The 15 companies British business students dream of working for

The number of EU students applying to UK universities has fallen by 7 per cent since the Brexit vote

Global research and advisory firm Universum has released its 2017 ranking of the most attractive employers in the UK for business and engineering students. 

The company surveyed 45,952 students from 109 universities and asked them to share their views on careers and employers.

We honed in on the responses to see which companies they consider the most desirable.

Although tech giants — including Google and Apple — occupy the upper echelons of the list, finance and consultancy firms can also be found alongside British institutions such as the BBC. 

15. John Lewis

John Lewis  2016 Christmas Advertising Campaign ‘Buster The Boxer’ 

John Lewis has long been regarded as one of the best companies in Britain to work for.

The 153-year-old department store, which also operates Waitrose supermarkets as well as banking and financial services, is owned by a trust on behalf of all 86,000 employees, who have a say in how the business is run and are considered owners of the 48 stores across the country. 

 

14. Morgan Stanley

 (Reuters)

Morgan Stanley provides investment banking, securities, wealth management, and investment management services to clients.

The financial services firm is one of the most prestigious names in its industry. It has over 5,000 employees in London and also has an office in Glasgow. 

13. Microsoft

Microsoft chairman and chief software architect Bill Gates makes a point during the Microsoft XP launch in New York October 25, 2001. Windows XP went on sale worldwide today. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)

It's easy to see why students are eager to work for Microsoft.

Under the leadership of Satya Nadella, CEO since 2014, the company has transformed. After it bought LinkedIn for $26 billion and in late 2016, Microsoft stock hit its first new all-time high since 1999.

 

12. Bank of England

(PA)

"The Bank of England is seen by students as one of the most prestigious organisations and for being an employer where one will have a high level of responsibility," says Joao Araujo, managing director for Universum in the UK.  "This combination makes it one of the most attractive employers in the country."

11. L'Oréal Group

Cheryl Cole poses for L'Oreal true match foundation advert

L'Oréal is the world's largest cosmetics company and is headquartered in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, with a registered office in Paris. The 107-year-old organisation had a total revenue of more than £22 billion in 2015. 

Universum lauded its communications with young people, particularly via social media. "L’Oréal, has one of the finest multi-channel approaches we have ever seen," Claudia Tattanelli, Global Director at Universum told Business Insider.

"LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and others are all used to deliver a variety of messages that describe their culture and reveal what it’s really like to work for L’Oréal."

 

10. BBC

BBC Television Centre (Getty)

 

The BBC is often considered the benchmark of impartial journalism. The 95-year-old, licence fee-funded organisation has global influence and is considered the must trustworthy source of news in both the United States and the United Kingdom.  

Some 23,000 people are employed by the BBC which is headquartered in London. 

 

9. Deloitte

(Getty Images)

This New York City-based accounting firm is also the world's second-largest professional services network and is a go-to destination for thousands of graduates.

 

8. KPMG

KPMG building, Canary Wharf, London (Rex)

KPMG is a global network of professional firms specialising in audit, tax and advisory services, employing more than 170,000 people. Along with PwC, Ernst & Young, and Deloitte, KPMG makes up the "Big Four" audit firms. 

 

7. Nike

Nike has gone from strength to strength recently. The sportswear company has quietly reinvented itself and emerged as an upscale label. In 2016, it overtook Louis Vuitton as the most valuable apparel brand in the world.

The new image and countless celebrity endorsements are clearly paying off, as business students in the UK ranked it seventh most desirable company in the world to work for. 

 

6. Ernst & Young

"All of the big four professional services firms [including Ernst & Young] do an outstanding job in terms of managing their reputation as an employer for early careers," says Joao Araujo. "They are very often present on campus and on social media, reaching out and engaging students in many different ways."

 

5. Goldman Sachs

Goldman Sachs is one of the major city firms (AP)

Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, two of the world's leading investment banks sit side by side in the ranking. Goldman specialises in global investment banking and other financial services. It is headquartered in Lower Manhattan but has branches throughout the world. The bank employs roughly 34,000 globally. 

 

4. J.P Morgan

 (Getty)

Both Goldman and JP Morgan are leaders in their industry. "Students tend to associate them with prestige, challenging work, recruiting only the best, and for the possibility of high future earnings," says Araujo.

3. PwC

(Getty Images )

Pricewaterhouse Cooper was the highest ranked of the big four. Headquartered in London, it's the second biggest professional services network in the world.

 

2. Apple

(Apple)

Now is the perfect time for graduates to eye up roles at Apple.

The company is in the process of moving into Battersea Power Station in central London, and it's one of the biggest property developments in London's history.

As the anchor tenant, Apple will move its London headquarters to the building, taking up 40% of the development's available office space. 

The tech giant will relocate to the station's former boiler rooms, which were decommissioned in 1983, WilkinsonEyre's director, Sebastien Ricard, told Business Insider. The 500,000 square-foot space, spread over six floors, will feature exposed brick and an industrial aesthetic.

 

1. Google

(AFP/Getty)

Google is famous for its abundant perks. Employees can take advantage of free gourmet food, 24/7 tech support, on-site massages, free fitness classes and gym memberships, and a generous holiday allowance.

The tech giant also topped the Europe-wide ranking back in October. At the time, Joao explained: "Google has made the point of not overlooking any students’ to find talent. This latest talent attraction approach, which is more diversified and inclusive than most firms, has allowed Google to gain a diverse array of new people with different outlooks and ideas which are vastly being ignored by other companies of a similar size."

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