Which Company Is The Biggest Recruiter of Graduates?

According to work done by The Complete University Guide based on the national graduate destination survey, the answer is a little surprising.

You might not have guessed that the biggest recruiter of 2011 graduates was Boots Pharmaceuticals of Nottingham who took on 520 across their various divisions. In second place was the NHS Graduate Management Scheme, accounting for just under 500 graduates.

Seven of the other top ten places were occupied by banking and financial concerns.  The exception was Tesco who came in sixth as the largest UK retail employer.

Incidentally, a recent survey of 2,000 employers by REED suggested that many did not feel that the 2.1 degree stipulation enforced by many top firms was a good criterion for successful recruitment.  96% said that they would prefer applicants who had the right skills and mindset than those with a 2.1.

Careers Advisers have often felt that the rigid insistence on an Upper Second by many companies was an artificial barrier that meant companies were indirectly favouring applicants from more privileged backgrounds. But whether many companies will abandon the 2.1 requirement in favour of more objective criteria in the foreseeable future remains to be seen.

Train to Teach – Bursaries still available

The University of Cumbria still has places on PGCE courses

You may be eligible for a place on one of our PGCE courses starting this September for which we have a limited number of places still available.

These courses include:

• PGCE Primary in Carlisle & Tower Hamlets, London
• PGCE Early Years in Carlisle & Lancaster
• PGCE Secondary subjects in Biology, Chemistry, English, Geography, ICT, Maths & Physics all in Lancaster

If you are unsure about whether your degree makes you eligible for these courses please call us on 01524 384 500/679 and we can advise you and possibly offer you a Subject Knowledge Enhancement.

You may be eligible for a bursary between £5,000 - £20,000 depending on your degree subject and classification – we can advise you on your eligibility when you call us.

For more information visit the following link:

http://www.cumbria.ac.uk/Courses/ApplicationsEnquiries/Enquiries/PGCE.aspx


Source: The Education Enquiry Team

Have You Ever Thought About Teaching Internationally?

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Why not? Discover a world of exciting career prospects through the Council of International Schools (CIS)! As a not-for-profit, membership organisation, CIS provides teacher recruitment and accreditation services for 660 schools located all over the world. At a CIS-organised recruitment fair, a selection of international school representatives interview qualified teacher candidates for positions within their schools.

For those with a sense of adventure, a career in international education can be a uniquely rewarding experience, both professionally and personally. Broaden your horizon and become immersed in a different culture and environment. You will no doubt make many new friends and forge life-lasting ties as you join an engaged global community of educators. International schools, by mission and by model, promote international awareness, knowledge, understanding and inclusion. You can keep up-to-date with current educational practices by participating in rich and varied professional development programs which are integral benefits of working at an international school as are modern teaching resources and technology. International schools offer a comprehensive salary and benefits package that may provide higher remuneration than that offered by national or state schools.

The CIS London recruitment fair is a well-established, respected and successful event that has been running for over thirty years, attracting a diverse mix of schools and teachers. Only schools meeting our rigorous membership criteria and standards may utilise our recruitment services so you can be confident of engaging with quality, reputable schools.

In order to register and participate in a recruitment fair, you will need to create an account on our website and complete an application form. A professional file must then be established and approved. For details on the criteria and application documentation, please view the teacher recruitment pages of our website. We can only consider applicants once they have had 1-2 years of current teaching experience so, please bear CIS in mind for the future.

We have a dedicated and friendly team of professionals available to answer your questions and advise; send us an email at teacherrecruitment@cois.org

Where will you go? Paris? Stockholm? Moscow? Dubai? Shanghai? Phuket? New York City? Cairo? Nassau? Don’t decide in advance; be open to opportunities as they present themselves. You could have the experience of a lifetime!

Public Finance - Drop in Recruitment

Unsurprisingly, public bodies are recruiting less Accountancy trainees due to the recession and economic difficulties. The work of the Audit Commission has also declined, resulting in a drop in numbers of graduates being taken on. Some private sector firms have taken on public sector work but overall recruitment numbers are down.

A few local councils have set up in joint schemes to recruit graduates. The Society of London Treasurers run a graduate scheme which aims to recruit 25 graduates to work in a number of boroughs across London. Professional body CIPFA (Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy) is now working with other regions to look at similar schemes it can work with to deliver the qualification particularly in the Midlands and Wales.

Graduates looking for a career in Public Finance Accountancy need to offer at least a 2.1 degree or an alternative qualification in the accountancy field.

Source: AGCAS/CIPFA

Forthcoming Careers Fairs in Manchester

This is our annual message to let you know the dates of autumn careers fairs for students and graduates, organised by the University of Manchester.

This year's dates are as follows:

• ETHNIC DIVERSITY FAIR 2012 (Whitworth Hall, Manchester) 10 October
• ENGINEERING, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY FAIR 2012 (Manchester Central, G-MEX) 17 October
• FINANCE, BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT FAIR 2012 (Manchester Central, G-MEX) 18 October
• LAW FAIR 2012 (Manchester Central, G-MEX) 20 November
• POSTGRADUATE STUDY FAIR 2012 (Manchester Central, G-MEX) 21 November

 The next Graduate Recruitment Fair will take place in June 2013.

For more information, visit www.manchester.ac.uk/careers/fairs

Swings and Roundabouts of Graduate Labour Market

The latest AGCAS* Survey of University Careers Services shows that the overall number of graduate vacancies is holding up well in spite of continuing economic difficulties.

Careers Services reported continuing shortages of well-qualified candidates for IT and engineering positions  and the last quarter showed a noticeable increase in the number of advertising, marketing, sales and purchasing vacancies. Services also mentioned an increase in opportunities for hospitality, retail, leisure and sports managers, graphic designers and many roles in small businesses where flexibility and multiple skills are needed.

Although the continuing decline in public sector vacancies is affecting areas like podiatry, dietetics, education, social work and youth work, and the number of legal traineeships is down, increased activity in other areas has compensated for these losses nationally.

Comment: The University of Cumbria is however heavily dependent on local public sector vacancies for many of its graduates and restricted opportunities in education and social work mean that applicants will often need to widen their initial career aspirations and geographical target area to compete successfully. On the positive side, increased graduate recruitment activity by small businesses can only be good news in a region that has so few large employers.

*Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services

FAQ - How Can I Get Information on Working and Studying Abroad?

As with many careers faqs, a really good starting point on information about careers and courses in the rest of the world is the Graduate Prospects website, where you can find a dedicated section on the subject.  Here you can find plenty of help to think through your decision, profiles on working and studying in over fifty different countries, plus information on gap years and Teaching English as a Foreign Language plus a search facility to find international job opportunities.

Working abroad is one of the subjects on which books are still being published, so a visit to the main University library or public lending library may be worthwhile.  Titles covered include everything from finding holiday jobs and backpackers' guides to information for people who are considering long-term relocation to develop their career.

Some key tips from our own Careers Advisers on the subject of working and studying abroad are:

• If you're considering a gap year, how will it fit in with your future career plans?  Not all employers will be impressed by your improved surfing skills gained on Bondai Beach.
• There is a current vogue for 'overseas internships' but check these out carefully as many require you to pay large sums of money to participate.  Ask about the career destinations of past participants and check that there are no similar paid or cost-free opportunities.
• As with many things, planning is the key to success.  Start thinking about your plans well in advance.  Next year may be better than right now.

For some extra links on opportunities try http://delicious.com/skillzone/abroad or http://delicious.com/skillzone/gap_year