The Association of Graduate Recruiters(AGR) was founded in 1968. It is an employer-led membership organisation, whose goal it is to ensure that all member organisations can recruit and develop the best student talent for their needs and the needs of the UK economy.
With a diverse network of over 700 members, they work closely with employers, the education sector, and supplier partners to:
- Campaign for the better development of emerging talent employment and career skills.
- Articulate the needs of employers who recruit and develop emerging talent.
- Disseminate and promote excellence and innovation in the resourcing and development of emerging talent
QS, as the only leading world university rankings who make full consideration of employers’ view of universities worldwide has joined AGR as a full member since 2014.
On 27th January 2014, Dr. Christina Yan Zhang, China Director, QS Intelligence Unit and Ian Lynes, Business Director of QS Uni Solutions were invited to join about 100 HR heads of big recruiters in the UK to discuss key issues affecting graduate recruitment in the UK.
(Stephen Isherwood, the newly appointed CEO of Association of Graduate Recruiters opened the Annual General Meeting at the Google Campus in London, where many IT related start up are based).
(Some of the key findings from the AGR Annual Survey of UK Graduate Recruitment trends)
There are some interesting facts about graduate recruitment in the UK shared by AGR survey at the Annual General Meeting:
1. The overall UK graduate recruitment market spent 19.45 million GBP for marketing this year.
2. The marketing spend per employer in the UK is 87,750 GBP this year.
3. The expected marketing spend per employer in the UK next year would be 94,500 GBP.
4. The spend per vacancy on average in the UK graduate recruitment market is valued at 1,988 GBP and would rise to 2,064 GBP next year.
5. For every vacancy advertised in the UK, there are about 85.3 graduate candidates applying for it, 25 school leavers applying for it. The competition is high.
6. In the UK, vacancies for graduate increased by another 10.5% than previous year, which means the UK graduate recruitment market is improving.
7. Accounting and Professional Services sector sees the biggest growth in vacancies available this year-18.3% more vacancies are made available than previous year. This is followed by the Public Sector with an increase of 12.5 % vacancies, and 10.9% increase of vacancies in the Retail sector.
New appointments to the board of trustees of Association of Graduates Recruiters were also announced at the meeting with leading UK graduate employers sharing best practice about efficiently recruiting best talents.
(Dr. Christina Yan Zhang, China Director, QS Intelligence Unit met Stephen Isherwood, CEO of Association of Graduate Recruiters and discussed various opportunities for both organisations to work closely together)
At the networking session, Dr. Christina Yan Zhang and Ian Lynes talked to many graduates recruiters who would like to actively participate in the Annual QS Global Employers Survey, one of the largest surveys in the world about employers’ view on universities worldwide, providing invaluable information about recruitment trends on graduate, MBAs globally.
Stephen Isherwood, the newly appointed CEO of Association of Graduate Recruiters also had a discussion with Dr. Christina Yan Zhang on the collaboration opportunities between QS and AGR, especially the forthcoming international conference QS is hosting for IREG on Employers’ discussion about University Rankings and other key areas interest both organistions.
