3 September 2007
City firms tap talent fresh from schools - before the
university recruitment drive
CIity of London employers are getting a head start in the
competitive race for high-achieving graduates, preempting the “Milk
round” and endless university fairs, by offering successful
school-leavers from the City fringes paid placements to start as
soon as their school holidays begin.
This month, nearly 100 school leavers began placements at a
range of City firms, including Bloomberg, Citigroup, Lloyds TSB,
Reuters and UBS - where they will work for up to 13 weeks as part
of the City of London Business Traineeship scheme.
The City of London Business Traineeship scheme, fully funded by
the City of London Corporation, offers paid placements at City-type
firms and is delivered by the Brokerage Citylink. While many
employers in the City look overseas to fulfill their recruitment
needs, the City-of-London-funded scheme highlights the pool of
fresh, diverse local talent and encourages local sourcing from
highly-skilled potential business professionals living in areas
immediately surrounding the Square Mile.
Michael Snyder, Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee
of the City of London Corporation says, “The City needs a constant
stream of new working talent to maintain its position as a global
centre of business excellence. Firms are aware that they need to
tap into all methods of recruitment to ensure that they acquire the
highest standard of graduates. This programme also provides a
unique opportunity to City firms for their recruits to be brand
ambassadors at university.”
Candidates are drawn from schools and sixth form colleges in the
City fringe boroughs, a relatively untapped area for new, talented
employees. Students are assessed on the basis of their G.C.S.E.
grades and then undergo an extensive interview and workshop process
to prepare them for their City placements. Successful candidates
are then matched to participating City firms for the final
interview process.
City firms taking advantage of the scheme include financial and
business service providers, domestic banking, asset management,
international multimedia news agencies and law firms. Companies
benefiting from the programme include UBS Investment Bank, HBOS
Treasury Services, The Blomfield Group and Allen and
Overy.
Sean Taylor, Director at UBS Investment Bank, says, “City fringe
students are talented, they have a great outlook on life and – most
of all – they’re hungry to learn. This scheme reveals the high
calibre of student on our doorstep. It adds to the diversity of our
workforce and ultimately provides opportunities for increasing our
talent pool.”
Ends
Notes to editors
Run since 2001, the City of London Business Traineeship scheme
is fully funded by the City of London Corporation and offers
successful school leavers paid placements at City-type firms
delivered for the City of London by the Brokerage Citylink. Each
year, over 80 A-level leavers from City fringe schools take part in
placements of between 6 and 13 weeks. In addition, over 250 more
take part in various activities (CV workshops, interview
techniques, etc) in the competitive process of securing a
placement. Students participating in the scheme are usually high
flyers, intending to continue their studies at university and are
drawn from schools and sixth form colleges in the City fringe
boroughs.
For more information, or for details about how to participate in
the scheme, please contact:
Rosalind Jeffcoat or Louise Ambridge
Rain Communications UK
Tel: 020 7222 4345
Email:
name.surname@raincommunications.co.uk