Graduates value training and development over pay and benefits

Ernst and Young has found that graduates value training and development over pay.

Graduates are more focused on developing their skills thought training rather than a high pay package. Graduates name training and development as their most important consideration when applying for their first graduate job.

Salary benefits were the second most important factor which was followed by business reputation. People and culture and work/life balance came in third and fourth respectively. These findings are almost identical in comparison to the survey conducted in 2007.

Stephen Isherwood, Head of Graduate Recruitment, Ernst & Young, says: “The poll raises interesting questions around the expectations of the post-recession class of 2011 versus those of 2007, who were graduating into an uncertain future.

“Despite the burden of university debts, today’s graduates still see their first job as a prime opportunity to gain qualifications and skills which can benefit them long into the future.”

Source: Pareto.co.uk, Friday 6th January 2012