In a category with an array of high quality entrants, the judges were impressed by each of the companies’ commitment to using the recruitment of young people to encourage growth. But it was the National Grid’s innovative Grid for Good scheme for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds that won on the night. We review the winning entry and look at those of the runners-up.
WINNER
National Grid
Grid for Good (GfG) aims to recruit talented young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to help them start careers in the energy sector. GfG collaborates with charities and non-profits to provide training, learning resources, and employment opportunities, enabling young people to find meaningful employment while supporting the journey to net zero.
GfG Engage targets children aged 3-15, offering engaging and inspiring content about energy and sustainable futures. GfG Access, for those aged 16-25, helps underserved young people develop skills and find non-graduate employment opportunities in energy. GfG Excel, for ages 18-25, focuses on Stem pathways, guiding diverse young minds into graduate and other early career opportunities. GfG Accelerate, for those aged 25 and above, works with government, local authorities, and Stem returners to provide practical learning routes and opportunities for individuals who have been out of work for extended periods due to health reasons or caregiving responsibilities.
The programme aims to positively impact 22,500 young people and deliver 125,000 volunteering hours. In addition to access to all National Grid apprenticeships, GfG applicants can apply for bespoke pre-apprenticeship and trainee roles that emphasise practical skills over academic qualifications. The Electricity Transmission Unit offers training specifically for those without qualifications or degrees to become construction and overhead lines site supervisors, partnering with Catch22 to recruit individuals facing severe societal deprivation due to caregiving responsibilities, exploitation, and gang violence. In the past year, 24 people have completed this training.
Graduates receive a £3,000 bursary, book and software allowances, a paid eight-week work placement each year of their degree, and a driving licence scholarship.
RUNNERS-UP
AtkinsRéalis
The engineering and construction company has strategically hired young talent with potential and technical skills, as it looks to expand, tap into future talent and fill skills gaps. The company has used research from sources including market research organisation Cibyl and higher educaiton skills body Jisc to reach out to students with a wider range of degree subjects. It has also sought to attract apprentices. University and school engagement has been a priority; the firm has STEM ambassadors and a governors for schools commitment to reach those considering an apprenticeship.
Its Connectr portal supports candidates at attraction stage, through AtkinsRéalis online mentors. Engaging with mentors connects individuals to experienced peers, enabling personalised guidance to support their individual journey and needs. This year, the firm introduced mid-year graduate entry to create a second opportunity to access the programme outside the traditional hiring window.
The company’s early careers policies have helped fuel growth: 3,000-plus participants engaged on a structured development programme or placement in 2024. Its annual EC masterclass investment is £1m, providing 7,000-plus class places and 16,000 hours of classes. Two of the company’s managing directors are alumni from its graduate programme and inspire next generations as speakers at events.
Health Assured
Personnel Today Awards
All our 2024 winners revealed
View the 2024 photo gallery
The Personnel Today Awards 2025 open for entries around Easter
Sign up to keep updated
Health and wellbeing platform Health Assured has successfully tapped into a diverse talent pool, including individuals with and without professional qualifications. One of the highlights of its training programme is the Dragon’s Den-style sessions, which equip participants with essential commercial and business development skills. The six months of intensive training serve as a crucial bridge for newly qualified counsellors entering the fast-paced field of helpline counselling. Impressively, 75% of participants rapidly advance through Health Assured’s career pathway, significantly contributing to its life-saving and life-changing support services.
Its efforts have led to a 5% reduction in staff turnover over the past year and resulted in 10% of its workforce receiving internal promotions. Health Assured has also experienced a 17% growth in headcount. These achievements have earned it recognition as one of the Sunday Times Best Places to Work for 2023 and 2024, and a spot in the Top 100 North West Best Companies. Additionally, it received an Investors in People silver grade, with 63% of its themes rated advanced or higher.
Expanding the talent pool has further benefitted the business by improving its Net Promoter Score (NPS) and retention rates. Health Assured’s NPS score increased to 75.3, reflecting the positive impact of the firm’s initiatives.
MBDA in partnership with SMRS
As a defence manufacturer, more than 60% of MBDA’s 5,000-plus workforce consists of engineering and technology roles, skills that are scarce in the UK job market. Government-imposed vetting procedures also limit its ability to fill skill gaps from overseas. The demands on defence have led to record people growth at MBDA, with a 20% increase in permanent headcount and 1,100 more expected to join in 2024. In 2023, early careers accounted for 18% of 1,063 permanent hires, including 50 apprentices and 142 graduates. Additionally, MBDA hosted 55 summer placements and five work experience programs. Retaining employees is essential due to our complex work and lengthy hiring times.
MBDA is committed to improving candidate reach, as diverse teams lead to better collaboration and innovation. As a government contractor, the firm must demonstrate its social value and is a signatory of the Women in Defence charter, aiming for a 30% female workforce by 2030. In 2023, 23% of its early careers permanent hires were female.
MBDA’s graduate programmes include 200 individuals across various fields, lasting two years with a starting salary of £30,000 and a £3,000 joining bonus.
The firm also employs over 210 apprentices across 10 programmes, addressing skills gaps in multiple functions.
