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Students employed by the top graduate recruiters in the UK could have some of their university debt paid off, it has been claimed.

Richard Lambert, director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said that "a number of companies" offer graduate recruits help with their "accumulated tuition fees", according to the Financial Times.

Speaking after the first meeting of the Higher Education Task Force, Mr Lambert said some firms would even pay for an entire course for their graduate employees, the paper claimed.

The task force is made up of many household names in the corporate community including Microsoft and Centrica, with the latter telling the Financial Times: "We pay all graduate recruits a starting bonus of £2,100 which is expected to be used to help meet debts."

The CBI set up the Higher Education Task Force to look into the funding of the university sector and further understand what companies expect from higher education institutions.

According to the Press Association, research commissioned by the CBI to mark the launch of the task force claimed universities are producing too many graduates.

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