This document discusses graduate employment outside of London and provides perspectives from universities, employers, and graduates. It summarizes survey results showing that the average graduate salary outside of London is £29k but many employers think entry-level salaries should be £15k-£18k. While investment banking jobs are popular again, public sector jobs are declining. Most graduates seek jobs in London but opportunities exist outside the city as well. Employers value graduates for bringing new ideas, leadership skills, and increasing productivity. Universities, employers, and graduates sometimes have differing expectations about graduate recruitment.

1. Setting realistic expectations for graduate
employment outside the M25

2. 20 minutes
• Nicola Turner, Acting Director of Employability,
Aston University and Martin Edmondson,
Chief Executive, Graduates Yorkshire
– Graduate Employment in 2011
– A range of perspectives
– National SME Survey results
– Key Messages
– Questions to consider

4. Graduate Employment 2011
• What happens • AGR average
to the other grad salary
44? £25k
“45 graduates “Average
chasing each graduate salary
job” is £29k”
“Unemployment
“48% of Finalists
rate for 16-24
seeking work in
London” year olds is at an
all time high”
• Do they all get • 700,000 more
jobs in graduating this
London? summer

5. A range of perspectives
Graduates
Employers, Universities
Parents
Rankings
Government
Media

6. Graduate Network presents: National
Employer Survey 2011
Sent to 32,000 regional
employers
453 Responses – 90% SMEs
62% have recruited a grad in the last 12
months and 56% plan to recruit in 2011
1.5% believe degree result is the most
important factor when recruiting graduates

7. Graduate salaries outside London
median salary £29k
HESA stats 2009 UK graduate salary range
£15 – 23k
86% think a grad salary should be between
£12,000 & £22,000 with £15,000 - £18,000
proving to be the most popular bracket.

8. High Fliers 2011
CLASS OF 2011
Investment banking popular choice for first time in
three years
Public-sector jobs decline in popularity for
applicants
Students applying earlier and more often
London most popular destination in 25 out of 30
universities
Top university students expect starting salaries of
£25,000+
25% want to stay for postgraduate courses

9. Benefits of employing graduates
Benefits What % of employers agree
Strengthen resource 96%
Introduce new ideas 92%
Produce future leaders 85%
Increase productivity 83%
Up-skill your workforce 70%
Give specialist knowledge 58%

10. Key messages
Graduates
• The 3-way disconnect:
Universities Employers
• Strategy being built on dangerous assumptions
• London is a different graduate recruitment world
from the rest of the UK
• Not trying to drive down salaries
• Strength in London + wider UK is good for all

11. Questions to consider
• What information are you building your strategy
on?
• What expectations are you giving graduates?
• Why do you recruit graduates, and do you know
what they want?
• How are you balancing/weighting all of the
external forces that impact on graduate
employment?
• How should your local, regional, national and
global graduate employment strategy vary?