TARGETjobs news roundup

 

We’re back! This week we run you through the who’s, the how’s, and the why’s of this week’s graduate job news; the news that matters to you.


Leading developments this week was coverage of the property and construction sectors; with a pair of interesting stories for anyone interested in pursuing a career in the built environment. 

• First up the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) are announcing that the number of graduate jobs in construction is set to rise by 30% in 2012. The good news was explained by expected growth in areas like nuclear power, but was offset by a small reduction in graduate salaries.

• We also speculated on another new development when the Department of Health set up a new property company to manage its land and real estate. Currently they aren’t announcing any new graduate positions, but there may well be some in due course.

There were also events in other sectors though, with finance and law both joining in the fun.

• In finance, the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) suggested that graduates really need to find out more about financial planning. The relatively under-subscribed little sister of wealth-management, financial management concerns everything from pension planning to investments and tax affairs.
• The AGR are also suggesting that graduate vacancies at solicitors’ firms will rise by 5.4% this year. While this pales in comparison with the 30% growth in the construction sector, it is still good news for a particularly competitive industry.

But in a week dominated by bold statements, there was still a lot going on in general graduate employment news.

• For example, we compared two different sets of survey results to see whether there was a clash of opinions between employers and would-be employees. Employers were not satisfied with the standard of applicants, but the majority of graduates believe they are suitable for the graduate jobs they are looking for.
• News in from PwC – one of the most popular graduate recruiters – underlined this trend, suggesting that their applications were up by 33%, with increased interest from women and younger undergraduates.
• BP also announced an increased graduate intake. The 50% expansion means that the oil and gas company will be recruiting up to 250 graduates this year, in addition to 130 interns and sandwich year placement students.
• But if that’s shaken your faith a little, don’t panic. We put together our own antidote. Follow these six little pointers for increased work experience confidence. Enjoy!
• Finally, we rounded off the week with a graduate jobs deadline roundhouse. With an esoteric mix of interesting jobs, there are some in there that you might not even have thought of before. Check out the latest jobs here.

This post was written by Ross Wittenham, TARGETjobs Editorial Assistant. 

To get graduate careers news as it happens, check out the TARGETjobs news feed. Alternatively, check out the roundup this time next week!

TARGETjobs offers the largest choice of graduate jobs, internships and placements. Independent reviews on top graduate employers and career planning tools and expert guidance. Become a TARGETjobs blogger by getting in touch with me at jackie.balchin2@targetjobs.co.uk