The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers list for 2015 released recently and it’s been making the rounds on social media. There’s a lot of big name employers on there that will stand out of course; Google, BBC, John Lewis, HSBC, Apple etc. All attractive companies that I’m sure are a pleasure to work with. For a fresh graduate or current student though these types of names can be intimidating. Can you imagine the list of names wanting to work for Apple? We’ve all seen the queues for an iPhone or iPad release, what’s the waiting list going to be like when it’s Apple paying you and not the other way around!
What never makes the list is the 100,000s smaller businesses that are offering graduate and student roles. We’ve placed hundreds of graduates in positions where they’re doing incredible work, work that is just as crucial to the company as it is to the students/graduates development.
So we’ve created an alternative list of some of the companies and roles that haven’t made ‘The Times Top 100’, but are just as innovative and rewarding. We haven’t listed names because, well there’s no point. You won’t have heard of them and to give specific names would devalue the many other brilliant companies that we didn’t quite have the space to feature (maybe one for the Step novel coming to a store near you…)
- An award winning professional software-testing consultancy based in London has been in business for 13 years. They have 65 members of staff, and recently took on a graduate in a permanent Marketing and Business Support role that was filled via Step. They have built a strong growth plan that will see an increase from their current base of staff to 100 within 18-months, and our Step graduate was just the beginning!
- This is for those of you who want a pivotal role in a company, and the knowledge that you are working to help your community. A graduate recently joined this Community Interest Company as a Research / Project Analyst. The company have support from their local Borough Council and ensure that the local area benefits from the clean and green revolution. The exciting role valued a creative graduate and had them at the focus of business development by creating ideas, topics and materials that all went into pitches to clients.
- If you’re an engineer into testing the latest tech or just a graduate with an interest in aerospace, defence, semiconductors or basically anything that makes you go ‘YEAH SCIENCE!’ then there’s no better place. This company is the market leader in electronic test equipment, offering complete solutions for rental, new and refurbished instruments through to total equipment management. They operate globally with the head office in the outskirts of London. They took two graduates over the summer, both of which started as paid internships and led to full time roles. Now they are looking for more graduate interns with a view to continuous graduate recruitment.
- A company with over 30 years’ experience, in the sales, installation and maintenance of industrial food processing & packaging machinery employing 18 members of staff have just moved into brand new custom-built premises. Considering the size of their company, they took on 3 graduates over the summer on an internship basis in a range of roles, namely Engineering and Business Management, with one of these internships turning into a full time position.
- This one is for the analytical of those among you. The people that like research, that like being methodical in their work. The people who alphabetise everything they own. This business provides research and consultancy services to the financial services industry, and currently employs approximately 20 people in Central London. They have recruited an impressive 8 graduates in the past two years. The roles they offer are varied, interesting and open to graduates from any discipline where research and writing skills have been acquired. Disciplines include Politics, History, Geography, Economics, Law and Banking.
- An established British manufacturer of composite, rubber and specialist insulation materials based in Northamptonshire recruited a Chemical Engineering graduate. They are part of a larger group of companies with 9 sites across the UK. Although they don’t have an established graduate program, they have been able to offer a fantastic graduate opportunity to the recent graduate who will be tasked with various projects to enhance and improve their manufacturing processes.
- For the graduate that wants to spend a small part of their day testing equipment for Rambo (maybe…) A family owned business based in Warwickshire that supply to the international defence trade, carry out a wide variety of projects involving destructive testing on their own firing range. They offer paid internships to Materials Engineering graduates who get the chance to test materials in their purpose built ballistic range and test them against X-rays, sonic and ultrasonic non-destructive weapons. Their brand is virtually unknown but their internships offer real industry experience and a chance to apply your theoretical skills.
- Ever thought of a career in advertising? There’s more to advertising than the obvious big players and this year, Step is partnering with the Institution for Practitioners in Advertising (the IPA) to deliver around 50 undergraduate summer placements in some of their 300 smaller agencies. You might not have heard of them yet but that doesn’t mean they aren’t offering amazing opportunities now.
- A bioscience and research company, that offers so much more than just science for new graduates. Although relatively small, and hidden away in the beauty of Cornwall, they are one of the biggest names in the IVF development industry. As they grow, more graduate roles become available, including international sales, electronic engineering, market research, and scientific development. We are looking forward to working with them more in the future, as our Step placements have always been welcomed with open arms.
- A hotbed for chemical and process engineering, and representing the talent of Yorkshire. Industrial design, thermal oxidisation and control engineering are this company’s trademark. Priding themselves on creating every new product from scratch, tailor-made to their clients’ needs, they are also forward-thinking in the graduate world, including a positive and supportive development programme for their new staff. With their clients being some of the biggest names in the energy and engineering sector, this is a great place for a graduate to begin their career.
Now we are at the end of the list and you may be thinking where do I go from here? Google has unfortunately turned down yours and thousands of other applications (how dare they!) and you’re still after that summer placement. Well fear no more! Create your Step profile now and when those innovative small companies are looking, the lovely Step team can contact you and secure you that rewarding placements.