Top UK employers for school leavers: finalists announced
- Emma Finamore
- Last updated 23 Mar 2018
The finalists for the best school leaver employers in the UK have been unveiled, ahead of the School Leaver Awards 2018 in May.
The annual breakdown of UK employers offering the best opportunities to school leavers has just been announced, helping young people all over the nation make big decisions about the future.
Early careers experts AllAboutSchoolLeavers, have revealed the finalists in its sixth annual ranking of the UK’s top employers for school leavers. The shortlist, based on the real-life experiences of apprentices and school leaver trainees from 100 UK organisations, features high profile names from the arts and media, professional services industry, the world of construction and engineering, retail giants, and even city councils.
They’ve all been nominated for their exemplary work in developing school leaver opportunities: Intermediate Apprenticeships, Advanced Apprenticeships, Higher Apprenticeships, Degree Apprenticeships and school leaver programmes.
For the first time a Top Employer in Media & the Arts is being awarded – a sign of how varied apprenticeships and other school leaver opportunities have become – as well as the new Diversity & Inclusion Award.
Young people working in the school leaver training world were asked to complete employee satisfaction surveys, covering every aspect of their working lives, from job satisfaction and career progression, to company culture and work/life balance.
Five of the categories were shortlisted by an industry panel, for example the Most Innovative Recruitment Campaign award – recognising organisations’ forward thinking recruitment methods using modern techniques such as WhatsApp campaigns and online media.
“The new categories we’ve added this year demonstrate how more industries are embracing apprenticeships, and how the school leaver market is aligning with the graduate one, taking issues like diversity as seriously as any other type of recruitment. Opportunities for those who want to avoid university debt, or just do something a bit different with their career, have never had a more exciting time to do so.”
Two of the categories – Best Website and Best Social Media – were shortlisted by a student panel made up of a cross-section of the AllAboutSchoolLeavers.co.uk student database.
Industry-specific categories will acknowledge the top employers in their particular fields, for example Top Employer – Public Sector, Top Employer – Media & the Arts, and Top Employer – Accounting & Professional Services.
Jack Denton, director and co-founder of AllAboutSchoolLeavers.co.uk, said: “With apprenticeship programmes – especially Degree Apprenticeships – becoming part of an increasingly busy national conversation about school leaver options, rankings like ours help young people cut through the noise and see immediately who’s offering the best opportunities. Even better: it’s their peers who have decided who is listed on top.
“The new categories we’ve added this year – our Top Employer in Media & the Arts, and the Diversity & Inclusion Award – demonstrate how more industries are embracing apprenticeships, and how the school leaver market is aligning with the graduate one, taking issues like diversity as seriously as any other type of recruitment. Opportunities for those who want to avoid university debt, or just do something a bit different with their career, have never had a more exciting time to do so.”
AllAboutSchoolLeavers’ industry panel will announce the shortlist for the prestigious School Leaver of the Year Award at the end of March.
All category winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on Thursday 17 May, complete with celebrity host comedian Josh Widdicombe.
The finalists in full:
Top Employer for School Leavers
Finalists and winner to be announced at awards ceremony
Best Intermediate Apprenticeship
Busy Bees Training Academy
CBRE
ENGIE
KFC
Laing O’Rourke
Lovewell Blake
The Porsche Apprentice Programme
Robins & Day
Savers
Shoosmiths
Best Advanced Apprenticeship
Bentley Motors
BT
Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
EY
Fidelity International
Irwin Mitchell
Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains
Mercedes Benz
National Grid
Tata Steel
Best Higher Apprenticeship
Kennedys
Mace Group
MediaCom
MHA MacIntyre Hudson
Moore Stephens
NG Bailey
Nomura
PwC
Schroders
TUI UK & Ireland
Best Degree Apprenticeship
Atkins
Bentley Motors
BT
Capgemini
Eversheds Sutherland
EY
Goldman Sachs
Lloyds Banking Group
Morgan Sindall
Morrisons
Best School Leaver Programme
Bank of England
BDO
BP
Grant Thornton
Laing O’Rourke
Mace Group
Mazars
MHA MacIntryre Hudson
PwC
Smith & Williamson
Top Employer – Small School Leaver intake
BP
Fidelity International
Goldman Sachs
Irwin Mitchell
