Businesses in West Yorkshire will be able to recruit from a talent pool of hundreds of professionally-trained graduates under a new scheme just launched by regional mayor Tracy Brabin.
The Graduates West Yorkshire scheme is the first of its kind for the region, and will see up to a thousand graduates undergo rigorous employability training, to prepare them for jobs in the regional economy.
The graduates will then be matched with small and medium-sized businesses in the region, progressing on to interviews, six-month work placements and, in some cases, permanent employment.
More than 100 graduates have completed the award-winning development courses so far, which are delivered by higher education careers consultancy Gradconsult.
The Mayor is now encouraging SMEs to register their interest for the free graduate scheme. Firms that apply will receive wrap-around support with the recruitment and retention of a graduate that is right for their business.
She said: “Here in West Yorkshire we have seven leading universities producing thousands of talented graduates every year, alongside thousands of local businesses that are crying out for skilled workers.
“Yet the path from university to employment isn’t always clear, with young people too often feeling that they lack the real-world transferable skills they need to be an asset to a business.
“With this new grad scheme, we’ll ensure that our small and medium-sized firms can access the reliable talent they need, by equipping our graduates with the skills they need to contribute to a stronger, brighter region.”
Mandy Ridyard, Business Advisor to the Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “This graduate scheme is a direct result of our conversations with businesses, who tell us they need better access to talent.
“This scheme is free to our SMEs that have a compelling entry-level offer, but who are struggling to compete with the big grad schemes of multinational companies. Joining the dots between our businesses and talented graduates from our universities can help drive growth, and is a great example of devolution in action.”
