York St John University in top 25 for employability

This latest employability data represents a rise of 3.9% on the previous year and catapults York St John into 2^nd place in the Yorkshire and North East region.

Following a strategic focus on enabling students to reach their potential through targeted placements, internships, work experience and year in industry opportunities, graduates from the university have gone on to work for leading employers including Amazon, Sky, John Lewis and Santander. With around 75% of graduates choosing to remain in the Yorkshire and North East region, the data collected from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) shows that the skills and talent students’ develop during their university education continues to contribute to the regional economy.

Emma Vincent, Head of Professional & Career Development at York St John University has led on the co-creation of a bespoke employability journey for each and every student, saying: “We see students as individuals and developed our pioneering employability mapping project with the support of graduate employability specialists Gradcore, to enable us to tailor support to students based on their unique experiences and aspirations.”

The project was recognised for its contribution to student experience in the Guardian University Awards 2018, where it was shortlisted in the Student Experience and Retention, Support and Student Outcomes category.

Emma continues: “We are incredibly proud to be one of the Top 25 Universities in the country for graduate outcomes, with 96.9% of our graduates moving into employment or further study 6 months after graduation. This result is a reflection of the talented and engaged student body we have here at York St John who are able to bring something different to organisations and industries across the UK and internationally. It’s this spark and enthusiasm that shines through a YSJ Graduate and sets them apart from others.”

The University’s Careers, Placement and Student Opportunities team used data to design and influence a range of bespoke interventions including graduate internships and Grad2Director, an innovative project supporting ambitious graduates to transform their business ideas into the launch of private limited companies as company directors.

For more information on the 2016/17 DLHE survey, visit the Higher Education Statistics Agency website.