|
A number of major UK employers have cut their graduate job recruitment programmes in recent days, with BT being the biggest.
Joining them in cutting costs by reducing the number of graduate openings on offer are Corus, the steel maker, and Innocent Drinks who produce a range of popular smoothies. Also in doubt is the graduate job recruitment scheme of British Airways.
BT said they had no present plans to reopen the scheme but stressed that they remain committed to the September 2009 intake who they have already recruited.
A spokesman for BT said, "In light of the current economic environment and headcount pressures, BT has taken the decision to cease graduate recruitment activity and are no longer running a graduate recruitment programme."
British Airways also stated that they were committed to the graduates starting with them in September but wouldn’t make any firm promises about whether it would be recruiting from the graduates of 2010. Corus, which has long been committed to its graduate job recruitment programme and normally takes on around 50 people each year, confirmed that they had no such programme for 2009-10. Innocent Drinks, which started a modest graduate recruitment programme last year will not repeat the project this year.
Commenting on BT's announcement, the Association of Graduate Recruiters said that it was important to keep things in perspective and pointed out that very few employers have given up on their graduate recruitment programmes completely. They also added that they believed that most firms would be likely to “reinstate recruitment levels at the first sign of an upturn in the economy."
And the optimism of the AGR is backed up by the fact that a number of big graduate employers like Marks & Spencer, Boots and Tesco have confirmed that their graduate schemes would not be being axed.
So, don't despair if you are looking for graduate jobs at the moment. There are still plenty of companies who need the special talent that graduates can bring. Have a look at our latest graduate job opportunities right now.
|
