Top Employers for School & College Leavers Awards to be announced

Emma Finamore
Last updated 19 May 2015

The results are in: the best employers for apprenticeships, school leaver programmes and sponsored degrees, as voted for by those who really matter…school leavers!

Apprentices, employees and sponsored degree students all over the country have taken part in this year’s AllAboutSchoolLeavers Top Employers rankings, sponsored by BDO. The results have been finalised, as well as shortlists for a range of individual categories; the winners of which are to be announced at an awards ceremony this month.

The aim of the rankings is to not only celebrate the great work being done, but also to help the next generation of school leavers (that’s you!) make well-informed decisions about their next career or education steps.

The rankings are based on employees and sponsored degree students’ responses on a range of factors: job satisfaction, skills development, training, career progression, salary and benefits, company culture, level of responsibility, working environment, team relationship and work-life balance. All responses were anonymous, to ensure impartiality.

Some categories were voted for by current apprentices, school leaver programme trainees and sponsored degree students at each organisation; some were judged by industry experts, such as: “Most Innovative School & College Leaver Recruitment Campaign”.

Other categories, like “Best use of Social Media in a School & College Leaver Recruitment Campaign”, were judged by a panel of impartial Year 12 and 13 pupils: those best placed to decide.

One of the industry judges, Janet Hull, executive director of Creative Pioneers, said: “It was good to see a wide range of entries from different types of organisations; from established corporates to smaller entrepreneurial businesses; from management accounting to the restaurant trade. Not a ‘one size fits all’ exercise.

“When judging, I was on the look out for employers who got the bigger picture, who understood their role in helping school and college leavers navigate the world of work, rather than just shouting about themselves. I was then keen to see how they applied creativity to their outreach programmes, to capture the imagination of their target audience.

“Judging was encouraging and enlightening: well worth the hard work!”

The overall Top Employer and the winners of the individual categories will be announced at the Top Employers for School & College Leavers 2015 – 16 Awards ceremony at the Oxo Tower on London’s South Bank, on Monday 18 May, as well as being announced as part of an eight-page supplement in The Independent this month.

Here are the 19 categories, with finalists listed in alphabetical order:

Best Intermediate Apprenticeship

Barratt Developments

Fujitsu

Hays Travel

Mayer Brown

Nomura

Best Advanced Apprenticeship

Be Wiser Insurance

Jaguar Land Rover

KFC GB LTD

Tangerine PR

Virgin Media

Best Higher Apprenticeship

Boots UK

Jaguar Land Rover

PwC

Smith & Williamson

Visa Europe

Best School Leaver Programme

Baker Tilly

BDO LLP

Deloitte LLP

National Grid

Best Sponsored Degree

Barratt Developments

BBC

KFC GB LTD

Nestlé

PwC

Best Training

Baker Tilly School Leaver Programme

Barratt Developments Intermediate Apprenticeship

Ginger Nut Media Advanced Apprenticeship

Hays Travel Intermediate Apprenticeship

Visa Europe Higher Apprenticeship

Best Level of Support

Ginger Nut Media Advanced Apprenticeship

Hays Travel Intermediate Apprenticeship

KFC Advanced Apprenticeship

Mayer Brown Intermediate Apprenticeship

NG Bailey Intermediate Apprenticeship

Best for Job Satisfaction

E.ON UK Advanced Apprenticeship

Ginger Nut Media Advanced Apprenticeship

Fujitsu Intermediate Apprenticeship

Mayer Brown Intermediate Apprenticeship

National Grid School Leaver Programme

Best Opportunities for Skills Development

Boots UK Higher Apprenticeship

Deloitte School Leaver Programme

Hays Travel Intermediate Apprenticeship

Nestlé Sponsored Degree

Tangerine PR Advanced Apprenticeship

Best Company Culture

Arup

Boots

Hays Travel

Nomura

Tangerine PR

Best Opportunities for Career Progression

EY School Leaver Programme

Fujitsu Intermediate Apprenticeship

Jaguar Land Rover Higher Apprenticeship

National Grid School Leaver Programme

Visa Europe Higher Apprenticeship

School or College Leaver of the Year

Charlotte Wain, EY

Gabrielle Hempstead, IBM

Honeybea Youngman, Pret A Manger

Leah Musgrove, Somerset Skills & Learning

Melissa Hargreaves, BT

Best School & College Leaver Recruitment Campaign

IBM

KFC

Pret A Manger

Tangerine PR

Most Innovative School & College Leaver Recruitment Campaign

Baker Tilly

River Cottage

Best Use of School & College Engagement in a Recruitment Campaign

IBM

KFC

Best School & College Leaver Recruitment Website

BDO

Jaguar Land Rover

Lloyds Banking Group

Nestlé

RBS

Best Use of Social Media in a School & College Leaver Recruitment Campaign

BDO

IBM

Jaguar Land Rover

PwC

Best Newcomer

JP Morgan

Mayer Brown

Nomura

Tangerine PR

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