Abstract

For many years the demise of the graduate recruitment scheme has been predicted, many arguing that dynamic employers want graduates that can take substantial responsibility and contribute to bottom line profitability within months of joining an organisation. Contrary to this view, some ‘blue chip’ employers have retained their ‘scheme’, believing that hand picked recruits developed in(to) the organisational ‘mould’ are more likely to achieve the medium to long term results so desperately sought. This paper demonstrates that one such ‘scheme’ produces greater career progression amongst ‘scheme’ recruits when compared to graduates recruited outside the ‘scheme’. It concludes that competition for places on such graduate recruitment schemes is justified by the career advantages such schemes bestow. Further, this paper demonstrates that one such company operating such a scheme actively facilitates the personal development of such scheme entrants to generate enhanced career progression as a consequence of enhanced performance.