Employers need to offer career development, personal growth
and travel in order to attract European engineering, science, and business
graduates, according to research.
Nearly three quarters of the 7,322 students surveyed claim
career development is their main priority during their first three years after
graduation, while more than half say personal growth is important. Over a third
view travel as their main priority.
The Universum Graduate Survey 2001 also shows that graduates
are looking for employers that offer their staff a balance between work and
personal life with 52 per cent of respondents saying they hope to achieve this
within three years of graduation. Nearly half demand increasingly challenging
tasks while 45 per cent want the opportunity to work internationally.
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The telecoms sector is becoming less popular with Nokia
falling to second position in the engineering and science graduates ranking
list of the top 50 ideal employers, overtaken by IT giant IBM. Ericsson and
Motorola have also fallen in popularity.
Management consulting is the most popular industry with
business students, with McKinsey & Company, The Boston Consulting Group,
and Accenture the three most popular companies to work for. Academic research
is the preferred industry for engineering and science students.