 Top accountancy firms will take more than 1,000 graduates each |
Graduates think the best career opportunities lie in being accountants, management consultants and civil servants, a survey suggests. Fewer see the Army or Royal Navy as the place for them, although spying for the UK at the government's listening base, GCHQ, is becoming more popular.
The survey of 16,000 graduates who left UK universities this summer was carried out by High Fliers Research.
They were asked which employer offered the best opportunities for graduates.
PricewaterhouseCoopers came top.
It was the second year running that the accountancy firm had been first, followed by the Civil Service then consultants Accenture.
Martin Birchall from High Fliers Research said it was "no surprise" that leading accountancy firms dominated the table.
"Graduate vacancies for trainee accountants have increased by more than 60% over the last two years and two of the leading firms are set to hire over 1,000 graduates each year in 2006," he said.
The BBC and the NHS remain in the top 10 - at fifth and seventh places respectively.
 | TOP 10 EMPLOYERS PricewaterhouseCoopers Civil Service Accenture KPMG BBC Deloitte NHS HSBC Goldman Sachs Proctor & Gamble |
But for the first time since 1998, the Army dropped out of the top 10, to 11th place. The Ministry of Defence fell from 64th place to 83rd. Security service MI5 has also dipped in popularity, from 63rd to 72nd.
But the idea of spying from a safe distance seems to be more attractive with the government listening base GCHQ making its first appearance in the top 100 careers, at number 89.
The Teach First scheme, under which bright graduates are encouraged to teach in inner-city schools before joining industry or commerce, also saw an increase in its popularity, from 41st place last year to 19th in 2005.
The first intake entered schools in the autumn of 2003 and left them this summer.
The police have welcomed their move up the table - from 36th place last year to 20th this year.
They attribute much of this to a revamped career programme for officers called the High Potential Development scheme.
Speaking for the Association of Chief Police Officers, Sir Hugh Orde said: "I am delighted to see that the police service has done so well in this survey.
"It shows that many graduates are seeking a rewarding career serving others."
Sir Hugh - Northern Ireland's chief constable - added: "The challenges to policing have never been so varied, ranging from international terrorism, the serious disorder currently so graphically displayed in my world, through to community policing."
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