This was one of the key findings of Smaller Businesses. A positive career choice for graduates?, based on an extensive national survey of 250 small businesses and launched at the first Graduates into Smaller Businesses Conference, held at Jury’s Inn Birmingham on Tuesday 26 November in front of a capacity audience of small business owners, university careers advisers, small business organisations and government bodies. Smaller Businesses. A positive career choice for graduates? was produced by GTI Media, publishers of TARGETjobs and Step, the leading UK provider of paid work placements.
Larger graduate recruiters have a big presence on university campuses and it’s not surprising that many students want to work for them, but less than a fifth of graduate jobs are with large employers. Small, high-growth businesses have the capacity to recruit more graduates and offer them a real alternative to larger companies: earlier responsibility, an opportunity to make a difference and to stand out at work.
The majority of the businesses surveyed were happy with the quality of graduates taken on for internships or jobs but many found it difficult to promote their opportunities and fill their vacancies, and most would value closer contact with local universities:
- 59 per cent found it ‘a challenge’ to recruit graduates from universities
- 42 per cent had either never, or only very rarely, been contacted by a university
In a parallel survey of nearly 1,000 undergraduates undertaken by the NUS, there was no evidence that university students have set their faces against working for smaller businesses.
- 87 per cent of undergraduates would be ‘willing’ or ‘very willing’ to start their career with a smaller employer.
The problem is that smaller businesses don’t have much of a presence or brand on campus and it’s therefore much more difficult to find out about their opportunities.
- A third said they had heard NOTHING about smaller employers on campus
- 68 per cent said that SMEs had a ‘limited’ or ‘very limited’ profile as potential recruiters
Commenting on the surveys’ findings, Phil Donnelly from Step said, “So often the press report on graduate recruitment trends based on what the large traditional recruiters are saying, but it is really important for students to understand the wide range of options available in smaller businesses and tackle their graduate job search differently. One of the main issues is that smaller businesses don’t have much of a presence or brand on campus, making it more difficult to find out about potential opportunities.”
Chris Philips, from GTI Media added, “We are really excited by the findings which offer some real hope to a generation that has borne the brunt of our recent economic woes. This is a serious national issue. There is little growth in vacancies from the big brands of graduate recruitment but it’s far more difficult for students to access opportunities with small businesses and far more difficult for smaller businesses to recruit from universities. We need to take action now to bring willing students and willing employers together.”
The Graduates into Smaller Businesses Conference was organised by the Association of Graduate Careers Services and supported by GTI Media and step.
You can download the full Report here
