Employing students and graduates - a guide for SMEs

Are you an SME manager or owner wondering whether to recruit a student or graduate? Do you want to explore what a student or graduate could offer your business and find out more about what might be involved?

We've put together information, advice and tips to help you with your next steps, learning more about the potential benefits to your business, different ways to access and utilise graduate expertise, and how to support and retain them once they are on board.

Is it right for me?

How do I go about it?

Ongoing support

Once you’ve decided that input from a current student or new graduate could be just what your business needs, you need to consider which universities to approach. Their careers websites will often have dedicated provision for employers, giving you an overview of what the institution can offer and who to speak to about different activities.

Unless you have very specific technical requirements that are only covered by degree courses in particular institutions, it probably makes logistical sense to explore what your local institutions have to offer first. The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) provides a useful regional map of UK universities and colleges, to help you identify the institutions in your area.

This video highlights some of the benefits of hiring a new graduate:

https://youtu.be/QOYigXz5mb4