smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

While graduate schemes with large companies may seem more attractive, employment opportunities with small businesses may prove just as rewarding for people, according to one expert.

While there may be benefits for business owners to grow their companies, Margaret Dane, chief executive of the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services, argues that the ‘scope for making one’s mark’ is significantly greater with a smaller company.

‘Support systems may be less formal, but may also be more personal for that very reason, so working for an SME can prove an attractive option and indeed a necessity for many,’ she states.

As smaller companies vary in how they are run and operate, graduates can expect ‘high expectations’ of them, she adds, noting that consequently the ‘rewards can be considerable’.

Research by the National Council of Graduate Entrepreneurship revealed that 70 to 80 per cent of the UK’s fastest-growing businesses are set up by graduates.