In partnership with SMRS, MBDA targeted universities with higher proportions of female Stem students and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
It has successfully created a satisfied and loyal workforce, with 67% of graduates and 79% of apprentices retained since 2001. Its recruitment marketing has increased female applications to 28% for 2024 intakes. Despite competitive markets, MBDA has increased its early careers hires and maintained employee retention well beyond UK averages.
Savills
Real estate firm Savills currently has over 460 graduates and apprentices, with more than 150 joining in September 2024. Annually, it takes in over 140 interns through centrally organised programmes. In 2020, Savills revamped its apprenticeship program, initially focused on degree apprenticeships in planning and surveying. By 2023, it expanded to 227 apprentices across 18 business divisions, surpassing its target of 100 apprentices.
Even during the pandemic, Savills continued to invest in its graduate programme, hiring over 100 graduates in 2020 and more than 200 in 2022. Their commitment to fairness and inclusivity led to a review of the recruitment process in 2023, resulting in changes that included combining assessment tasks into one day, increasing travel support, and introducing new recruitment events for ethnic minority candidates. These efforts increased applications from ethnic minority candidates by 856% from 2020 to 2024.
In 2024, Savills launched the Savills Insight Programme, a paid one-week internship for first-year undergraduate students, targeting diverse backgrounds. This initiative provided work opportunities, shadowing, and networking events. All 15 participants were fast-tracked through summer internship applications, receiving positive feedback.
The graduate training programme includes personal effectiveness and technical training over two years, with nearly 500 RICS candidates supported through specialised training sessions. Apprentices receive 20% off-the-job training, tracked through a bespoke app. Savills also hosts annual apprenticeship awards to recognise outstanding contributions, coinciding with National Apprenticeship Week.
Savills’ commitment to early careers is evident, with 40% of board members having started on the graduate scheme. The firm supports other businesses in developing their own apprenticeship programmes. Savills continually innovates its schemes based on feedback, aiming to attract and nurture talent from diverse backgrounds, ensuring the best training and support for future success.
Tata Consultancy Services
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading IT services and consulting organisation, focuses on building top-notch tech solutions to help customers stay ahead. Its people-centric strategy emphasises early careers as a key part of its talent ecosystem. TCS’s approach, combines diversity with innovative talent practices.
TCS’s philosophy of Inspire, Engage, and Employ nurtures talent from within, delivering consistent business outcomes. The Inspire phase includes networking with students through events like Student Treks, Career Fairs, and skill workshops. During the Engage phase, students participate in internships, hackathons, insight weeks, and research projects, gaining clarity on career paths and experience at TCS. In the Employ phase, TCS offers full-time internships, graduate and apprenticeship programmes in various roles, investing in the workforce of tomorrow and developing future leaders.
Through the Academic Interface Programme, TCS collaborates with over 50 universities and colleges in the UK and Ireland. Partnerships with organisations like Generations UK and Black Girls in Tech have increased applications from under-represented groups by 13%. TCS hosted 65 workshops last year, covering subjects like programming, sustainable finance, and analytics, involving more than 2,200 students. The Savills Insight Programme, launched in 2024, provides a one-week internship for first-year undergraduates, targeting diverse backgrounds. All 15 participants were fast-tracked through summer internship applications, receiving positive feedback.
TCS’s inclusive recruitment strategy includes gamified hiring through hackathons and contests, focusing on skills over CVs and grades. Partnerships with Generations UK and Millionlights have filled 60% of junior cloud engineer roles, and collaborations with the University of Westminster’s Employ Autism programme opened roles to diverse talent.
TCS’s robust early careers programme has onboarded over 230 students in the past two years, converting 35% of interns and apprentices to full-time roles, maintaining a retention rate of 83% with 76% role rotation after 24 months.
Vero HR
Founded in 2005 by Mike Kealey and Shirley Kealey, Vero HR was established to provide an alternative HR consultancy and outsourcing service. Vero HR combines consultancy with value-added services, offering clients a comprehensive solution for managing HR activities. It serves organisations across the UK and internationally, with a team of 40 employees and 140 clients. Although Vero HR cannot support a large-scale annual apprenticeship programme, it focuses on offering young people opportunities for work experience and graduate or trainee roles as they arise.
This approach ensures a personalised experience, tailored to individual interests and strengths, rather than following a bulk recruitment process. Over the past five years, Vero HR has provided early career opportunities to 15 young people, leading to six permanent roles and six promotions. During this growth phase, Vero HR creates job opportunities when it finds the right candidates rather than filling existing roles. This method prioritises cultural fit and potential over immediate job requirements. Vero HR values individuals with the right attitude, willingness to learn, and a strong work ethic.
Work experience opportunities at Vero HR involve a structured process where candidates express interest, undergo an interview, and participate in a set period of work experience. They shadow team members across various departments, including HR, payroll, recruitment, technology, marketing, and finance. Feedback from the wider team helps determine if the candidate is a good fit.
If the candidate shows potential, Vero HR may create a junior role for them, allowing them to start their HR career through an apprenticeship or trainee position. Junior employees receive on-the-job training and participate in monthly one-on-one meetings to support their long-term career aspirations.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
