Small firms tipped as good for work experience

Small businesses are just as capable of giving graduates valuable work experience as larger, more established companies, it has been suggested.

Elspeth Farrar of the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services said that graduates looking for work-experience and internship opportunities should not assume that bigger is necessarily better.

'There are lots of smaller companies who can offer very valuable experience,' she remarked, adding that graduates should not 'just think about the big, blue-chip companies.'

She explained that employers are increasingly looking for candidates who have taken part in work experience, internships or volunteering.

Mr Farrar said that such efforts are 'vital' to compete in today's job market, as employers are looking for people who have done something valuable beyond their degree course.

According to the Association of Graduate Recruiters' 2007 survey, nearly two-thirds (64%) of recruiters are looking for a 2.1 as a minimum.