Kennedys
Mace Group
MediaCom
Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains
Nomura
Smith & Williamson
Top Employer – Medium School Leaver intake
Bentley Motors
Grant Thornton
Laing O'Rourke
MHA MacIntyre Hudson
Moore Stephens
Morgan Sindall
Morrisons
National Grid
Robins & Day
Schroders
Top Employer – Large School Leaver intake
BDO
BT
Busy Bees Training Academy
ENGIE
EY
Lloyds Banking Group
Mercedes Benz
PwC
Tata Steel
TUI UK & Ireland
Best Website (shortlisted by student panel)
Barclays Bank
BDO
Grant Thornton
Laing O'Rourke
Mercedes Benz
Moore Stephens
Morrisons
PwC
Robins & Day
Best Social Media (shortlisted by student panel)
British Sugar
BT
EY
Mazars
National Grid
Nestlé
CGI
Jaguar Land Rover
PwC
The Diversity & Inclusion Award (shortlisted by expert panel)
CGI
CyberFirst
Grant Thornton
Mazars
Schroders
Best Training
Bentley Motors
Eversheds Sutherland
Goldman Sachs
Mace Group
Mercedes Benz
Moore Stephens
Morrisons
National Grid
Softcat
Troup Bywaters + Anders
Best Training Provider
Bentley Motors
Busy Bees Training Academy
KFC
Laing O'Rourke
MHA MacIntryre Hudson
Moore Stephens
The Porsche Apprentice Programme
Robins & Day
Savers
Softcat
Best for Skills Development
British Sugar
Eversheds Sutherland
Grant Thornton
Heineken
Kennedys
Mace Group
Nomura
PwC
Smith & Williamson
Womble Bond Dickinson
Best Level of Support
Bentley Motors
DAC Beachcroft
Fidelity International
Goldman Sachs
MediaCom
Moore Stephens
National Grid
Nestlé
Nomura
Robins & Day
Best for Career Progression
Bentley Motors
BT
CBRE
DAC Beachcroft
Fidelity International
Goldman Sachs
Hazlewoods
Mace Group
Nomura
Troup Bywaters + Anders
Best Job Satisfaction
Bentley Motors
Goldman Sachs
Heineken
Irwin Mitchell
Kennedys
Morgan Sindall
National Grid
Nomura
Royal Mail
Schroders
Best Company Culture
Barclays Bank
Bentley Motors
BP
Eversheds Sutherland
Goldman Sachs
Gowling WLG
Kennedys
Mace Group
Morgan Sindall
National Grid
Best Recruitment Campaign (shortlisted by expert panel)
CGI
CyberFirst
Greene King
EY
Marks & Spencer
Severn Trent
Best School Engagement in a Recruitment Campaign (shortlisted by expert panel)
A4G
Bentley Motors
Busy Bees Training Academy
CGI
EY
Marks & Spencer
Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains
Tata Steel
Most Innovative Recruitment Campaign (shortlisted by expert panel)
Arvato UK
CGI
EY
Marks & Spencer
Industry specific awards:
Top Employer - Accounting & Professional Services
Moore Stephens
BDO
EY
Grant Thornton
Lovewell Blake
Mazars
Menzies LLP
MHA MacIntyre Hudson
PwC
Smith & Williamson
Top Employer – Automotive
Bentley Motors
Jaguar Land Rover
Mercedes Benz
The Porsche Apprentice Programme
Renault Trucks
Toyota & Lexus Academy
Volvo Trucks
Top Employer - Banking & Financial Services
Bank of England
Barclays Bank
Fidelity International
Goldman Sachs
Lloyds Banking Group
Nomura
Schroders
UBS
Top Employer – Construction
BAM Nuttall
Laing O'Rourke
Mace Group
Morgan Sindall
Wates
Top Employer - Energy & Utilities
BP
BT
ENGIE
National Grid
Severn Trent Water
UK Power Networks
Dwr Cymru Welsh Water
Top Employer – Engineering
Atkins
British Sugar
Heineken
Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains
NG Bailey
Royal Mail
Tata Steel
TDS Midlands
Troup Bywaters + Anders
WSP
Top Employer - Health & Social Care
Anchor Trust
Busy Bees Training Academy
Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Top Employer - Hospitality & Tourism
Greene King
KFC
TUI UK & Ireland
Top Employer - IT & Technology
Arvato UK
Capgemini
CGI
Softcat
Top Employer – Law
DAC Beachcroft
Eversheds Sutherland
Gordons LLP
Gowling WLG
Irwin Mitchell
Kennedys
Shoosmiths
Womble Bond Dickinson
Top Employer – Media & the Arts
BBC
IPG Media Brands
MediaCom
Royal Opera House
The Juice Academy
Top Employer - Public Sector
Basildon Borough Council
Devon County Council
GCHQ
London Borough of Hackney
London Borough of Hillingdon
Plymouth City Council
Transport for London (TfL)
Top Employer - Retail
Harrods
Marks & Spencer
Morrisons
Robins & Day
Savers
Superdrug
Top Employer - Science & FMCG
3M
Bakkavor
DSTL
Nestlé
STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Teledyne e2v
The Hut Group
Judging Panel:
Jonathan Ledger – Chief Executive Officer, The Global Skills Ledger
Sharon Stephens – Head of Member and Business Development, UK Chamber of Shipping
Steve Nash – Chief Executive, The Institute of the Motor Industry
Stephen Isherwood – CEO, Institute of Student Employers
Robert West – Programme Director, Creative and Cultural Skills
Nick Ellins – Chief Executive, Energy & Utility Skills
Amy Gough – Director of Operations, Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)
Suki Kalirai – Chairman, Institute for Apprenticeships
Sue Hurst – Head of Schools Outreach Programmes, Civil Service
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