Demand for graduate positions and work experience at record high - EY - United Kingdom

London, 28 June 2011: The biannual survey from the Association of Graduate Recruiters out today (Tues 28 June) says that the number of applications for graduate jobs has reached the highest ever recorded.

Stephen Isherwood, head of graduate recruitment at Ernst & Young, reflects on the findings and talks about what’s happening at one of the UK’s major graduate recruiters:

• Graduate applications at Ernst & Young up 30% this year
• Undergraduate applications soar by 96%, as students focus on attaining work experience to boost their CVs
• Vacancies still available for September but graduates need to be look beyond London for job opportunities

“We’ve also seen record demand for our graduate vacancies this year, with a 30 per cent increase in the number of applications. It’s clearly a very competitive jobs market but, for candidates who are prepared to be flexible, there are still vacancies available for September. However, graduates will need to get on their bikes for work and look beyond the UK’s major cities. There are some fantastic opportunities to work for global organisations like Ernst & Young, based in towns up and down the country such as Reading and Southampton, which provide the same career development opportunities as working in the capital.

“Candidates can also help themselves to stand out from the crowd and by having work experience on their CVs. We’ve seen a 96 per cent increase in the number of applications for our undergraduate programmes for this year alone, whether it’s our insight days, summer internships, or international and industrial placement schemes. Work experience is a great way of showing potential employers that you have initiative and are equipped with skills for the workplace. We’re aiming to recruit over 50 per cent of our graduate trainees from our work experience and internship programmes, so it can also provide a real foot in the door.”