Employers: Warwick, we want you!

**Warwick graduates top the most wanted list of the UK’s biggest investment banks, law firms and consultancies.**

Graduates from the University were targeted by more of the UK’s top 100 graduate employers than those from any other UK university, a new study shows.

The study by High Flier Research showed that most of the top 100 employers only target graduates from 20 or fewer universities. This is partially due to one in five firms having scaled back funding for their graduate recruitment programmes over the last year.

Third-year Morse student David Whitcombe told the _Boar_: “When I was interviewing for internships, it was very noticeable that each firm had a very short list of universities which they recruited from.

“It was largely London, Oxbridge, Warwick and then occasionally Durham or Bristol. I’m really happy that I am at a university which gets on to these elite lists.”

Stephen Ward, head of external relations in student careers and skills, commented: “Being ranked as number one is testament to both the hard work we have done in building strong relationships with these key employers and, of course, the high calibre of our students.

“However, I’m keen to point out that we are just as committed to applying the same careful approach in other employment sectors.”

Other highly rated academic institutions, Cambridge, Durham and Oxford came fourth, sixth and seventh in the list respectively; St Andrews did not even appear in the top 20.

Warwick’s communications officer Peter Dunn welcomed the results, commenting: “We have been in the top 10 of this table for a few years now and have been second a few times; this is the first time we have been first.”

However Mr Dunn warned: “We have often asked them for their methodology but they haven’t revealed it. So while we are pleased that they have ranked us first this time we have no idea why they have or what is different for them from last year.

“So while it is nice to get this accolade we will concentrate on what we think both students and employers want. What is the most obviously attractive feature for Warwick, for both students and employers, is its focus on being a globally connected University.”

Education officer James Entwistle also expressed his pleasure at the rankings. He said: “It’s fantastic news, and something both students and the University can be proud of achieving.”

Mr Whitcombe also thanked the staff and support at the University. “I know personally that Warwick really helped me to get to the interview stage with lots of companies in industries from investment banking to technology.”

However The Graduate Market in 2013 report also revealed an unexpected fall in the number of graduate jobs available overall compared with the previous year, with the biggest reductions at investment banks and accounting firms.

Although the drop is small, it reverses the rising trend which saw increases of 2.8 and 12.6 percent in 2011 and 2010. The companies surveyed did express better news for students, saying that they expected overall vacancies to increase by approximately 2.7 percent in 2013-14.