1. The Talent War for Students
Stephen Isherwood
AGR Chief Executive
@isherwood_agr

2. The AGR – your trade body
@AGRorg

3. Agenda

4. Our universe – student talent recruited in 2016
10,110 Apprentices
+13%
22,960
Graduates
-8%
9,390
Interns
+13%
3,269 Placement students
685 School leavers

5. But it’s a competitive market

6. Unfilled vacancies by sector

7. 8.2% of offers were reneged
Source: 2015 AGR Annual Survey.

8. Recruiting into places across the UK…
Based on 166 employers with 17,884 graduate hires, who provided regional information.
@AGRorg

9. 82% of AGR employer members don’t stipulate a degree discipline
Did you know…
82% of AGR employer members don’t stipulate a degree discipline

10. What do employers want?

11. What do employers want?
An ability to work collaboratively with teams of people
Excellent communication skills: both speaking and listening
A high degree of drive and resilience
An understanding of the political, economic, commercial issues affecting an organisation
An ability to embrace multiple perspectives and challenge thinking
A capacity to develop new skills and behaviours according to role requirements
A high degree of self-awareness
An ability to form professional networks
An openness to and respect for a range of perspectives
A willingness to play an active role in society at a local, national and sometimes international level.

12. Or put more simply…
Can work with and get things done with other people
Practical intelligence to think through problems clearly and deliver solutions
A passion for your chosen industry/career
The resilience to do difficult – sometimes dull – work in challenging, changing circumstances
Employability is not a tick list of skills
Think about the transition from student to employee.
As a student you ‘consume’ your education.
In some industries you do a lot of one to one work – in some it is all about teamwork
Employers tell us that their best people do the high level work but will also stay late to get the photocopying done for a pitch document

13. Postman or President?

14. Analytics – what does your data tell you?

15. Can do or love to do?

16. Entry criteria are broadening…
Based on 194 employers (2016) with 22,164 graduates, 168 employers (2014 and 2015)
@AGRorg

17. Strengths-based recruitment is expanding
“We recruit on a strengths basis which looks at future potential as opposed to what has been achieved in the past”
Based on 124 employers with 17,559 graduate hires.
@AGRorg

18. The myth of oven-ready graduates
Source: AGR Annual Survey and 2016 AGR Development Survey.
@AGRorg

19. Millennials get to work
Student life
The student as consumer
Clear tasks
Flexitime
Quest for perfection
Peers
Employee life
The employer as consumer
Ambiguous tasks
Working week
Quest for efficiency
Hierarchies

20. The rise of the intern

21. Intern vacancies increase 13%
Sector
% change
Median salary (pro rata)
Overall
+13%
£17,160
Banking or financial services
£21,000
Accountancy or professional services
+19%
£18,000
Law firms
+9%
£16,900
Engineering or industrial company
-3%
£16,500
Retail
+1%
Public sector
+51%
£16,382
Construction (company or consultancy)
+101%
FMCG company
+12%
Energy, water or utility company
-24%
£15,800
Investment banking -
£30,000

22. Retention

23. Graduates typically stay 4.4 years
4.4 years – longer than average, stable retention rates as before
But some do drop out – first time we know when, around the half-way mark
8% the year after – need for off-boarding, it’s a spike, no need why this “has” to happen
Interns versus graduates, value of work experience more widely

24. Apprentices – a new way of thinking

25. Strategies for degree apprenticeships

26. What challenges do you, or do you expect to, experience in the offering of degree apprenticeships?

27. Recommendations
Employers need greater clarity on the range of programmes available, how a new programme can be created, and how they can be built into talent strategies
Speed up the process for Trailblazers being approved and getting to market
Developing the profile of degree apprentice options in schools needs to have a high priority and run in parallel to work undertaken on programme development

28. Demand for higher level skills
Source: cedefop

29. An aging population

30. Key challenges @isherwood_agr 1. Brexit 2. Competition
3. Apprenticeships (Levy)
4. Attracting candidates
5. Diversity
Source: AGR Annual Survey Top expected challenges of recruiters in the year ahead. Open-ended question. Based on 171 employers with 20,424 graduate hires.
@isherwood_agr

31. Questions
Stephen Isherwood
AGR Chief Executive
@isherwood_agr