“This is a great endorsement of all the work we are doing, through partnership between faculties and our fantastic Careers Service, to prepare students for life after Leeds.”
Bob added: “Leeds is particularly good at recognising and reacting to changes between sectors and different types of opportunities. Five years ago, few would have predicted that Teach First would be the largest graduate scheme in the country, but we are delighted to be one of Teach First's most important target universities and to be hosting their Summer Institute here.
“We have an award-winning Careers Centre, one of the most comprehensive business start-up programmes in the UK higher education sector, and through our groundbreaking Leeds for Life programme, we help students develop the right skills through co-curricular activities and in their programmes to impress potential employers.”
For more information about any of these schemes, visit careerweb.leeds.ac.uk