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Barclays Offer £20,000 To Help 2018 Graduates Apply For Jobs

08 Oct 2018

Barclays Offer £20,000 To Help 2018 Graduates Apply For Jobs

Barclays bank has announced a new fund totalling £20,000 which it hopes will help graduates from 2018 find a job.

Any UK graduate who left university in 2018 can apply for up to £550 from the new Barclays Graduate Fund in order to finance training, travel, accommodation, clothing and other costs associated with making graduate job applications.

Applications can be made from today (8th October 2018) and the offer will stay open for almost two weeks until Friday 19th October 2018 at 6pm.

Announcing the new fund, Barclays’ Community Banking Managing Director, Josie Clapham, said: “Graduating from university and starting your first job should be a really exciting time, but the associated costs can be daunting for many; particularly when those finishing their studies in 2018 are estimated to have accumulated over £50,000 of debt.”

“We understand how stressful and challenging this time can be for new graduates, and we want them to be able to focus on finding the job that’s right for them rather than fretting about whether they can afford to attend an interview.”

“We hope the Barclays Graduate Fund will go some way to support graduates as they take their next steps and look forward to a bright future,” added Ms Clapham.

Barclays have launched their first Graduate Fund after their research showed that over half (54 per cent) of graduates have had to decline job interview offers because they can’t afford to attend - and 3 in 5 employers won’t help them with basic costs such as travel.

Almost half of graduates (48 per cent) told Barclays that they’ve had to fund job seeking costs by dipping into their overdraft, applying for a credit card or borrowing money from their family or friends.

Barclays found that the typical graduate looking for work will now spend an average of £550 attending four interviews while trying to secure a graduate job, with costs including:

  • £205 - Courses to improve their employability

  • £175 - Software & other additional upskill resources

  • £90 - Travel & accommodation

  • £80 - Clothing for interviews

If you graduated in 2018 and £550 would go a long way towards helping you find a job then you can find out more about the Barclays Graduate Fund and apply here.

And if you are still trying to find good opportunities to apply for, then take a look at what is available in your area or chosen sector now in our graduate job section.

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