A graduate programme is a great way to bring promising young talent into your organisation and diversify your workplace, as well as being an affordable hiring option. But it’s not just about offering jobs to graduates. So, how can you set up a successful graduate programme that delivers for both the organisation and your prospective graduates?
Here are six vital elements you should consider when setting up your graduate training programme:
1. Use The Right Tools For Recruitment
The first step in any successful graduate programme is hiring the right people for your organisation. A suite of customisable assessment tools will allow you to define the critical elements for your business and find graduates whose values and qualities align with your organisational objectives. Having these tools in place reduces some of the complexity of the recruitment process and saves your team time, as well as helping to avoid possible issues with retention later down the line.
2. Look For Leadership Qualities
Graduates are your business’ future leaders, so leadership potential should be a standout quality you look for when recruiting for your graduate programme. Self-confidence and ambition are good qualities for a future leader, but it is important that this doesn’t spill over into arrogance, as this can impact the graduates’ ability to learn and forge positive relationships with their co-workers. Humility, a willingness to learn, self-awareness, and an altro-centric attitude are signs of ego maturity that, with the right training, can be cultivated into strong leadership and resilience skills.
3. Make It About More Than Just The Money
Graduates are looking for more than just the promise of a job and a regular salary. Most new grads are looking for an organisation that focuses on employee well-being, that encourages a good work/life balance, provides a generous holiday allowance, flexible working patterns, the option to work from home etc. Graduates are also drawn to companies with a positive corporate culture and values that align with their own, as well as businesses who are prepared to invest in personal development and provide individuals with transferable skills that will enrich their long-term careers.
4. Tailor Your Development Programme
Graduate training is vital to showing your grads that you care about their personal development and is another great way to acquire the management and leadership skills needed to help them build a high-level career and to foster the qualities you’re looking for. The best programmes are flexible and tailored to meet the business’ and individual graduates' needs. Programmes should include modern blended learning techniques that are interesting and creative, developing both technical and soft skills. A combination of virtual, indoor, and outdoor practical learning experiences can provide a fun and challenging environment to build trust, team awareness, self-understanding, and offering skills that can easily be transferred back in the workplace and that fit around busy day-to-day work schedules.
5. Provide Varied Workplace Experiences
A graduate programme should be as varied and enriching as possible to attract a diverse range of talent and help cultivate a broad spectrum of skills in your new hires. Give your graduate trainees the opportunity to rotate roles, explore different areas of your organisation, and be exposed to different sub-businesses to find out what they like and to explore where their strengths lie. Allow your grads the opportunity to get involved in new and exciting product developments, technologies, future advancements, and cutting-edge research – all areas in which they can be encouraged to use their initiative and develop their competence and confidence as future leaders.
6. Introduce Mentoring
A mentor gives graduates extra support and opportunities to raise concerns outside of their line manager. They provide a neutral listening ear, offering guidance and support when needed, as well as feedback and tools to help them manage their careers and take advantage of progression opportunities. A mentor understands the organisation they work in and can help graduates to find their place with constructive challenges.
Next Steps
GRA provides tailored graduate and early careers development programmes that support your talent strategy for the future and provide your new recruits with all the tools and skills they need to create real value within your organisation. To find out more, please call 01962 779911.
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