The Times Top Graduate Employers

The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers are Britain’s most respected and sought after graduate employers. Below you can see some of the most sought after graduate employers categorised by industry sectors.

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Accounting and Professional Services

Accounting and professional services refer to services offered by accounting firms to its clients such as audit, assurance, tax, consulting, transaction or other forensic, advisory or investment services. There are number of job roles in finance and accounting for graduates who wish to pursue their career in this field. Some of the most reputable and sought after accountancy firms are PWC, Deliotte, KPMG, Ernst & Young or Grant Thornton. Review finance and accounting industry overview to learn about graduate job market and skills one needs to develop to become a successful accountant.

 

Graduate Employers in Retail

Retail companies has gained a significant interest from graduates over the recent years. A names such as Aldi, John Lewis, Tesco, Mark & Spencer, Lidl, Arcadia Group, Boots, McDonald's, The Co-operative Group, Asda or Sainsbury's seem all familiar to us. Nearly all of the major retailers offer graduate scheme and leadership programmes as a part of their two-year management trainee scheme. Many of the retailers are merging or are being acquired so it is extra important to keep up with the latest news so that you can speak intelligently about what they are doing. It makes you look professional and each company wants someone like that on their team.

 

Public Sector

A large proportion of graduates want to work for big boys in accounting and banking services nevertheless public sector provides huge opportunities for career growth and personal development. Enterprises operating in public sector such as NHS, Teach First, Civil Service, Network Rail, Transport for London, Bank of England, Ministry of Defence of DSTL are some of the top public sector employers for fresh graduates.

 

Engineering & Industrial

Engineering and Industrial companies are comprised of wide range of sectors i.e. aerospace, automotive, oil and gas or food and drink manufacturing industries. Some of the major aerospace and automotive companies offering graduate training programmes are airbus, BAE Systems, Boeing, Thales Group, BMW Group, Ford, Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan, Rolls-Royce, Toyota.

 

Oil & Gas

This sector provides graduates with numerous career opportunities. Divided into two main areas exploration and production, and  
refining and marketing, new entrants have the opportunity to join truly international businesses with opportunities to travel further afield. Many graduate employers such as BP, Shell, Centrica, Exxon Mobil, Npower, National Grid, E. ON, EDF Energy, Schlumberger, Total, run a graduate programmes lasing few years for engineers to try out working in different areas of the business before specialising in particular field.

 

Consumer goods

This industry manufactures and markets everything from food and beverages to toiletries and small appliances. Many companies that sell consumer packaged goods consist of few diverse subsidiaries selling brands that consumers recognize. A well-known conglomerate in this sector include Unliver, L'Oreal, Mars, Sony, Craft Foods, Diageo. When applying for graduate scheme in consumer goods sector it is important to understand how your role fits into the bigger picture. Most consumer products companies offer intensive management training programs with rotations through various functional areas, so that trainees can get a thorough understanding of how the business works.

 

Graduate Employers in Investment Banking

Companies in this industry underwrite, originate and maintain markets for clients. They also advise buyers and sellers on business valuation, negotiation, pricing or structuring of transactions. They match up buyers and sellers as well as buy and sell securities out of their own account to facilitate the trading. Some of the most reputable names in this industry include Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley Barclays, Deutsche Bank, Macquarie Group, Nomura or UBS.

 

IT and Telecoms

We live in ever more connected world thanks to recent boom in IT and telecoms industry driven by demand for technological innovation. Companies such as IBM, BT, Microsoft, AT&T, Orange, Deutsche Telecom, Telefonica are pioneering further technological advances. The job opportunities in IT and telecom industry seem to be immense for fresh graduates with new inspiring ideas.