Employers may raise support for graduate recruits

Citation

(2003), "Employers may raise support for graduate recruits", Education + Training, Vol. 45 No. 7. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2003.00445gab.004

Employers may raise support for graduate recruits

Employers may raise support for graduate recruits

Some of Britain's top employers are considering increasing their financial support for graduate recruits once universities start charging top-up fees, according to the latest Financial Times/Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) survey. However, while two thirds believe that they may offer more financial support, a third are not contemplating significant changes to the packages they already offer to graduates. The survey is intended to provide an early indication of how employers anticipate changes to the higher-education system will affect graduate recruitment. The results come in the wake of government plans to allow universities to charge students tuition fees of up to £3,000 a year.

A quarter of respondents to the survey think it likely that their organization will increase starting salaries, nearly 10 per cent may offer larger joining bonuses and a few believe they may offer to pay off student debts accrued by employees – either in total or in part. More than 17 per cent of recruiters think it likely that they will offer more paid internships and over 12 per cent predict that they may offer students some form of sponsorship.

Carl Gilleard, AGR chief executive, said: "This survey suggests that employers are considering bearing some of the cost of top-up fees. I think employers want their new recruits to concentrate on their induction and training rather than being over worried about paying off debts. But it is still early days, and policies may change as employers see how the new system will work in practice. It will be interesting to discover, in time, whether the remuneration packages that employers offer are going to influence graduate career choice."

In other notable results, almost two thirds of graduate recruiters favour plans to make degrees more vocationally based. One employer said: "Commercial awareness is a fundamental requirement for candidates wishing to fast-track into a management or leadership role. Vocational courses generally provide far greater commercial insight plus the development of specific operational skills, which make for a much smoother transition into the work environment."