Graduates identify training as employer priority

Good-quality training and development opportunities are one of the top deciding factors for graduate jobseekers, new data show.

The latest UK Graduate Careers Survey also highlights a preference for client contact early on in a role, suggesting the provision of customer care training will not wane in significance among senior leaders.

According to the Times, more than half of respondents emphasised learning and development as their key jobseeking criterion, while a similar proportion said being given "genuine responsibility from day one" is top of the list.

The survey of over 15,000 final-year students, used to compile The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers, further identifies a desire to be "challenged on a day-to-day basis".

"About 30 per cent said that they were keen to 'give back something' to the community," notes the publication, underlining the pertinence of personal development training to foster confidence and communication skills.

"Jobseekers were less enthusiastic about having responsibility for managing other people," it adds.

The results of the survey echo recent research from human resources specialists at the Institute for Employment Studies, which indicated that learning and development opportunities boost employees' engagement with their organisation.