Nearly a week on from the triggering of article 50, we still, naturally, have very little idea how the process and substance of leaving the European Union is going to unfold.
But, according to research for this year’s TARGETjobs National Graduate Recruitment Awards, we’re already beginning to see indications Brexit may have a potentially significant knock-on effect on the graduate recruitment market in two to three years’ time.
A poll of nearly 63,000 students from 126 universities carried out by trendence UK has reported a near doubling in the number of first-year international students who say they do not intend to stay in the UK after graduating (from 16% last year to 31% this year).
While this could therefore mean a graduate “brain drain” in 2019 or 2020, among 12,000 employers who gathered on 30 March at London’s Grosvenor House for the awards, the general sense was that, for now at least, the UK graduate recruitment market remains in good health and good heart.
Although student anxiety about their job prospects is marginally greater than a year ago (up 3-4%), average starting salaries are now higher than at any point since the 2008 recession, up to £25,300 in 2017 against £24,500 in 2016, the trendence survey found.
Students also now expect to spend significantly less time in their first job before moving onwards or upwards, again potentially a sign of confidence. Last year, nearly half (49%) of students said they expected to stay in their first job for just one to three years. In 2017, this figure is now 60%.
“There are, of course, elements of uncertainty at the moment, just as there is uncertainty around the economy full stop. But we’ve certainly not seen any massive slide off in graduate recruitment numbers. There will always be a demand for top graduate talent,” says Sarah Cockburn, senior graduate recruitment manager at law firm Allen & Overy.
The firm, which is this year taking on 90 graduates at its London office and running three vacation schemes for 60-70 graduates, won the top prize of graduate employer of the year, as well as most popular law graduate recruiter, best innovation in student recruitment, and best work experience programme.
Competition to get on to graduate programmes and internships remains fierce, with Allen & Overy alone receiving some 4,000 applications a year. This means it is more important than ever that students do all they can to gain the skills and experience that will show off their employability, Cockburn emphasises. But, it is also important to recognise that holiday internships, while undoubtedly good to get if you can, are not necessarily the be-all and end-all.
“It just needs to be good work experience,” Cockburn points out. “For example, we often look for experience of customer service as something that can be useful for a career in law. To that end, having spent time working on a busy retail shop floor in the run-up to Christmas potentially could enhance your skills more than, say, having spent a week at a law firm doing the photocopying.”
Increasingly, universities are recognising the need to work in partnership with employers to help students help themselves. Indeed, this year’s awards saw the introduction of a new award, best university employability strategy, won by Newcastle University.
As well as doing all the usual things such as careers’ fairs, running standalone enterprise challenges and offering jobs within the university, Newcastle has developed a “graduate skills framework” that is embedded within academic courses, explains Marc Lintern, director of their careers service.
“For every course, we have an academic member of staff who acts as a liaison to determine what kind of support is appropriate. In English, for example, we’ve recently run an enterprise challenge for second years in conjunction with Accenture and Newcastle City Council around creating solutions to engage the local population in recycling and rubbish disposal.
“Another important incentive is students can gain credits towards their degrees by taking part in these types of activities. We also offer one-year placements in industry as standard. It used to be just for courses such as engineering, but now it is for all courses. It is all just another way to help students feel they are getting a return on the investment of their degree,” Lintern adds.
“There is an increasing appetite for work experience that is meaningful,” agrees Laura Yeates, head of graduate talent at law firm Clifford Chance, who was a judge for the employability award.
“I think everyone needs to be working in partnership to ensure that individuals going through what is a very expensive degree process, have the opportunities to get the outcomes they desire,” she adds.
Alongside the employer awards, undergraduates from more than 30 different UK universities met at The Guardian’s offices to decide 10 “student panel” awards, including the rising star award and three special awards focused on school leaver programmes and apprenticeships.
We spoke to three of this year’s finalists for the rising star award to ask how they would advise graduates to stand out from the crowd.
Mustafa Kheraluwala, 25 – Rolls-Royce (overall winner)
I have always been fascinated by aeroplanes. Growing up in India, I used to throw paper aeroplanes off our balcony until my mother told me off because they were landing on our neighbour’s house!
I studied aeronautical engineering at Anna University in Chennai, graduating in 2013, before going on to do an MSc in manufacturing engineering and management at Nottingham University, graduating in September 2014.
I joined the Rolls-Royce graduate programme the following January and, having completed the programme last July, am now a team leader in experimental engineering. We create and conduct experiments to test engines and then gather and feed back data.
While on the graduate scheme I took every opportunity to contribute over and above what was expected or asked of me. For example, in my first attachment I was working to improve an inspection system for the factory where I was based. But I managed to modify it so that it could work for different areas of the business too.
