About Graduates West Yorkshire …

How the Graduates West Yorkshire Scheme came about …

A central element West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s (WYCA’s) vision is to ‘Create a West Yorkshire that is prosperous, well connected, safe, inclusive and a hotbed of creativity and sustainability,’ and graduates are pretty important for achieving this!

The programme is championed by the Mayor of West Yorkshire - Tracy Brabin - and funded by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA). It aims to connect brilliant graduates in the region with up-and-coming small and medium-sized businesses (also known as 'SMEs').

Whilst SMEs don't have the same big brand recognition as larger businesses, they still have tonnes of exciting opportunities for graduates! Therefore, this programme exists to connect them (SMEs) with you!

What’s in it for you?

Aside from contributing to WYCA’s vision of a prosperous, inclusive and creative region, there are plenty of perks for graduates on the programme! Here are a few…

A graduate level job –

If you pass the development centre, you’ll be entered into the pool of candidates which we use to match with SME roles, based on interests, locations and skills. All of the SME roles on the scheme last for a minimum of six months, and are paid £23,400 and above (full time equivalent).

A tailored development programme -

Once you’re placed into your role, you’ll get an opportunity to come together with some of your fellow graduates and undertake a specially designed development programme. Based on our successful ‘Student to Professional’ development tool, you’ll have access to five unique sessions designed to enhance your early-careers employability. You’ll also be set an exciting group project based within West Yorkshire that will help you to take your skills to the next level!

Your path in the GWY scheme …

So how do you get from here, to starting a job in an SME? Read through the steps below to gain a thorough understanding of the recruitment process on the Graduates West Yorkshire scheme.

  1. You attend and pass the development centre. For additional information and support, please consult our page!

  2. We match you to roles based on your preferences.

  3. You receive information about the role, and decided if you would like to express interest.

  4. If you express interest in a role, we share your profile with the employer, who decides if you will progress to the next stage…

  5. You have an interview with the business

  6. After smashing the interview, you- hopefully!- get an offer of employment!

Of course, things don't always go as simply as that. You might not get an offer, or it might take a while for you to get any matches. If that's the case, don't worry. We'll keep matching you to roles until you have a positive outcome, or we might have a chat with you about how we can improve your matching prospects.