Auditors, consultants and other financial service companies have dominated a
poll of the 200 most attractive graduate employers.
Ernst & Young topped the list, with 24 per cent of graduates surveyed
identifying the company as the most attractive place to work, with IBM and its
consulting arm coming a close second with 23 per cent.
The survey, conducted by student organisation AIESEC and Topcareers, invited
16,000 students from 40 major UK universities to rate employers. Banking and
financial services took places in the top 25.
The BBC was the most popular media company in 12th position with 17 per
cent, followed by Channel 4 with 14 per cent, and Sky TV with 10 per cent.
The highest rated government department was the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office in 32nd place with 11 per cent, followed by the Civil Service Fast
Stream in 63rd place, with 7 per cent.
However, the majority of those surveyed studied finance (28 per cent),
engineering (16 per cent), and physical sciences (10 per cent).
Ben Sowter, president of AIESEC, said the survey illustrated a developing
range of student career aspirations. "This research demonstrates the
diversity of interests among today’s graduates," he said.
Graduates’ Top 10 employers
1.        Ernst
& Young
2.        IBM/IBM
Consulting
3.        Morgan Stanley
4.        Goldman Sachs
5.        Deutsche Bank
6.        PriceWaterhouseCoopers
7.        Accenture
8.        Andersen
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9.        Deloitte
10.      Investec Bank