I took part in Rolls-Royce’s “design and make” scheme, where you work with a team of other graduates to look at a problem and fix it. It was, I emphasise, very much a team effort, but we won the Sir Henry Royce Award for technical innovation.
I have also led (again, along with a team) a project to create a manufacturing engineering graduate community within Rolls-Royce. We run monthly teleconference sessions, with a rota set up to give people an opportunity to put together slides about their work which they then share. We have also created a dedicated website for ME graduates.
I’ve been active as a graduate ambassador for Rolls-Royce, doing a lot of work around promoting STEM activities and attending university events. I’ve also attended events at parliament representing the company.
For me, it’s all about always asking “why?”. Often as a graduate you are just handed a task or activity to do. So, it is asking yourself, “why am I doing this, why or how does it – and how can I – add benefit?”. It is about questioning yourself and what you’re doing on a daily basis.
Joël Thai, 29 – AECOM
I came on to the AECOM graduate scheme at a relatively late age, in 2015 when I was 27. The reason was that, after completing a BSc in physics at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand in Paris, an MSc in environmental engineering at Texas Tech in Lubbock and a second MSc in civil engineering at École Centrale de Nantes in France, I then did research and taught physics for three years at University of California in Berkeley.
Joining AECOM was a great move. I completed the graduate programme in January this year and am now a civil engineer and asset management analyst, which means I develop statistical models for water companies.
For me, standing out as a graduate is all about taking every opportunity presented to you and having a can-do attitude. With 100,000 employees in 150 countries, AECOM is a huge engineering design firm and there is always so much going; so it pays to ask questions, to find out what people are doing outside your specific area and extend your own network.
It is also about going above and beyond. For example, I was asked by one client to manually assess damages caused by HS2 tunnelling works on some of its underground pipes. I did that, but also developed a mathematical model that could automatically analyse all of its pipes’ network.
I’m also a committee member of our office sports and social club. Since taking on this role, I’ve helped to rebrand and reinvigorate the club, including creating a new website and organising a series of very successful and popular events. In fact, membership has risen by 10%.
I provided induction tours for new starters to make them feel welcome within the business and I co-ordinate “town hall”-style meetings between teams. I also volunteer to take part in two-day induction events for graduates joining the company.
Perhaps the extra-curricular activity I’m most proud of, however, is raising £3,200 last summer (supported by AECOM) for AIDS/LifeCycle by completing a 545-mile charity bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
My advice for new graduates would be: challenge yourself. Get involved as much as possible and do new things, but also be proactive in creating opportunities, raising your profile, and showing people what you are capable of. Best of all, you don’t have to wait to do that until you graduate.
Getting involved in university clubs and extra-curricular activities can be a great way to differentiate yourself, to give yourself new skills and confidence. And then it is easy to continue that mindset once you start on a graduate programme.
Alvaro Corral, 28 – Mott MacDonald
I completed a degree in industrial engineering at King Juan Carlos University in Madrid, graduating in 2010 after undertaking an Erasmus exchange in Glasgow. Subsequently, I decided to carry out a one-year MSc in renewable energy at the University of Strathclyde.
My MSc finished in late 2011. After spending some time working as a biomass projects consultant, I joined Mott MacDonald as a graduate in 2013, but as a direct hire rather than as part of a graduate programme.
I’m a renewable energy engineer focused on wind power. As part of my responsibilities, I work with large lending entities and investors and I help them understand the risks and opportunities of investing in wind power. I was initially hired to work from Mott MacDonald’s Glasgow office but about a year ago I took on a similar role within its Paris office, where I am now the wind power team leader.
I was fortunate to be given a lot of responsibility very quickly. Whether you’re on a graduate programme or not, it is important as a graduate to take every opportunity that comes your way. For example, because I am Spanish I quickly became involved in a range of wind projects in central and southern America because of my language skills.
I travelled every two or three months to wind power projects based in countries such as Honduras, Costa Rica and Uruguay, initially with colleagues, and then by myself as solo project manager. This very much shows the trust Mott MacDonald put in me.
I’ve also been involved with the Mott MacDonald academy which is a four-year “pathway” that runs alongside our professional development schemes. One of the many things the academy does is encourage graduates to develop their “soft” skills and work in different areas of the business, both in the UK and abroad.
For me, both as a graduate and now as a team leader who often interviews candidates, passion is of utmost importance – showing passion for what you are doing but also passion to learn, ask questions and improve every day.
Sometimes I find new graduates can hold back a little instead of putting themselves forward. It is important to be prepared to approach peers and managers directly and to network, both internally and externally. I’d also suggest that having a second or third language is a real advantage – it can really help to set you apart.
Click here for a full list of this year’s winners.
