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Highly valued qualifications
If you're sold on the idea of studying with The Open University, you'll be pleased to learn that your future boss is likely to support you all the way. Employers really appreciate the value of an Open University qualification - indeed, over two thirds of FTSE 100 companies have sponsored students on our courses.
Why employers value The Open University
It's not just the fact that the academic excellence of our teaching is officially recognised - though it's always nice to know that your shiniest new recruits have the most up-to-date knowledge. Employers understand the commitment, self-discipline and ambition it takes to complete an Open University degree, and value the skills you develop as a result.
What skills can I expect to gain?
- The ability to organise and prioritise - essential in the job market
- How to be an independent learner and effective self-manager
- How to work with different people at different levels
- Communication skills, both written and verbal
- The ability to critically analyse issues and situations
What did these employers think? Click on a logo to find out
We like our people to have a life
We particularly look for graduates who can demonstrate the ability to incorporate aspects outside of work, such as sports and hobbies. We accept graduates with degrees from any discipline. It's the quality of degree so we look for a 2:1 or above.
We want to see that candidates are able to get on with their studies as well as having an active life.
At KPMG we have employees studying for their accountancy exams so we are very used to overseeing employees studying and working. Work-life balance is important to us and we offer flexible working structures, so if you work late you can come in later the next day.
If an employee wants to study a subject that would benefit them while working with us then we would support that 100% - financially and with study leave. We recruit from the OU and have employees studying for OU postgraduate qualifications alongside their work.
Sara Reading,
National Graduate Recruitment Manager KPMG
Work and study? Fine with us
We look for people to join our management training programme, in a sales, management and customer relations role. We want people who enjoy working with customers.
We have education assistance programmes - we'll pay for people to study European languages and work related qualifications, such as accountancy certification. We offer study leave as well. We have an employee starting a Masters in Human Resources with the OU.
I am always so impressed by people who manage to study and work at the same time. We also have interns and people who are currently studying and working for us on placements.
We have 320 locations across the country. All of our job postings are available online where you can apply for management training and internships. Our internships are really flexible, they can be anything from a summer to a year, depending on what the student can manage. A lot of our interns become full-time employees.
Donna Miller,
Human Resources Director Enterprise Rent-A-Car
We're looking for bright ideas
Graduates need to demonstrate they are adaptable to change, that they can communicate with other people and have good written skills. We want to see bright ideas, initiative and a willingness to learn and develop.
We train employees how to manage other people and themselves, understanding what the change means, and what it means to go through with it and coming out the other side having completed it - each stage presents a different set of feelings.
We support people going through change and development and having a buddy and mentoring system.
Angela Hodson,
Graduate Recruitment Manager Tesco
You don't have to be a rocket scientist
At Logica CMG we work in a whole range of technical areas. I work in the Space and Defence Division where employees can be working on projects such as sending satellites into space. Our graduates tend to come to us with IT degrees.
We look for people who are able to work on the technical side of things but also able to problem solve and deal with clients face-to-face. We offer placements for students in their final year of studying, this can be anything from six months onwards.
This works very well for us and often placements turn into full-time positions. We like to invest in our employees and keep them with us for the long-run. We do have school learner entry positions in some of our departments, like administration.
We'd definitely consider school-leavers who want to gain a degree while working for Logica CMG.
Gary Timms,
Resource Manager, Space and Defence Division Logica CMG
