Graduate training skills might provide a number of people with valuable experience but small firms can be just as attractive a proposition, one expert has claimed.
Margaret Dane, chief executive of the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS), explained that less than 20 per cent of graduates get a job with major firms and the rest cut their teeth at SMEs, which she feels is by no means a bad thing.
She said: "SMEs vary enormously in the businesses they run and how they operate, and there will inevitably be a high investment and high expectations of new graduates joining them, but the rewards can be considerable, both in terms of interesting and challenging work and in terms of personal development."
Ms Dane added that graduates might find it easier to make their mark at a smaller firm and many will find this preferable to working for a big corporation.
On Wednesday the Forum of Private Businesses declared that SMEs are expecting a tough year ahead.
