Winners of the Yorkshire Graduate Employer of the Year Awards Announced

7th September 2012

Graduate employers, large and small, from across Yorkshire and the Humber came together last night for the Yorkshire Graduate Employer of the Year Awards.

The awards, founded by Graduates Yorkshire, are to celebrate the commitment to the personal and professional development of Yorkshire's graduates by the region's employers. The awards were supported and sponsored by the Yorkshire Universities. Graduates Yorkshire is a social enterprise dedicated to helping the region's graduates find graduate level jobs, and help local companies, in particular SMEs, access graduate talent. They work with over 5,800 employers across Yorkshire and The Humber, and have placed over 20,000 graduates into graduate level jobs. Martin Edmondson, CEO of Graduates Yorkshire said -Times are hard for businesses, so we wanted to recognise those organisations that are not only recruiting graduates, but are actively investing in their training and skills development. These employers are vital for the growth and prosperity of our region. They are creating employment opportunities, retaining graduate level skills in Yorkshire, and training future leaders,which is why these awards are so important. The awards ceremony was a glamorous affair held at Anthony's Piazza in Leeds Corn Exchange, where delegates were treated to a three course meal. The night was Yorkshire themed, starting with a rhubarb cocktail and finishing off with a locally sourced band, Vibetown, through Leeds College of Music. The awards were judged by three independent judges; Simon Hill, Managing Director, Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation, Ian Ford, Chief Operating Officer, Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services, Lewis Coakley, Higher Education Union Development Officer, National Union of Students. The standard of the awards entries was exceptionally high. The winners were picked because they demonstrated a real commitment to the professional development of graduates as well as engaging with universities and their communities. We are proud to announce that the winner of the Micro Yorkshire Graduate Employer of the Year Award was Approach PR, the Medium Yorkshire Graduate Employer of the Year Award went to Epiphany Solutions and the Large Yorkshire Graduate Employer of the Year Award was given to Cameron. Approach PR was also awarded the Yorkshire Graduate Employer of the Year Award which was judged from the winners of the previous three awards.